Style

Kendrick Lamar Spends A Day In Ghana Chatting About Virgil Abloh And ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’

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A little over seven months after the passing of fashion designer Virgil Abloh, his global impact is still making itself known. Virgil’s influence is all over Drake’s new surprise album Honestly, Nevermind and in Spotify’s new documentary short film about Kendrick Lamar, the Compton rapper learns just how well-known Abloh was on his first trip to Ghana. Visiting a skate park in Accra, Kendrick reveals he’s been chatting with the local kids about the late designer, discussing “what he means to them, as far as letting them have this creative space to enjoy themselves.”

The park was opened in December, just after Virgil’s passing, with support from Off-White, Abloh’s own brand, Daily Paper, and Surf Ghana. At the time of the opening, Daily Paper co-founder Jefferson Osei said in a statement, “With this initiative, we hope to evolve the skate culture in Ghana to the next level and give locals a platform to grow their talents within a space that will hopefully become their biggest training ground to date. More than board sports, the park will be a creative hub for young Ghanaians to come together, exchange ideas, inspire each other, and build their futures through recreational activities. They now have a place where they can be themselves, freely develop their skills together with like-minded people, and reach their true potential. Hence the name, Freedom Skate Park.”

Kendrick also discussed his favorite lines from his new album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, explaining why a line about going to therapy resonates with him. “We learn to hold all our sh*t in,” he admits. “That wasn’t my forte when people mentioned it to me. I’m still stuck how my pops thinks: ‘F*ck I need therapy for?’” He also allows, though, that going would represent “growth” and seems more open to the idea than he initially lets on.

You can watch the mini-doc “A Day In Ghana With Kendrick Lamar” above.

Tyler The Creator’s Golf Wang 2022 Collection Is Bringing Back The Baggy Look

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It’s often said that fashion goes in cycles that come back around every twenty years or so. With this knowledge, I regret to inform all you millennials out there that you are now old. If it makes you feel any better, you can call it “retro,” which is what we did when we were bringing back bellbottoms and platform shoes and trying really hard to embrace punk aesthetics. Now, it’s our turn, as the baggy look is back and the teens are now running around looking like extras from She’s All That.

Leading the charge, as usual, is Tyler The Creator, who is pretty much the trendsetter for anyone who entered middle school around the time Odd Future was upending hip-hop’s cultural conventions and making Theresa May really nervous they might turn over the tea cart if they gained access to Old Blighty. Tyler’s brand, Golf Wang, has been one of the go-to looks for the legions of fans who used to scribble “Kill Them All” in their notebooks, terrifying teachers and conservative commentators throughout the 2010s.

Today, he revealed the lookbook for the latest summer collection, which consists of a variety of wide-leg, loose-fits, colorful sweaters, woven shirts, and jeans with biohazard symbols all over them. I guess Tyler hasn’t grown all the way up just yet — and he never should. You can check out some of the fits below, with more on the official website. They go live on June 18 at noon ET. You can grab them in-store at 11 am PT.

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Kanye West Calls Adidas’ New Shoe A ‘Fake Yeezy,’ Accusing CEO Kasper Rørsted Of ‘Blatant Copying’

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Kanye West isn’t happy about Adidas’ new shoe, calling out the company’s CEO over “blatant copying” and calling the Adilette 22 slides ” a fake Yeezy made by Adidas themselves.” After deleting his first-quarter shenanigans from Instagram, it looked like he’d return to using the platform primarily to showcase his creative endeavors, like this weird McDonald’s packaging redesign. That lasted less than a month; he returned today to post a screenshot of the Adilette (apparently taken from a sneaker interest site) and lambast the German shoe manufacturer, despite the fact that they’ve been his design partner since 2015.

“THIS IS YE driving down the same street Kobe passed on,” he wrote. “Maybe I feel that Mamba spirit right now To Kasper I’m not standing for this blatant copying no more To all sneaker culture To every ball player rapper or even if you work at the store This is for everyone who wants to express themselves but feel they can’t cause they’ll loose their contract or be called crazy Bravery is not being afraid Bravery is overcoming your fear for your truth This Ye with the blue paint on my face These shoes represent the disrespect that people in power have to the talent This shoe is a fake Yeezy made by adidas themselves I’m not talking to DC about this either Kasper come talk to me Happy Monday”

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… Look, man. Not to be that guy, but… Pot, meet kettle. Remember Nike’s Roshe silhouette? That year you couldn’t go anywhere without running into 500 pairs of those things on everyone’s feet from hardcore sneakerheads to errand-running girl dads. Then, Kanye switched teams from Nike because he didn’t like the terms of his partnership there, only to go to Adidas and drop the Yeezy Boost 350 — which looks almost exactly like Nike Roshes, despite his claim that it’s the “most iconic shoe of the past 15 years.” (Let’s not even get into how Walmart sued him because his new Yeezy Gap logo looks just like Walmart’s or how people thought the original Yeezy Slides look just like Crocs.)

Anyway, I’m sure this will lead to all kinds of chaos in the sneaker world this week, so if you’re an enthusiast (or a recovering one), buckle up. There could be some seismic shifts in the future.

Tyler The Creator’s Latest Golf Le Fleur Converse Are Out Now — And They Look Amazing

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The partnership between Tyler The Creator and Converse has proven to be quite fruitful. In addition to the Golf Wang Chucks that sold out nearly instantly the day they dropped — and the customizable re-release from earlier this year — as well as the hilarious “Really Cool Converse Club” commercial that Tyler directed, the partnership has now spawned an entirely new shoe, the GLF 2.0, designed by Tyler. Rather than being an athletic shoe like the ones borne from other artist/brand collaborations, it’s a casual sneaker that’ll likely look just as good dressed up and dressed down.

There are currently two colorways of the new sneaker: Oil Green and Bison, and Curry and Copper Tan. The upper is canvas and suede, with fat laces, and a classic overall silhouette that gives off the same retro vibe Tyler’s been embracing since his Flower Boy era. They’re priced at just $110 and odds are, they’ll be gone before the day is out, but you can still try your luck at Converse.com. There’s almost no way there’s not a restock at some point.

Tyler’s Golf Le Fleur label has flourished this year, with the immensely busy rapper-producer-designer introducing both a line of nail polish and a line of luggage, which he introduced with a cheeky short film.

The Yeezy Gap Engineered By Balenciaga Collection Is Now Available Globally

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Kanye West’s fashion endeavors continue to elevate. His latest collaboration with Yeezy, Gap, and Balenciaga has added another layer with a new global drop that’s available now. The latest release, previewed in Ye’s “Life Of The Party” video, was delayed due to the tragic school shootings in Uvalde, Texas. The Yeezy Gap Experience engineered by Balenciaga includes t-shirts, hoodies, joggers, caps, and other products featuring the signature design elements of the collaboration.

The campaign has been utilizing virtually rendered avatars, but fans do note they have seen the Donda artist wearing a flame embroidered cap that has piqued their interest. The Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga collection is now available to shop via Yeezy Gap, Farfetch, Luisaviaroma, and Mytheresa. This news comes on the same day Ye released a posthumous collaboration with XXXTentacion titled “True Love,” which accompanies the documentary Look At Me focusing on XXXTentaction’s life. Kanye West is also participating in the reimagination of McDonald’s iconic packaging alongside Naoto Fukasawa.

Ye can’t stop making headlines, but this is a well-received set of news. It is a major collaboration that could open the door for more fashion innovators down the road. Check out some more of the products available for purchase in the pictures below.

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Tyler The Creator Gives Fans The Chance To Customize His Golf Wang Converse Chucks

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Tyler The Creator’s ongoing partnership with Converse has proven uniquely fruitful. Not only have Golf Wang Converse sneakers been a cool treat for fans for the past few years, reflecting Tyler’s long-established love for the skater-favorite brand, but he’s come up with some pretty neat projects as a result, such as last year’s hilarious, Tyler-directed “Really Cool Converse Club” commercial. The latest is a new sneaker model that fans can customize with 100,000 options, the Golf Wang x Converse Chuck 70. The brand announced the collaboration via a few social media posts showing off some of the possible combinations.

The Golf Wang By You project includes a bunch of side decals of Golf Wang and Tyler The Creator logos and color options. Quantities are limited so I suggest clicking this link as soon as you can.

During a recent Converse All-Star series talk in March, Tyler discussed his affinity for the brand but also revealed his disdain for a different trend. “What the f*ck is a NFT?” he wondered to the audience’s amusement. “I paint at home, I play instruments. … I have a friend who’s making me speakers by hand right now. What the f*ck is a NFT? None of the examples I’ve seen is, like, beautiful art. It’s a f*cking monkey in a Supreme hoodie.”

Vans Is Suing MSCHF Over Tyga’s Wavy Baby Sneakers, Calling Them Trademark Infringement

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Brooklyn-based art collective MSCHF’s sneaker collaborations with rappers have drawn both excitement and controversy. The group’s “Satan Shoe” collab with Lil Nas X not only drew fire from conservative commentators but also got slapped with a lawsuit from Nike. Now, another of MSCHF’s sneaker crossovers is the subject of a trademark infringement lawsuit. This time, Vans is suing the customizer over its Tyga-endorsed Wavy Baby sneaker, which alters what appears to be a pair of Vans Old Skools, giving them a bizarre, curvy sole and adjusting the iconic side stripes to match.

Although the shoes were set to release on April 18, Vans filed for a restraining order against MSCHF, saying the Wavy Baby shoes violated its trademarks and would confuse customers into thinking they were an official Vans collaboration. MSCHF, however, argues that the shoes are an artistic parody commenting on sneakerhead culture, consumerism, and corporate sneaker collaborations. According to Billboard, Megan K. Bannigan, MSCHF’s attorney in the case, told a judge in Brooklyn federal court Wednesday, “These shoes comment on consumerism, on the absurdity of sneakerhead culture. This was released as an art project. It was not released in competition with Vans.”

MSCHF also pointed out that all 4,000 pairs of the limited edition shoes already sold out, and the company has no intention to make more. However, according to Billboard, US District Judge William F. Kuntz seemed skeptical, saying, “The Wavy Baby might have Wavy Babies, and I think that’s what they’re afraid of. If that wasn’t an issue, I don’t think we’d be here.” He agreed to the restraining order but did not advise when it might be pushed through. Similarly, the Lil Nas X Satan Shoe case wound up with both companies settling, with MSCHF asking customers to voluntarily return their pairs — fat chance — and Nike issuing a statement that any complaints should be directed to MSCHF, not them.