Hip hop artist A$AP Rocky has stood out over the years thanks to his eye for style and fashion. The rapper recently made his debut as a fashion designer during Paris Fashion Week in June 2024. For his first American Sabotage presentation, A$AP Rocky set up a runway showing off his inventive take on streetwear.
Many of the 30 runway looks were spiced up by new and archival Ray-Ban eyewear products. Some of the models sported Optical Olympia glasses from the brand’s 60s archives, while others wore never-before-seen styles like the Mega Baloramas, a modernized variant of the Balorama wraparound. Rocky himself wore another Mega variant of the Wayfarer silhouette for the show’s finale.
Wife and fellow musician and fashionista Rihanna was among many of the show’s notable guests, clad in a burgundy, fur-lined bomber jacket and studded heels. The show also teased Rocky’s next album — rumored (and later confirmed) to be titled “Don’t Be Dumb” — during the runway, and fans and fashionistas could order the American Sabotage collection ahead of its August 30th launch.
The new Mega Baloramas
The new Mega Balorama spotted during A$AP Rocky’s runway show retains the wraparound shape, blending its stylish silhouette with the chunky arms associated with Ray-Ban’s Mega variants. Today, the regular Balorama remains a popular and stylish prescription sunglasses silhouette from the brand, and actually offers more colorways than its Mega version. While both Baloramas have tortoiseshell frames, for example, only the non-Mega version has matte opal blue frames. If you prefer a pop of color, the bright orange lenses are only available on the regular Balorama.
The buildup to the Mega Baloramas wasn’t restricted to Rocky’s Paris Fashion Week debut, however. Soon after, Ray-Ban celebrated its 60th anniversary via a glamorous dinner after Milan Fashion Week. The event, attended by fashion legends like Anna Wintour, also heavily teased the arrival of the Mega Balorama.
A$AP Rocky and Ray-Ban
Meanwhile, Rocky is no stranger to the eyewear giant. On the red carpet, in his music videos, and during casual outings and dates with Rihanna, sunglasses are a staple fashion accessory for A$AP Rocky. A month after his Paris Fashion Week debut, the hip hop artist was spotted in New York City wearing a pair of tortoiseshell shades — the Mega Clubmaster — to complete his full office-chic Bottega Veneta look.
In a visual for his highly-anticipated “Don’t Be Dumb” album, Rocky adopts abstract European art influences in a black-and-white video for “Highjack”, the album’s first single. In the classy video, Rocky can be seen wearing the Ray-Ban Mega Wayfarer, complete with the typical Ray-Ban marking on the lens’ corner and the chunky arms associated with the Mega variants. The video was directed by French director and photographer Thibaut Grevet, known for his masterful work involving shapes and shadows.
A$AP Rocky and fashion
Of course, as highlighted throughout this article, A$AP Rocky is a fashion connoisseur, even boasting the self-proclaimed moniker “Fashion Killa”. Throughout his career, Rocky is known for taking fashion risks. This included wrapping patterned babushkas around his head and wearing sheer blouses long before sheer was a fashion trend.
In 2021, the rapper went viral for his Met Gala look. American brand ERL crafted the vibrant and colorful coat using a vintage quilt acquired from a California thrift store. In 2023, Rocky teased his future Bottega Veneta ambassadorship, wearing the brand’s woven “Bottega Green” vest while out and about in Los Angeles.
When out with wife Rihanna, Rocky also doesn’t focus too much on simply matching her look. Instead, the musician enjoys bringing in pops of color to complement and coordinate alongside Rihanna’s street style. Through the years, Rocky remains unafraid of subverting menswear and streetwear conventions, refusing to shy away from soft and vibrant colors.
