A$AP Rocky knows how to make an entrance.
The rapper showed up to Design.Space’s Los Angeles preview at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood on Friday night as it was winding down, past the 9 p.m. end time — surrounded by his posse, with photographers chasing in tow. They had been waiting for his arrival.
Rocky immediately made a beeline for his gallery space, showcasing his debut Ray-Ban collection as the brand’s newly appointed creative director, alongside his design studio and homeware label, Hommemade. Once inside he first greeted and thanked staffers.
“Hi sis, good job, yo,” he said to one with a hug as another filmed the exchange. “I got it on camera,” the coworker told her.
All eyes were on the star as he then grabbed an espresso martini at a pop-up Hommemade café — or more precisely, an “Awgespresso” martini, a nod to his creative agency, Awge.
“Looking sharp,” a photographer yelled as Rocky posed for flashes under Ray-Ban’s red logo.
“I try, you know,” he smiled, in sunglasses and a trench, with a jacket and tie peeking out from underneath.
“I ain’t gonna lie, the music crazy in here,” he continued to laughs as a jazzy sound blasted from speakers.
Jazz is what Rocky sometimes plays in the studio, said a Hommemade employee who works closely with the 36-year-old rapper — a multihyphenated talent (who shares two kids with partner Rihanna), entrepreneur, fashion darling and actor who will next be seen in Spike Lee’s “Highest 2 Lowest.” Life is back as he knows it, following the 13-day felony assault trial in L.A. that ended on Feb. 18, where he was found not guilty in a case that threatened to upend his future.
“He’s always mixing medias and creativity,” the employee continued.
While the Ray-Bans were on view and available to try on, buyers must wait until April 7 for the first drop (showcasing existing styles with A$AP Rocky-approved finishes). On sale Friday night, though, were Rocky’s $60,000 Shroom Cactus collaboration with Italian brand Gufram, a design originally created by Guido Drocco and Franco Mello in 1972, along with a line of protective covers for the pieces.
Also available for purchase were Hommemade’s made-to-order, mixed-media entertainment studio console — a core representation of Rocky’s retrofuturism influence. It blends artistry with functionality, made with wheels and including a full projector, computer, gaming system, with a VHS, DVD and vinyl player, and the user is able to plug in four mics and eight synthesizers.
“This one is 300,” the Hommemade employee told Zane Lowe, the New Zealand radio DJ, music producer and TV presenter, of the console on display.
“300?” he questioned.
“$300,000.”
“Thanks for clarifying — $300? Where do I sign up?” he joked.
Veneda Carter, Presley Gerber, Neels Visser, Zack Bia and Quannah Chasinghorse were among the guests wandering the Design.Space preview, alongside L.A. artists and art enthusiasts.
The man behind the entire affair is Jesse Lee, chief executive officer and founder of Basic.Space, a digital marketplace with a selection of fashion, art, design and lifestyle products, which has grown to acquire Design Miami — a more traditional fair, with Lee now serving as chairman.
With Design.Space he’s combining the two with an “IRL-to-URL” shopping experience that he kicked off in L.A. and plans to bring to other cities. The idea came to life in December, he revealed.
“Not that long ago,” Lee went on. Originally from the suburbs of Chicago, he’s been in L.A. for 20 years. “The genesis of all of this is the best of Basic.Space meets the best of Design Miami.”
Lee chose the Pacific Design Center, a 1.6-million-square-foot facility for the design community, to offer a sense of discovery to those who have yet to visit, and its convenience: “West Hollywood in a weird way is the most central. If you’re an eastsider, westsider, this is probably as far east or west as you go.”
Everything was for sale in-person in L.A. (via QR code or with the help of a salesperson, if preferred) until the end of the weekend, and will continue to live online. It’s a mix of old and new design, art and vintage or archival luxury fashion. Prices range greatly, from a $25,000 Andy Warhol print to a $6,000 Max Lamb armchair. The piece de resistance was outside, a 1969 Jean Prouvé gas station, available thanks to Paris art dealer and Galerie Downtown owner François Laffanour.
“Getting him early on and then for him to commit to bringing it from France — it took almost two months to get it shipped on a boat, three days to install it, and it’s never been on U.S. soil — getting that locked in gives us the credibility within the design community here,” Lee said of Laffanour. The two connected at Design Miami. “That sets the standard.”
