An interesting discussion erupted on Instagram when we posted a picture of Nicki Minaj wearing a Versace Medusa Studded Bathing Suit and Versace Pumps:
Ms_Thresha commented, “Rappers kill brand names smh.” She further expounded, ” [There’s] nothing wrong with wearing [brands]. But when I say rappers kill name brands, it’s the stupid basic songs they make etc.” @_kingneek agreed, typing, “YES! I say that all the time. They bring the value of everything down.”
@Ms_Thresha and _@KingNeek are undoubtedly alluding to a spate of songs past and present where rappers uplift European houses with catchy tunes. The unofficial video for Migos’s ‘Versace, Versace‘ song featuring Drake, Meek Mill, and Tyga has received 1.5 million views on Youtube, and innumerable social media and pop culture shout outs. Soulja Boy’s 2009 hit ‘Gucci Bandana’ has garnered upwards of 6.5 million views on the popular video sharing platform.
But is this bad news for brands? @SuzytheGlamazon fired back, “Nicki Minaj has always worn Versace since the beginning of her career. Lil Kim and Biggie used to wear Versace heavy. I don’t know why everyone makes a big deal over rappers endorsing their favorite brands.” @DrRedFoxx offered the final thought on the pic, saying, “Actually, Versace isn’t having any sales. They are still just as expensive. People interested in reaching that level of “success” will STILL buy the brand. If anything it has been been free advertising.”
I tend to agree with the latter part of the group. Brands from Givenchy to Céline to Versace have rappers to thank for a part of their success and household name status. Sure, these houses have exceptional standards of quality and have been rocking with core customers for years. But now they benefit from a new demographic who will snatch up everything from overpriced t-shirts to button downs, sunglasses, and sneakers. I mean, we all remember Versace’s 3 time appearance at this year’s BET Awards.
Do these notoriously exclusive, elitist brands like the free press? Do they want rappers in their clothes? Maybe not. But a rapper, as with any consumer, will like what he likes and buy what he wants. And what he likes, he will rap about.
If anything rap songs increase the value of brands. They make items more covetable, perhaps unwittingly raise prices, and drive the bottom line of houses who I’m sure don’t really mind the extra money. In some cases rappers play a vital part in brand revival. Yes, Riccardo Tisci is a creative genius, but let’s be honest: Givenchy wouldn’t be what it is today without Kanye and his crew snapping up every graphic tee and Madonna sweater in sight. I’m sure Hubert de Givenchy never saw that one coming.
And all press is good press, right?
What do you think?
I personally think it depends on who the rapper is. Drake, Kanye, Jay, or anyone of that caliber can’t really devalue anything. Weezy, Soulja Boy, Waka (even though I get my life from his ratchet stuff) or anyone of that caliber can devalue things in my opinion.
Its just like if you have Rihanna wearing something and then Draya wearing the exact same thing. Both girls are similar to me, but Draya would devalue the item.
YES.
I’m not going to say that the rappers themselves devalue luxury brands, but I will say that people who jump on the luxury band wagon and buy an item they otherwise would have never purchased because they heard it in a song devalue the brands. I’m not the kind of person who can up and buy every designer item that I see and like, however if I see a special piece I’m willing to splurge on because of uniqueness or I simply love it, I will purchase. If all of a sudden everyone else wanted that item, it would lessen the value for me because I wouldn’t want to spend that kind of money just to have what everyone else has.
I don’t think rappers add any value to these brands. Free publicity? Yes. But the average kid listening to these songs are not going to be shopping in Hermes or Versace stores anytime soon. Many of these rappers are not fashion forward; they just happen to have the money to buy these clothes, or the clout to have it loaned to them.
NO. There are so many brand names that people would never have even heard of it weren’t for rappers. Including people that might not necessarily listen to rap.
Rappers revitalize brands and make them hip/interesting/edgy/tough. Everyone rips off urban culture and copies what rappers are doing/saying even if they aren’t conciously consuming hip-hop or urban culture.
A lot of brands make most of their money from the middle and upper middle classes buying accessories, perfumes, etc. Rappers help increase visibility to that part of the population, they are the best advertising. If you follow popular culture, you can’t avoid rap.
I think designers and those outside the fashion world perceive artists differently and that reflects how they view them in their clothes. Jay Z & Gucci Mane come from similar backgrounds and Gucci def has money, but I think people see him as a ‘devalue’ to a brand, but not Jay Z. It’s all about status and perceptions. Gucci Mane’s seen as Ratchet, Jay Z isn’t.
What I hate is when the hip hop stars clothe themselves head to toe in the monogram. Like what Missy did with LV & Busta did with Gucci – yuck! Definitely devalues the brand. Funnily enough, it’s mostly people from the ‘rougher’ areas who wear designers like that – it’s to show ‘hey I made it! I got money now!’ But it looks tacky.
If you got money for pay what is wrong with this ? I don´t see no problem
Ditto what SuperSelected said. ^^^
Reminds me of when Jay-Z started a boycott against Cristal after the owner said the hip hop culture brought “unwelcomed attention”. We break our necks to buy these high end brands and they still look at us as dirt.
devalue? the brands only care about their bottom lines and making money. luxury is not only accessed by a select few anymore. and it’s insulting and frankly racist to say that RAPPERS devalue brands, but not rock stars, or pop stars, or country stars. y’all letting the white man tell you what these brands should mean and who should be allowed to wear them when i gather a large percentage of people on this site can’t afford to buy these items anyway.
I would have to disagree with the wording but agree with the main concept behind what you said Claire. I disagree that rappers increase the “value” of the brand because all of the people watching the videos then scrambling to buy little Givenchy trinkets probably don’t contribute to the brand’s bottom line the way in which the valued Park Avenue customers do; However, being that fashion is so subjective it sometimes becomes a popularity contest and what’s popular sells therefore what sells is popular. While I don’t believe that these rappers wearing certain higher end brands neither value NOR devalue the brands, I do believe that they increase the notoriety. People who can’t afford these brands are still not going to be able to so they can’t drum up sales but now they are aware of it and spreading the word.
Publicity increases the demand and since Versace bags are probably not mass produced as extensively as H&M ones are the supply is low and for those of us who never studied Econ (no shade), when demand is high and supply is low, the value does increase. So Versace and other luxury brands probably aren’t fazed by the demand of everyday Joes and Janes, like myself, who are not shelling out tons of dough for them BUT this does probably work for more affordable brands / stores like River’s Island, Asos, and Jordan.
Rappers are the reason most of thee brands are still in existence/relevant. I’m a very fashion-forward person but I didn’t hear about the Christian Louboutin brand until I heard female rapper Foxy Brown mention it in one of her songs a decade ago. Let’s think about it, yes these brands had a loyal following before rappers started name-dropping but thanks for folks like Kanye West, Pharrell, etc. they’re more profitable than ever because they know hip-hop has the Midas Touch. These brands know that when we see a rapper wearing something, 9 times out of 10, their fan base will go out and purchase it (Givenchy graphic tees anyone?). Not too many people even knew the brand Celine until they saw Kanye wearing the foulard shirt at Coachella a few years ago.
I think super selected made a good point! A lot of the hip hop stars are actually bringing value to luxury brands. They’re so influential, whenever they rap about a brand, sales go up, everyone wants it! Hip hop artists have a lot of power…
I think that they do. Why not just show off your style instead of bragging about it. Plus its typical for all rappers and singers to rap about the well know designers such as “Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Michael Kors, Versace, Hermes, Christian Louboutin, Givenchy, etc. Its like they are appreciating the designer itself for their craft and design but just for the name. Now because of them, I don’t want to rock most of these labels. I even mad at the fact that they are starting to talk about Alexander Wang which I adore. My favorite designers is Marc Jacobs and I appreciate and love everything that he puts out. I can’t afford a lot of his things but a few I do. I know that some designers special make things for their celebrity things and thats ok. Then there are just some that make their designs look trashy like Nicki Minaj and Keshia Cole. I hate to see them in their designs. Then there are some that can’t even pronounce the name correct or know the history behind the design let alone even see them at their shows.
I agree with Dreadful Beauty and V. I see a lot of rappers give designers free advertisement but do these designers really care? I do not see these designers catering to these rappers. I do not see anybody that looks like them in runways or shows. Yet people turn up their nose to anything related to urban. These rappers put so much emphasis on what they look like or wear but should a person really be putting all there money into clothes, cars and material things. What are we getting in return for our money. Yes we earn our money and do what we see fit but what does your money do for you. At the end of the day these “clothes” will not house, feed or take care of you.
You know hwo else kills brand names females who carry Louis Vutton but live in the project .
I think Rappers have a short term impact on brands. In the hip hop community if too many Rappers are rapping about a similar item people will get tired of it in that circle. As far as mainstream America goes – they will not even know about Rappers promoting a brand (in many cases for free) so they won’t be phased one way or another. :fashionindustryguide.tumblr.com/
The answer is yes across the board. I didn’t even read the post, but I’ve been saying this forever.
While rappers may up sales, for some fashion houses this would not be seen as an increase in value. For many houses their value is defined by how aspirational they are. If everyone and their mother is purchasing these items their desired market will no longer see them as aspirational. See brands like Hermes that use massive price increases (and SAs) to hinder (to the best of their ability) just anyone from purchasing. While other houses may be fine wih this. See Louis Vuitton
I’m kinda over the whole label thing, its so overkill. Although the items look nice, its so 80’s and its a lot more designers out there than just Versace my gosh! Even if Versace gave me a dress for free to wear to a red carpet event, I would be hesitant to wear it because its just not my style.Their things are a bit busy for me. I think these rapper’s stylists need to find them another label to rep! In my opinion.
Everyone has the right to buy whatever they want. My question is, do they really appreciate the brand, or do they only wear it because it is trendy? I see numerous rappers wearing luxury brands, but they are no where to be found during any of the fashion weeks (with exception to a few). I don’t think they really appreciate the high fashion culture and are only wearing (insert brand name here) to say it’s (insert brand name), and because they can afford it.
Very good points, Claire!!!!! This is one of my favorite posts! I pose this question to you: what about the number of counterfeit pieces that will now undoubtedly be purchased by those who admire Drake or any other of the rappers that appear on the Versace song, but may not be able to afford the real designer product? I wonder if research could be compiled to track purchases in Chinatowns and within other sources of counterfeit shops (when a song such as Versace becomes a movement). I do not think any brand from Versace to Rebecca Minkoff would appreciate, if a song indirectly increased sales of fake designer goods.
I really don’t think they devalue the line itself however, i really think rappers send the wrong image to the younger youth. Simply because there rappers are displaying that you will be “COOL” or “ACCEPTED” because you have on something that most of us can’t truly afford. It also boils down to being materialistic in a sense! SMH!
I wouldn’t use the word devalue because they don’t have that power. What they do is introduce the brand to the masses that make it non-exclusive. The worst part is they bring on an influx of counterfeit’s. I’m tired of rappers talking about how much money they make, what they wear and what they drive anyway but that’s for another blog!
::puts in my J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar cd::
I agree with SuperSelected and V…People turn their noses up because its a rapper wearing a luxury brand as if they are not supposed to or “allowed” to. Whether the average person can afford it or not is besides the point because the fact is that even if they are not running out to buy the label, they are still talking about. It revitalizes the brand, putting it in a new light and exposing it to a different group of people. Nothing wrong with that in my opinion. And a lot of celebrities besides rappers are not “fashion forward” or really into the brand. They simply wear it because their stylist gave it to them to wear.
Didn’t Tommy Hilfiger (and LV, Gucci for that matter) already prove this theory. The latter especially are now the po’ black aspirational brands thanks to cash money, p diddy and rappers outfitting their cars in the double G’s and LVs. People (a.k.a white rich people who could regularly buy luxury brands without the logo showing) actually started to shy away from them once they were associated with rappers and “new money” types. Those brands are now just now getting their clout back with the white elite. I hate how racist this comment sounds lol but it’s true. Once hoodrats like nicki minaj get their hands on luxury brands no one who has a trustfund actually desires it anymore. I doubt versace cares that these thirsty tumblr hos are reblogging their brand cause they are never going to purchase anyway.
Now if we’re talking about up and coming brands then a rapper wearing your clothes is like a godsend.
I don’t think rappers add a great deal of value to any clothing line because the ones who listen to that kind of music can’t afford those kind of clothes. Keep it real, most hip hop fans can’t afford Citi Trends, let alone Versace.
I will go ahead and say yes rappers do devalue clothing lines because once rappers make a brand popular the bootleggers go crazy. It won’t be long before we see fake Versace on city buses, project buildings, failing high schools, and flea markets. Once rich people see this they will stop buying that brand to avoid being apart of that crowd.
And the answer is YES!!! Anything rappers wear looks cheap and tacky. And let’s be honest, are black people really spending thousands of dollars on versace and other rap-endorsed brands? CHILD CHEESE. They are getting made in china knock offs from Jersey city chile and you know it. Let’s keep it all the way real smh
Forget whether they devalue a brand, here’s a better question: Have we not learned ANYTHING from the “bling days” of the 80’s/90’s/00’s? (maybe not, some of y’all apparently weren’t even born yet) When everyone and their mamma had to have Gucci, Louie, Fendi, Versace, Hermes, Hilfiger, MCM, Prada, Coogi, Timberland, Coach, (insert whomever I forgot here) brand known to man, from the handbags, socks, shirts, belts, drawers, you name it, we bought it and we were broke as a damm joke when the financial crisis of 2008 hit!
*Insert song “Hood Rich” at the end of this comment*
A lot of these comments are filled with an enormous amount of self hate. Why does the white man need to be racist when we already dislike ourselves enough to say that when one of our own wears something, it lessens the value.
We will never get ahead with this destructive mentality.
White man stays winning.
This was a great topic for discussion! I don’t think they devalue the brand, but they certainly don’t bring anything to it either, because the truly wealthy people have been wearing these brands before they appeared in songs and they will wear them after. Rappers don’t appreciate the brand they’re just wearing it because it’s trendy. It’s funny because if one rapper starts rapping about a brand others follow suit. I hate listening to songs where all they do is name drop designers, I’m not impressed by that at all. Calling out designer names doesn’t mean that you have style or talent it just means you learned how to pronounce the names.
BINGO @2 cents! The ignorance and self hate that is being spewed is absolutely deplorable! Yes certain rappers can devalue a brand just like how certain POP stars can devalue a brand. Ugh I’m lost for words right now…..
“Fashion killed contemporary art, and turned it vulgar. And if hip-hop artists are not careful it will also kill hip hop.” Words from Jean Touitou the man behind Kanye’s A.P.C collection.
I do believe Hip Hop turned some fashion brands vulgar.
My mom wanted to buy a new bag recently and she didn’t want anything from Celine, Gucci or Chanel because she felt like the brands image was tarnished by what we call “nouveau riches”. Meaning people that recently came across a lot of money and are snatching every kind of high price items just because of the label.
They CAN make some brands look cheap. I was looking forward to buying myself a Chanel or Hermes bag as a graduation gift but I’ll just keep that money.
I think the fact that rappers that have a kind of ratchet audience or behaviour like Nicki Minaj, or Waka Flocka are rocking it is the biggest turn off!
But the truth is this a double edge knife, fashion killed Hip Hop just as much as Hip Hop killed fashion. I do NOT want to listen to a song about how much you love Versace (as a matter of fact I refuse to hear that song ever) and what they did to Givenchy man!!!! and to think few years ago I was laughing at the fact that americans couldn’t even properly pronounce Givenchy. And let’s not talk about Louboutin or Louis Vuitton those brands are D.E.A.D for me smh.
Fashion is for everyone those who said rappers devalue a brand are just snob. I think we all work an outfit differently that’s the interesting part of rtw clothes, put creativity with a mutlti produced piece
I think the fact that rappers are wearing these high end luxury brands makes it more accessible to the mainstream. If anything the brands should be grateful that people (even if they are stereotypical rappers) are buying their stuff.
I don’t think rappers devalue a brand. Do they make them more mainstream? Yes and they lose the exclusivity of being only for the “rich”. Most of us are assuming that rap is only influencing the average and poor black kids in the hood but rap is farther reaching than that (Miley twerking anyone) and these little rich kids of all backgrounds are using mom and dad credit cards to purchase the things rappers rap about. Sure they parents probably shop at Gucci but are buying the non identifiable items (read no logos)but the kids want the identifiable items (logos). Also lets face it some brands know they will make profits from their logo items (Gucci, LV etc) more so with the Urban community than the non-urban community and that’s why they produce those items. I think Versace has always been popular in the urban community due to its loudness and some of us like for our clothes to speak loudly.
This is a really great question, and something I’ve been thinking about for a while.
As has already been stated, it isn’t just Jay Z and Beyonce we’re talking about, it’s B, C, D, and Z grade rappers. Seriously, go on datpiff and download any mixtape and I guarantee there will be at least a handful of lines about Gucci or Prada or Pucci. (Gotta rhyme.) I listen to this stuff and I think, There is NOOOO WAYYY these folks are buying Prada. Or even know what Prada’s aesthetic is like. I mean, I fux with Lola Monroe but in one of her songs, she pronounced Givenchy with American phonetics, and I cringed. Hard.
On top of that, the CEOs who run these companies don’t give a f-ck about no black people, especially ‘ghetto’ black people. It isn’t just about selling to anyone and everyone who can afford it–part of the allure of fashion is its exclusivity. That’s what branding is about. Rappers like Fendi or Gucci Mane, I couldn’t believe they weren’t sued for trademark infringement with those names. I don’t know why these rappers are repping these brands so hard anyway–I *rarely* see models of color in their advertisements or their shows.
…damn, y’all. I wrote a little essay, lol
to say that a person or genre devalues a brand is directly correlated to how the person with that opinion feels about THAT person or genre.
simple
This is the thing I HATE when rappers mention brands such as Gucci, Versace, etc. They make that so called brand name Trendy and with all trends they play out after a period of time. I remember when brands such as Coogi, Burberry, Frankie B, Tommy Hilfiger, Coach, were all “trendy” and they were worn by anyone who could afford the real thing or of course the bootleg(that’s another discussion). But, NOW some people won’t be caught dead in these brands, however, these brands are a lifestyle and have been around for years and still continue to put out great fashion lines. But, now that rappers have moved on to another brand and made it “trendy” these brands have been rendered “played out”. This is absolutely ridiculous to me! True fashionistas know that it’s not about the brand or the rapper that endorsed it but it’s about style.
i think rappers give brands a certain cool that is often misunderstood as devaluing . they give brands a new worth and they introduce the brands to a culture most brands never thought they’d be part of or attract for that matter . rappers are the bridges of culture they connect brands with people .they are ground scouts for brands looking for new markets .so NO they don’t devalue brands !
Stupidest thing ever,’nicki boost these brand bitches
It matters with the person who is endorsing it obviously and the way that they wear it. If it someone with good taste like Jay-Z endorsing Tom Ford then its good but when someone wears it cheaply then I guess it’s devaluing it. Or showing that we can’t have enought to the point that we over do it (2chaaaaiiinz). Sometimes its a little embarrasing, especially for the black rappers or artists when they overdo it. I’m just saying it matters with the taste of the person.
I wish rappers would go after black designers… These white designers clearly don’t need the hype and many don’t want their hype.
It depends on the rapper!
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