When rappers have tried their hand in fashion in the past it has usually not been too impressive.  The collections have tended to be either over the top extravagant and very expensive or at the other end of the spectrum and lacking clear creative inspiration.  But these days the trends and the hip hop game have changed and I see great promise in the separate fashion projects of Theophilus London and Kanye West.

Up-and-coming Brooklyn rapper Theophilus London has received a lot of attention for his fresh sense of style.  In interviews he has talked about things such as customizing his leather jackets and the importance of colorful socks in an ensemble.  His most recent fashion project was a collaboration with Cole Hann in designing a blue suede buck.  This rich navy sued unisex shoe is designed to be able to be worn sockless and includes blue bottoms and gold detailing around the laces.  I think this shoe is pretty cool and very much in line with the style and vibes of Theophilus London.  It’s a fresh new spin on an old school classic.  You can pick up a pair at the Cole Hann located in Soho.

Next up is hip hop heavy weight Kanye West.  The rapper is no stranger to the fashion world as he has consistently been recognized as one of the world’s most fashionable men and has even collaborated with Louis Vuitton on a sneaker collection.  This summer Kanye released a collection of silk scarves inspired by the artwork of his album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.  I’m a big fan of Kanye’s music and find his creative methods really interesting so I’m always eager to see anything he produces.  I thought his scarf and sneakers collaborations were pretty cool but his most recent fashion endeavor is on a much larger level.  On October 1st at Paris fashion week Kanye West will be showing his much anticipated women’s fashion line.  Not many details about the line have been released so far but word is we can expect to see lots of silk, bright colors, and wild prints.  Compared to his past fashion projects, putting together an entire women’s fashion line is a whole new ballgame.  Since just about everything Kanye does in the music world turns out to be huge, I’m expected the same here.  Can’t wait to see what he has to bring to the fashion world in less than two weeks.