health. The fashion universe in many ways parallels the United States Congress. Big name dinosaurs hang around for decades, finding new ways to reinvent themselves and reestablish their dominance, season after season. The often-intended result is stymieing the opportunity for newcomers with fresh ideas to push the country forward; because it could possibly render them obsolete. The same can be said for fashion. Big box monikers dictate trends, sometimes to the detriment of cultural progress. But on occasion, a young congressional hopeful, or in this case, a tailor, rises to catapult the industry forward. Politicians use policy; Rich Fresh uses neoprene. And he has a growing list of high-profile constituents that he measures himself. How’d you get connected with Metro Boomin? I did The Weeknd’s ‘Heartless’ music video. So all the clothes we’ve been seeing him in all these images—the red jacket, the black shirt with the black tie and the black pants; the blue jacket—all that is my concept. Abel (The Weeknd) hits me one night and says, “Yo, bro, I got an idea for this music video.” He was inspired by the movie Casino, so I sat down and I watched Casino that night, and I came up with these concepts. Then he said, “Metro is in the video with me; you need to do Metro’s shit, too!” So I’m like, aight. So what Metro is wearing in the ‘Heartless’ video, that’s all my work. He’s a super cool dude, and he liked the experience. And he was like, “Bro, I need to do more of this!” And we went for it. In 2019 alone, the Rich Fresh aesthetic smote some of Hollywood’s biggest stars: comedian Kevin Hart (and his wife and kids!), gospel songwriter Kirk Franklin, 3x NBA champions Dwayne Wade and Draymond Green, screenwriter Lena Waithe, and R&B singer John Legend, just to name a few. Oh, and the suits worn by NBA big man Demarcus Cousins and singing sensation Miguel at their respective weddings? That’s him, too! I caught up with Rich Fresh, fresh (straight) off a red eye flight from Los Angeles into Atlanta, where he just finished a fitting with super producer Metro Boomin’. With his tape measure still wrapped around his neck, wearing pieces from his own collection, Fresh recounted how his last decade of struggle has teed him up for his eminent success of the next. “I used to dress terrible. I figured out that girls would pay more attention to me if I dressed better; so I got really into fashion.” How’d you get started? I taught myself how to sew when I was 13; I got really into fashion when I was a young kid. I used to dress terrible. I figured out that girls would pay more attention to me if I dressed better; so I got really into fashion. I taught myself how to sew, because I figured that at some point, I would be able to control my aesthetic. By the time I got to high school, I was like one of the best-dressed kids in school. It was like a real experience because I’m like dating all these girls, I’m super popular, and I’m still like, nerdy. I’m still in all these small classes, but I’m dating the basketball player’s girl, I’m dating the football player’s girl. This is crazy! All of this off of fashion.
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