Swae Lee, half of the hip-hop duo Rae Sremmurd, has been stepping out on his own. After teaming with such disparate artists as French Montana (“Unforgettable”), Post Malone (“Sunflower”) and Madonna (“Crave”), he is set to release his second solo album.
He has also been honing a signature style, beyond his mop-top dreads and elaborate tattoos. Over a late lunch of French toast with maple syrup at the Public hotel in Lower Manhattan, he shared some fashion favorites.
1. Shirt
My favorite top is a button-down, for sure. It’s got to fit so clean. Sometimes it can be oversize and I love that, too. I like a light material, one that feels silky. I like both plain and patterned, but if it’s a dope pattern, it’ll beat plain any day. I like ones by Dolce & Gabbana and AllSaints. I also have Versace ones. I really just found out about Asos, and now I’m going crazy on there.
CreditAkram Shah for The New York Times
On a casual day, if I’m going to the airport, I have on some sweatpants and some flip-flops. They might be Burberry sweats, but they’re going to be real comfortable, know what I’m saying? Or I’ll do bluejeans and shredded jeans — show some leg. These jeans I’m wearing today are by the People Vs. They’re fly. I rock Amiri a lot, too. They have the good fit. You can’t have the too baggy jeans on. You feeling me? They have to be the right cut.
3. Jacket
I got a dope Vetements jacket. I got a dope bubble cut by them too, but this one is lighter and has a bunch of patches on it. It’s crazy. It’s sick. It’s hot orange.
I work with a couple dope stylists, but I usually do it myself. I have different ways to find the clothes. People can send it to me through Instagram, or I just go to a store and browse. In L.A., I like to shop at Round Two. It’s on Melrose. They have a lot of dope vintage tees. But I also like Nordstrom, Neiman’s, Saks Fifth. I’m all over the place.
I just don’t wear Gucci. I was going hard, wearing hella Gucci at one point. But they don’t show love for the field that I’m in. They actually don’t seem to want rappers to wear it, but we really make the brand super-popular. I just save my energy for brands that will support you.
4. Shoes
My collection is crazy. I have maybe 2,000 pairs of shoes. I like all kinds of shoes. Today I have on the classic white Air Force 1s. You can never go wrong with Air Force 1s, and that goes back to like 20 years ago. They’re legendary O.G. shoes. You get a pair of clean whites and you keep them clean, you’re really stepping out. I like them box fresh. That’s the only thing. I can really just wear them one time, unless you throw them in the wash.
5. Accessories
I sleep with my jewelry on. I take a shower and do everything with it. I got a lot of jewelers I mess with. Right now I’m all about who can get me the best price and not who’s just trying to tax me.
There’s one that showed me a lot of dope pieces, and the name is @krisjewelers on Instagram. They have really good prices and are not just out to bust heads. I like elegant jewels. I don’t like mine super-flashy. I don’t like too much “rapper” jewelry, necessarily.
One of the first big things I bought for myself was a Patek watch. It’s so fly. I don’t even really wear it because it’s too much to bust out.
