Romeo Hunte Filmed a Shoppable Rap Video for His Latest Collection
Designer Romeo Hunte took a decidedly immersive and culturally connected approach when presenting his Fall 2023 collection. He eschewed the traditional runway show and instead teamed up with Philadelphia rapper Armani White to shoot a music video featuring his latest designs. He debuted the film at a party that raged from late Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning. Real-life models dressed in the collection took center stage throughout the Spring Studios soirée. All around them, well-dressed partygoers drank, danced and took close-up photos of Hunte’s street style-inspired designs. The whole scene felt like a music video coming to life.
“I wanted to mix fashion and music,” Hunte says of his unorthodox approach, roaring over a Kendrick Lamar track while meticulously dissecting pieces from his collection. At one point, he calmly tapped a photographer on the shoulder and instructed him to focus his flash on a model – to better show an endlessly tear-away and convertible jacket that can become a kilt of sorts. “This collection is all about layering in a really clever way,” he said. And maybe undoing those layers.
Another artistic intention: a homage to the everyday street style of Brooklyn men. One model wore a ’90s-style name tag belt that read ‘Bed-Stuy’. The same belt loosely held up a pair of gorgeously baggy and sagging pants. A sharply constructed denim two-piece suit was paired with a crisp white button-down, skinny black tie and oversized sunglasses. One pant featured alternating denim stains and the gray fleece of a pair of joggers sewn together (perfect for “gray jogger season”). But these pieces weren’t simply signs of streetwear culture thrown into a luxury context with creative dedication. Authenticity and admiration are embedded in the elegant looks of Hunte, who was born and raised in Brooklyn. Take for example a baggy coat thrown over cream long johns and fluffy boots. “In Brooklyn, a lot of men wear long johns under their baggy jeans,” Hunte explained, while himself wearing velvet opera gloves and a durag. “I wanted to bring something to wear indoors and out.”
The latest collection represented a stronger focus on menswear for Hunte, who originally launched his label in 2013 as a women-only line. “Menswear has taken hold for us,” he said (some prominent fans include Maluma and Dwayne Wade). “So it made sense to focus more on that part.” In 2021, Tommy Hilfiger and Hunte released a collaboration. “Tommy called me his protégé,” joked Hunte, beaming. Lessons from this formative experience are reflected in this highly wearable and commercially oriented collection. “Staples,” he said of the biggest lesson he learned from Hilfiger. “Raise your staples.”
Backstage, Armani White sat on a couch preparing for his upcoming performance of “Flysh*t” and other tracks. The rapper, who wore beaded braids that tangled with every movement, said he was excited to be collaborating with a luxury designer like Hunte. “Fashion is the level of expression that exists when you’re not speaking,” White said. “If they can’t hear you, they can see you.” White rose to fame last year with the catchy track “Billie Eilish” – the track’s music video has over 39 million views on YouTube. He views fashion as a crucial avenue to further his burgeoning career. “It’s about wearing things that stand out in the same way that I want to stand out as an artist,” he said.
Hunte’s smart approach to fall 2023 — and his imaginative presentation of it — felt artistically intriguing but also soberly sharp. The relationship between hip-hop and luxury fashion continues to grow, as evidenced by the recent announcement that Pharrell Williams will be creative director of Louis Vuitton menswear. Eventually, as the night wore on, Armani White made an appearance, clad in Hunte designs and dropping lyrics about staying stylish. People danced to the music while embracing fashion. A night like Tuesday’s is certainly a sign that more is to come.