Q&A: Tyga on His First Met Gala and His Future as a Fashion Designer

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The rapper Tyga is known for many things, though "fashion designer" usually isn't one of them. But at last night's launch of his new capsule collection of T-shirts, hoodies, and outerwear for Saks Fifth Avenue, he discussed the evolution of his own personal style, as well as his high hopes for his future in the industry.

If the idea of a Tyga-designed collection seems strange, what's even weirder is how it came about. The collection, a collab with streetwear designer Marcelo Burlon, all began with an Instagram DM slide about a year ago, according to Burlon. "I posted a picture of Tyga wearing my stuff," he told Racked, "and he wrote me saying, 'Hey, let's do a collection!'"

The rest is history, but as for the future, Tyga plans to make a name of his own in fashion. "I want to do high fashion streetwear," he said, "Like, dope stuff you wear in the airports." (Airport style: definitely not going anywhere anytime soon.) Below, the full interview.

Can you tell me a little bit about the vibe of this collection?

It's real Asian-inspired. I have a new line coming out, so this is like a taste of what's about to come.

Does it reflect your personal style at all?

Yeah, for sure. That's why I really wanted to keep the essence. We kept it super simple.

How has your style evolved over the years?

I think you keep evolving. You go off of comfort, you go off of the everyday. As an artist, you're inspired by so many different things. I'm inspired by early rap. I'm really inspired by the '90s and early 2000s, because the essence was so original. Now there's not a lot of originality, you know what I mean?

What would you like to do with your fashion career in the future?

I want to do high fashion streetwear — like, dope stuff you wear in airports or to go out to the club or even to dinner. That's why I wanted to partner with Marcelo, because I feel like he represents that.

Can you talk about how you got dressed for the Met Gala working with Balmain's Olivier Rousteing?

So I had the idea that I didn't want to wear a suit or anything and I wanted to switch it up. I sent him a few references — I said, "I want a jacket, a one-off piece that says 'Met Ball 2016' on it, just all iced out."

What gave you the idea for that?

It's just something that I thought would be cool to have a designer like him do. I didn't end up wearing that jacket, I wore it to the after-party. But I had another jacket that he made that was really dope. I was like, "I'm gonna wear this one, and then I'll wear the icy one to the after-party. It was a great experience. I appreciate Olivier for giving me the chance and inviting me. I'm just looking forward to everything that I've got going on.