Image via Foot Locker
When it comes to today’s rappers, few seem to care about their outfits as much as Gunna does. Need evidence? Look no further than his Instagram page. Gunna, whose bio reads “drip influencer,” wears statement pieces like a colorful Louis Vuitton jacket covered in the house’s monogram or a pink Comme des Garçons x KAWS button-up frequently. He likes to take risks, but that comes with its fair share of criticism. During New York Fashion Week he wore a see-through black Dior monogram top, shorts, and knee-high Rick Owens boots. Joe Budden, who often catches flak for his outfits on social media, even took to Instagram to say he, “don’t wanna hear a word about [his] outfits ever again,” after seeing a photo of the fit. But the “Drip Too Hard” rapper assures Complex over the phone that he doesn’t pay much attention to the naysayers. He’s just trying to stand out.
“I’m actually used to it,” says Gunna. “I always liked different clothes. I’m just more engaged now. I don’t wanna wear what nobody else wears.”
The rapper says he is constantly shopping, making trips to stores three or four days a week. Gunna says after our call he plans to go cop some more pieces. He’s very excited about a new Rick Owens jacket with fur details that he just purchased. “I love clothes,” he says.
For his latest venture in the fashion world, Gunna has partnered with Foot Locker to help unveil its new LCKR line. The collection of essentials features items like hoodies, sweatpants, cargos, and more in various colors that are designed to give customers clean go-tos suitable for everyday wear. With prices ranging from $40-$75, the line is set to debut on Oct. 20 at Foot Locker’s brick-and-mortar locations and footlocker.com. In the campaign he’s rocking an all-white and all-blue sweatsuits with Rhuigi x Puma Suedes and classic white Air Force 1s.
This isn’t the first time the rapper has worked with the sneaker retail giant though. Last month, the company helped stock his “Drip Closet” at Ronald McNair Middle School in Atlanta with over 200 pairs of shoes. Along with free clothing and sneakers, the space will also offer free groceries and food to the school’s students and families.
“It feels good just to be able to be in a position to give back,” Gunna tells Complex. “I feel like it was bigger than what I thought I was doing. It touched a lot of people that I didn’t even know it would touch.”
When it comes to his next moves in fashion, Gunna hints that a clothing line of his own is on the way. It will be called Sergio Giavanni, which is his actual first and middle name. While he won’t reveal much about it just yet, he says it won’t be limited to just merch-type items like T-shirts and hoodies. It will drop a full collection that could potentially coincide with his next project.
It would be the latest example of a rapper parlaying his fashion sense into a brand of their own. His close friend and mentor Young Thug, for example, launched his brand, Spider Worldwide back in 2019. Gunna says Thugger, who takes fashion risks, was instrumental in helping him become more comfortable stepping out of the box with his outfits. It makes sense considering how close they are. Gunna recently performed alongside Thug on Saturday Night Live this past weekend, crooning his feature from “Love You More,” one of three placements he has on Punk. For the live performance, he made sure the outfit was memorable of course, donning an all-red fit complete with a red beret and long fur coat that dragged on the floor behind him.
“[Young Thug] has definitely taught me a lot, especially just to step it up. A lot of people wear what we might have started,” says Gunna. “When you see you’re trendsettin’ just keep it going. The critics are supposed to talk.”
The Wunna rapper also discussed the video that was making its rounds on social media last week of Thug, himself, and others swinging bats at and stomping out the windows of a Rolls-Royce Wraith covered in spray paint following a Punk release party in Los Angeles. He says that the car was actually Thug’s and that he had no idea they would be destroying it until minutes before it happened. Moments later, he was kicking at the windshield in a pair of Rick Owens boots. He says that the plan is for the car to remain on display in LA for the time being, an interesting piece of Punk promo and a relic of the moment for fans to go see to say the least.
“It was a surprise to me too. I didn’t see it coming. I didn’t know Thug wanted to bang the car up until after the party,” he tells Complex with a laugh. “That was his car. He had just bought the car. That was my first time seeing the car too.”
When it comes to what’s next musically, Gunna has few concrete details just yet, but says he’s currently putting together his upcoming album.
“I’m working on everything right now as we speak, just getting everything together,” says Gunna. “It’s gonna be crazy, real substance.”