A$AP Ferg is relaunching his Devoni fashion brand. The Harlem-bred emcee, with an impeccable knack for style, put his designer dreams on hold as his music career took off. But now, Ferg believes it’s time to bring Devoni back and bless the streets with high-quality, premium leather belts.
The new Devoni drop includes two different styles of belts. There are Bettas belts, which are made of 100% vegan leather and come in a red and black colorway. And there are Red Monster belts, which are pink and red and made with 100% Italian leather. Customers can choose from an 18 karat gold belt buckle or a shiny polished silver buckle. The Bettas belts retail for $198, while the Red Monster belts are priced at $300.
“We want people to cherish their belts like art pieces. These are works of art,” Ferg said in a press release. In a recent interview with Vice’s i-D magazine, the “Work” rapper explained that he originally conceptualized the idea for Devoni when he was 15 years old. “Me being a fly kid, I looked up to Pharrell and Nigo and Kanye — all of these wonderful guys — but we couldn’t afford what they were getting as times were hard,” he said. “Still, I wanted to create some excitement around Harlem. So I started doing these chains covered in Swarovski crystals — they looked so crazy, five people literally called me saying they got robbed for wearing them! …Anyway, they were still a little bit expensive, so I had to create a [product] more accessible that would be affordable for everybody. So that’s how I created the first Devoni belts.”
In addition to taking style cues from Ye and Pharrell, Ferg was also inspired by his dad’s work in design and fashion. “He really was my superhero,” Ferg said. “He was the one driving the Benz with a mink jacket and buying me Versace sweaters when I was little… What he really gave me, though, was a sense of being ahead of the curve; of always looking to the future. Whenever the kids were wearing brand new Jordans at a party, I already had two pairs that were all fucked up… He always pushed me to be evolved and to really dive into my uniqueness…He also had a store called Ferg Apparel in Harlem, and he did a bunch of leather goods — and Dapper Dan was his mentor.”
Ferg is confident that his new venture will be successful. He hasn’t retired from rap but right now, he wants to become the “most innovative belt maker.” “Devoni will be the best belt brand out there — because it already is,” he told I-D. “We’re just going to be doing the freakiest, funkiest belts you’ve ever seen in your life.”
A portion of the proceeds from all Devoni sales will go directly to charitable organizations in Harlem. The belts are available now at London boutique Machine-A and via Devoni’s webstore.