Although his Benjamin Bixby clothing line sales are in the dump, Andre 3000 still has something to smile about:
Outkast’s Andre 3000 continues to receive accolades in his endeavors
outside of the Hip-Hop realm. The rapper-turned-actor and much more has
been heralded by GQ Magazine as one of the Best New Designers in America
for his prep-inspired men’s line Benjamin Bixby.
As part of GQ’s third annual search, Dre, born Andre Benjamin, was
selected alongside five other designers as “a class of designers whose
vision is as broad and diverse as the country itself.” Joining
Benjamin Bixby are Save Khaki, Robert Geller, Yigal Azrouel, Shipley &
Halmos, and Rogues Gallery.
Of the six designers selected, Andre is the only one who does not come
from a strictly fashion background.
He first introduced Benjamin Bixby in February 2008, as a self-funded
venture. At the time, the line consisted of about 70 pieces inspired
equally by Hip-Hop’s love of prep styles in the 90s and college
football circa 1935.
While the line is a departure from the funky styles that became
synonymous with Andre 3000 during his promotion of Outkast’s last two
albums, he explains it was drawn from the same creative place, but
crafted to be more accessible to consumers.
“During OutKast’s Stankonia period, I looked like I was from
Mars,” Andre tells GQ. “The music was otherworldly, and my character
reflected that. I wanted to put that spirit into classic clothes, but
ones that people could actually wear.”
In September, Benjamin entered into an agreement with upscale retailer
Barney’s to offer Benjamin Bixby clothing in the U.S. exclusively
through Barneys.com.
The pieces offered online run from $95.00 polo shirts to $395 sweaters,
to outerwear in the $1500 price range.
Don’t get us wrong, we dig Andre, but we just wonder at what point in time they started dishing out accolades to designers who make sh*t no one buys. Congrats anyway, for what it’s worth.
More pics below.
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