When a rapper is in need of a one of a kind piece to transform their fit from just another day to “Damnn!”, some of your favorite names turn to offtheracc for the answer.
In many ways, offtheracc, real name Iggy, moves like a modern day Dapper Dan. If you aren’t familiar with Dapper Dan, here’s a quick history lesson: Dap, born Daniel Day, is a legendary designer hailing from New York City’s Harlem neighborhood. Dap made his name during the 1980s and early ’90s, “sampling” signature prints from luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Fendi and MCM to create custom items these stores weren’t offering.
What started as a specialization for local gangsters and shot callers quickly caught the attention of hip-hop’s earliest stars, such as Run-DMC, LL Cool J, Eric B. and Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Salt-N-Pepa and more. Unfortunately, one of the luxury players that Dap was sampling, Fendi, forced him to shutter his boutique on the basis of trademark infringement.
Thanks in part to Dapper Dan, hip-hop today moves hand in hand with fashion, especially luxury-inspired looks. “If you’re into hip-hop you’re probably into fashion. Especially with high fashion brands dressing so many hip-hop artists, it’s kind of inevitable that you’re curious what they’re wearing,” offtheracc said.
While music remains the biggest driver of success for artists, having an incomparable style certainly helps. That splash of originality is offtheracc’s bread and butter. Meshing timeless monograms with streetwear staple items, offtheracc is a human Swiss Army Knife with an affinity for customization.
From Air Force Ones and Birkenstocks with cut and sewn Gucci patterns, to basketballs and lounge chairs that look like they were dipped in a Louis Vuitton cotton candy machine, offtheracc has created an aesthetic all his own. In only a couple of years, his clientele has grown to include cultural figures like Kevin Durant, Rick Ross, Lil Mosey, D Savage, Yung Pinch and Babyface Ray.
As a longtime hip-hop enthusiast, he remembers being drawn to fashion by 50 Cent and Lil Wayne during the late 2000s. Now, having lived around Detroit for a few years, he tends to pull inspiration from the local scene. “Detroit as a whole right now is making my favorite music, the scene as a whole, and fashion-wise, like, Detroit’s got some fresh motherfuckas,” he said. “Like Peezy – I sold him my first keychain. That’s kind of how I got into the scene, not being from Detroit.”
In his first-ever interview with Read About It, offtheracc sheds light on these personal influences, as well as his come up, design process, most notable nods and goals. Watch below or listen on Spotify / Apple Podcasts / SoundCloud!
Read About It By Gerard Smith 