Frank Ocean has opened up about his new high-end jewellery line in an interview with the Financial Times – his first in two years.
The line, called Homer, was announced on Friday (August 6) and includes an array of luxury jewellery and printed silk scarves. The range of pendants, earrings, chains and more will only be available to purchase in-store, with the first physical location set to open in New York tomorrow (August 9).
Speaking to the Financial Times, Ocean opened up about the brand and his design journey, touching on a multitude of topics – except music.
“I didn’t want our work to be any less expensive than Cartier,” he said.
“My mother was into jewellery, but in a low-key Princess Diana kind of way,” he said elsewhere.”My godfather was into guns, but he was also into cars, and he bought luxury-lifestyle magazines, which I became obsessed with. They became a form of play for me as a child.
“It was the furthest thing from my actual life at the time, and I began plotting ideas and a life in that universe. I’d look at yachts and want one.”
The rapper-cum-designer, born Christopher “Lonny” Breaux, grew up in New Orleans, telling FT he credits his upbringing with the desire to leave a tangible legacy.
“It’s never lost on me that my surname is a by-product of slavery in the US,” he said, referring to the name Breaux which is common among enslaved African people brought by the French in 1718.
“I don’t have access to my real name. I can’t trace my heritage back that far, which is why I am interested in creating things that are mine, stay mine and belong to my family. Things that I can pass on.”
This desire to make a lasting mark is also what informed the brand’s name, Homer. Ocean said he picked the name because “it’s five letters and the dotcom was available”, but also because “Homer is considered the father of history and history is meant to endure – the same as diamonds and gold”.
Ocean also spoke about opportunities for Black voices in the fashion industry, saying “There are possibilities for Black people now that weren’t always there for us”.
“I grew up in poverty. I’m grateful to my mother because she tried to expose me to as much as she could so far as the bigger picture is concerned. I’m very fortunate to be someone who can make someone else feel like they have possibilities, and I think that will make art and fashion richer for it.”
Earlier this week it was confirmed that Ocean will perform at the 2023 iteration of Coachella, having not performed live since 2017.
The rapper released his last LP ‘Blonde’ back in 2016 and has since followed up with 2019’s ‘DHL’ and ‘In My Room’, as well as last year’s double A-side single ‘Dear April’ and ‘Cayendo’.
The post Frank Ocean discusses new luxury jewellery line in first interview in two years appeared first on NME.
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