As Playboi Carti has cemented his status as one of rap‘s most exciting young voices, his bold aesthetic evolution has paralleled his genre-bending experiments in music. Once known primarily for Supreme and streetwear, Carti‘s style today collides avant-garde runway looks with a punk sensibility that resonates widely.
The Early Influences: Odd Future and Skate Culture
Carti‘s fashion identity began taking shape in high school, where he connected with A$AP Mob style icon Ian Connor over a shared passion for streetwear. Connor‘s promotion of Carti‘s early music directly influenced his rise, and his tastemaking style left an imprint too. Carti adopted the graphic prints, basketball sneakers, five-panel caps and experimental layering popularized by Odd Future and icons like Tyler, the Creator at the time.
But beyond Odd Future, Carti was inspired by a culture that also shaped his sound – Southern hip hop and the skating scene. Early photos show Carti rocking diamond grillz, tall tees, baggy denim, and Etnies skate shoes that barricaded him firmly in the 2000‘s Swag rap era.
As Noz from Closed Sessions wrote, even Carti‘s vocal style channels "‘90s Memphis tapes and Houston legends slim thug and paul wall…the blueprints of the sound that bubbles up from south Atlanta blocks today."
Even as his career took off, Carti stayed dedicated to the streetwear world that first empowered his self-expression – copping the latest Supreme pieces, befriending Virgil Abloh, and collaborating with Abloh‘s brand Off-White on a capsule collection.
As commentators took note of Carti‘s keen eye for proportion play and flair for stacking jeans and shorts, it became clear an elevated fashion sense elevated his artistry too.
Mainstream Recognition in High Fashion
By 2017, Carti was already a master of bold personal style – able to bring together streetwear, tailored pieces, and loud graphic prints into a cohesive aesthetic. But a GQ fashion spread that year marked a turning point. Dapper oversized suits, silk shirts unbuttoned to the navel, and loudly printed Gucci announced him as a serious fashion force and cemented menswear as integral to his punk-rock star energy.
Both on red carpets and on Instagram, Carti began fully embracing designer fits like Chrome Hearts and Raf Simons that showcased his dyed dreads and skinny frame. Luxury labels took notice of his editorial eye and range. Only two years into his career, Carti was tapped by Virgil Abloh and Louis Vuitton to walk in their history-making debut collection engineered by Kanye West – Carti‘s punk energy and hip-hop edge resonated perfectly with the urban glamor Abloh wanted to inject into European luxury.
Today Carti continues to pop up on runways and campaigns from time to time. He opened the Fall 2022 Givenchy show in a fully plated chrome ensemble, proving his avant-garde spirit never stops evolving. As Highsnobiety wrote – "Carti has become a modern muse in the last few years, inspiring high fashion‘s greatest avant-garde designers to pass him the torch." It‘s a testament to how Carti‘s punk energy, creativity and flair for reinvention perfectly align with fashion‘s most experimental edge.
The Current Era: Rick Owens Meets Y2K Punk
After sonically reinventing himself with Whole Lotta Red in late 2020, Carti‘s style transformed to match his industrial punk sound. The streetwear was out; alien-like buffont helmets by CHRROM HEARTS, 6-inch platform boots and gimp masks by Rick Owens, studded leather Perfecto jackets, and other cybergoth accessories were in.
Fans online half-jokingly dubbed it Carti‘s “vampire era” for its brooding, anachronistic vibe – a title cemented by Carti‘s own Instagram selfies declaring "im a rockstar so i wear rick owen clothes!! all black i dress vampire no designer!!" Far from minimalism, Carti‘s loud head-to-toe looks proved he could play avant-garde designer muse just as well as any high fashion top model.
I view Carti‘s gothic cybergrunge pivot as the fashion extension of his musical switch into a harsh, industrial punk style. Abandoning hip-hop clothing trends, the iconic look taps into his unique charisma and aligns perfectly with darker current obsessions over [Y2K/e-boy nostalgia](https://www.voguebusiness.com/consumers/2000s– comeback-gen-z-e-boy-e-girl-nostalgia-tiktok) and dystopian rave aesthetics.
And while certainly divisive, his recent stylistic twist has been hugely influential in wider youth culture. Fashion search engine Lyst reported a 426% spike in demand for Rick Owens boots in 2022, a 202% rise for Chrome Hearts glasses and jewelry, and increased interest around similar cybergoth garments. As Dazed put it:
"While the cybergoth look is rooted firmly in 90s counterculture, it’s seen a Gen Z-led revival over the past year – thanks in no small part to Atlanta rap scion Playboi Carti."
Simply search "Rick Owens punk" today and no shortage of influencers, editorials and everyday fans directly emulate Carti‘s mix of boundary-pushing high fashion and hardcore vibes. His first musical reinvention sparked an equally impactful stylistic revolution.
Relationship to Other Rappers‘ Fashion Evolution
As rappers gain mainstream success, bold aesthetic evolutions often follow – perhaps no one better encapsulates this than Kanye West. Early on, West made preppy polos and the pink polo shirt widespread in hip-hop. But as he entered the high fashion world himself, he famously overhauled his wardrobe with leather kilts, red suits and daring silhouettes.
Carti follows West and Kid Cudi‘s lead in embracing high fashion‘s experimental edge. But while their evolutions still grounded themselves firmly in hip-hop style, Carti diverged towards a punk look all his own. Similarly, Lil Uzi Vert underwent a major gothic changeover in 2020 – but Uzi‘s anime and Marilyn Manson graphic tee focused era pulls more directly from rock t-shirt counterculture. Carti‘s avant-garde high fashion garments take far more risks.
Ultimately Carti‘s carefully styled evolution stands unique even in the bold world of hip-hop fashion. Much like his left-field music refuses to fit neatly in any one rap lane or genre classification, his looks color outside the lines of any particular category, trend or cultural niche as well.
Final Thoughts
As Playboi Carti continues maturing both aesthetically and sonically, his commitment to unconventional style choices remains steadfast. Just like his music, Carti‘s fashion favors expression over trends or hype pieces; you never know what era he might reinvent himself into next. But his evolution shows that when Carti takes creative leaps forward, legions of youth culture pay attention and subsequently push aesthetics forward too.
Through both ups and downs, Carti‘s openness to reinvent himself makes him an icon. His early streetwear era brought underground sounds to the mainstream; his current dark and daring looks do the same for underground styles. For both music and fashion, Carti constantly challenges the status quo – and given his cultural impact so far, both industries would be wise to follow his lead into new eras.