By seamlessly fusing luxury with streetwear sensibilities, Rhude has blurred the boundaries between both worlds since 2015 already. So grab your popcorn and be ready for the remarkable rags-to-riches story of Rhude, including a certain rapper from Compton, the NBA Tunnel and – most importantly – a man and his dream.
The brainchild of Rhuigi Villaseñor, who immigrated from Manila at 9 years old with no knowledge of the English language, was founded in Los Angeles in 2015 when the Filipino-American designer started tailoring his own clothes out of impecuniousness vs. a desire to stay fresh: One result of this was an hommage to Westcoast culture, a black-white paisley bandana T-shirt, which fittingly found his way to Kendrick Lamar. When the latter famously wore it at the BET Awards, demand unsurprisingly got so high that Rhuigi was ‘forced‘ by his friends into producing more of the shirt he initially didn’t even want to sell.
It obviously didn’t hurt either that Kendrick Lamar also accepted his Pulitzer Prize (!) wearing Rhude ‘Traxedo’ pants later, and that at that time, the bold graphics and unexpected material choices by Rhude had already become a contant in the Tunnel Fits of the NBA and with the likes of Future or Jay-Z, who wore a custom-designed Rhude varsity jacket for his induction to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Those same big names crowding the front rows of Rhuigi’s Fashion Week shows made it obvious, to say the least, that Rhuigi was a force to be reckoned with. And thanks to the Virgil Abloh (R.I.P.) era in full effect, with luxury fashion houses longing for authentic streetwear opinion leaders, Bally appointed Rhuigi as their new Creative Director in 2022. Did we mention that Rhuigi was only 29 years old at that point?
Rhuigi’s time with Bally and Rhude/ Rhuigi collabs with Lamborghini, Canada Goose & NBA, PUMA, McLaren and more have not only bolstered the brand’s reputation since then, but ostensibly elevated its approach even further as well: While still staying true to its roots with eye-catching graphics and comfortable cuts, the latter are paired with sophisticated minimalism, which along with vintage aesthetics and high-end materials make for a luxury streetwear institution that’s here to stay.
A hand-picked selection of premium apparel, footwear and accessories by Rhude is available at BSTN now: Pick up your favorite pieces via the button below.
