On Monday Tyler, The Creator revealed his first collaboration with Converse. The rapper, who is shaping up to drop new album Flower Boy later this month, partnered with Vans for multiple footwear collaborations until that relationship came to an end.
Details on what happened between Tyler and Vans haven't been public but Tyler gave his side of the story in a new interview with Dazed. “Imagine being in a fucking cocoon,” he said of the deal. “Vans just wouldn’t let me grow. It was a ceiling and I was like, ‘Fuck this.’ Converse is allowing me to bloom, no pun intended, and it’s great.”
Read Next: The FADER’s guide to Tyler, the Creator
Elsewhere in the profile Tyler says he thinks his reputation in the fashion industry is starting to grow, even if he doesn't think about things as intensely as some of his peers.
“I think that people are slowly starting to take note of me. Slowly, but surely,” he is quoted as saying. “I make stuff all day and it’s funny, I think people, and probably Converse, wanted me to say, ‘When I was designing I was inspired by this and blah blah blah.’ No. It was literally pick four colorways I want to do and that was it. It’s not as intricate and deep as people be making shit out to be. Do you ever read, ‘Well, this collection is about the struggle in 90s rave in the deep blah blah.’ Nah, shut the fuck up. I just thought this shirt was tight, that’s why I made it.”
The FADER has contacted Vans for a response.
