Before you learn that he is the rapper who won the BET award and a member of A$AP Mob today, Darold Durard Brown Ferguson Jr.-aka A$AP Ferg-is known as a fashion designer. He worked under the name of Devoni, providing cold chains, belts and even screen-printed T-shirts for some famous stars in Harlem in the mid-2000s. P. Diddy and Swiss Beatz were among his earliest fans.
Although Ferg's commitment to fashion has hardly been shaken over the years, his rise as a recording artist has naturally made his thriving design career take a back seat. However, now he is reviving Devoni and bringing it back to the market as a belt brand you need to know.
Inspired by his late father, he is an iconic figure in the history of Harlem fashion. He was trained under the guidance of Dapper Dan and uncompromising improvements of Ferg's favorite brands-such as Hermès, Ralph Lauren and watchmaking The teacher Richard Mille-Devoni set out to elevate the belt to the status quo of wearable art. They are made from the finest Italian and vegan leather in the studio run by father and son in New York City, and are equipped with interchangeable nickel-plated and gold-plated buckles. They certainly deserve the same respect.
However, they are not only beautiful. For each belt purchase, a portion of the proceeds will be used for a series of initiatives aimed at supporting the youth of Harlem. Music production studios and screen printing shops are currently one of the ongoing projects.
Before launching the brand at Machine-A in London this weekend, Ferg sat down with us to discuss the lasting influence of his father's style legacy, his belt buckle holy grail and his waist swag frame style hack.
Devoni is actually something you started researching not too long ago, right? Tell us how it came about in the first place.
Well, it happened when I was 15 years old, when New York was going through some depression. I am a fly kid, and I respect Pharrell, Nigo and Kanye-all these great guys-but we can't afford what they get because time is hard. Nevertheless, I still want to create some excitement in Harlem. So I started making these chains covered with Swarovski crystals-they looked crazy, and five people called me directly and said they were robbed for wearing them! I mean, it's really bad that this happened, but that's how great they look. In any case, they are still a bit expensive, so I have to create one that is more accessible and affordable to everyone. This is how I created my first Devoni belt.
Where did you get this name?
I always like to look up the dictionary and I like word games. I turned all the words to Ds, I encountered the Devonian, this is the geological period when fish first began to walk on the earth. I decided to be there, and this is what I want to name my brand: Devonian. I hope it is about the evolution of style. I talked about it with my father and stepfather, and one of them told me to cut it in half and make it shorter-this is how we got to Devoni. I really like it because it reminds me of Gucci, Pucci... There are too many great brands ending in "i"!
Speaking of your dad, I heard that the inspiration for this brand also came from your dad's fashion work. Tell us more about him and his style, and how this has shaped you.
Well, my father has inspired everything about me—not just fashion, but my lifestyle. In fact, he started drawing custom T-shirts for his friends and Harlem drug dealers (like Nicky Barnes) and the real old-school guys before him. But he chose the path of being an artist instead of taking to the streets. Before his death, I never really had the opportunity to ask him what inspired him to do this, but he went to the high school of art and design and studied fashion and illustration. I eventually followed in his footsteps, went to the same high school, and even had the same teacher as him.
He is really my superhero. When I was young, he drove a Mercedes in a mink jacket and bought me a Versace sweater. I met Dad and Heavy D through him back that day-but they were just his friends. However, what he really gave me was a sense of being ahead of the trend. Always look to the future. Whenever the kids wear brand new Jordan shoes at parties, I have already screwed up two pairs. But he didn't want me to be like everyone else, so he asked me to wear a military uniform to participate in the air raid. He always pushes me to evolve and truly understand my uniqueness.
He also opened a store called Ferg Apparel in Harlem, and he made a bunch of leather goods—Dapper Dan was his mentor. He can make full-length jumpsuits, leather durag... things of this world! Valentine's Day Lady's Thong... He is even the first person I have ever seen to check Louis Vuitton on Nike shoes!
Does your father's leather background make you particularly fond of belts?
For some reason, I have always liked them! Especially the way the handsome guys in Harlem wear them. At that time, it was the age of cowboys. We will wear a fitted white T-shirt with True Religions and antique denim, and wear a belt to show off. I have always been fascinated by Louis Vuitton and Gucci belts-they are like works of art. However, when it came to solving the belt problem, my business partner told me that Samuel Ross and Virgil Abloh from A-Cold-Wall* had a discussion and said that they wanted to focus on one thing at a time instead of starting a whole Line. So, for me, it's about being highly focused on one thing and communicating my views as the best and most innovative belt manufacturer. I hope Devoni is famous for making waist art.
What is the holy grail in your belt collection?
Ah, I just broke two buckles with my jeweler. Since seeing Pharrell back to his NERD era, I have always dreamed of doing this, and now I am finally able to do it. I have the ability to do it. I have a canary yellow diamond pavé buckle and then a diamond pavé 18k white gold buckle. They may be my two holy grails. I wear them with the two Devoni belts we currently have. There is Bettas, which is named after Siamese fighting fish-it is made of black vegan leather and red piping, suitable for all plant-based people! Then we have the red monster, which is the original belt we brought back. The interesting thing about it is that it is not really red-it actually comes from trying to make wearing a pink belt as normal as wearing indigo jeans. I want to use it to make a truly versatile statement.
Discuss with us some of your favorite styles.
Well, eventually, I will make a denim suit to match it. But now, I like to wear it with my leather pants. I also like to go back to what I know. I have collected antique denim racks that I have loved since I was a kid. I like boot jeans that can be paired with boots, or Air Force One looks super clean. And everything I wear is tailored-shirts, jackets, everything-so you can see the belt. The belt is usually an accessory, but here it is the main course!
You launched Devoni at Machine-A. What do you admire most about this store? They just sell all the paint brands I like—from Comme des Garçons and Maison Margiela to A-Cold-Wall*—I can sit next to them. Moreover, this is a place to truly gain insight into urban culture and grassroots communities. It also has a very good and picky customer, so I will contact my tribe and I am building this brand form.
Speaking of your London tribe, they appeared in this filming. Why are you so keen to involve people like Ciesay, AJ Tracey and Suspect? Well, let's talk about Ciesay! I met him in the elevator in the Bronx, when he was going to meet Ken Rebel for filming. Ken is late, and Chessie has nowhere to go. I don't know this guy at all, but he has his camera in his hand, so I thought, "Yo, you should come to the studio to shoot me", just upstairs. Then Ken came, and he went to do what he originally came to do, but we exchanged numbers and kept in touch. Whenever I go to London, I will meet him, we cut it up, we take pictures and go out to play. The situation is similar for Skepta-when he came to New York, the mob and I hugged him. So I really like to shoot with my family and friends and keep everything at the grassroots level. Whenever I can do something I am passionate about and spend time with my friends and family, this is the most important thing I can do.
Where will Devoni be in five years?
Devoni will be the best belt brand-because it is already. We will create opportunities for others in one space, accepting interns and students. The Devoni workshop will be your place to learn leather making and make your own custom belts. We will make the strangest and most fashionable belts you have ever seen in your life!
Devoni can be purchased here, and Machine-A will be available for purchase from November 12th.
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