Ray-Ban Taps A$AP Rocky as First Creative Director

Thomas Waller

21 February 2025 at 8:00 am·3-min read

Ever the disruptor, Ray-Ban is charting a new chapter by appointing A$AP Rocky as its first creative director.

“Ray-Ban transcends the eyewear industry; it’s not just a brand, it’s a lifestyle,” explained Ray-Ban president Leonardo Maria Del Vecchio in a statement. “For nearly 80 years the brand has been on the faces of the most iconic musicians, artists, actors and heroes — shaping and reshaping the status quo, leading cultural revolutions of all the times. Today, we are welcoming A$AP Rocky into our family; he’s a visionary artist and creator. His ability to push the boundaries of the diverse worlds he explores aligns with the Ray-Ban DNA. We are reinforcing the brand’s values of innovation, pioneering spirit, and courage. Let the future begin!”

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The announcement comes at the end of an important week for the multihyphenate entertainer. He was found not guilty on Tuesday of two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, filed after a November 2021 incident.

Born Rakim Mayers, A$AP (which stands for Always Strive and Prosper) Rocky has taken a firm seat in global culture since his emergence in 2016, amassing billions of musical streams, winning multiple awards, including the Cultural Innovator Award at the British Fashion Awards —which saw his partner Rhianna cheering for him.

Now, on the heels of new music with his fourth studio album “Don’t Be Dumb” set to be released in early 2025, Rocky takes the helm as the first creative director for Ray-Ban Studios, a creative platform that launched in 2011 to celebrate the power of music and the stories of a wide range of artists. The partnership marks a major step in Ray-Ban’s evolution, blending its heritage with contemporary culture with Rocky’s signature take on style.

“I’ve always admired Ray-Ban’s ability to stay true to its roots while constantly evolving,” Rocky said in a statement. “I’m excited to be part of the strong heritage and develop the next chapter for an iconic brand like Ray-Ban.”

He kicks off the appointment with the Blacked Out Collection, a redesign of the Mega Icons with a new ultra-dark lens, the darkest Ray-Ban ever produced; slated for release in April. According to the brand, the next set of collections will really bring Rocky’s imagination to life, challenging what is possible from a design perspective. Part of his process was visiting Ray-Ban’s first factory in Agordo, Italy, to get immersed in the full process of product development. Ray-Ban shared that his touch will be seen in a campaign, market rollout and he has even conceived ideas for store design moving forward.

Rocky is a busy man in the creative world — he also has a long-term creative partnership with Puma and Formula 1. His work with Puma won him the Collaboration of the Year honor at the Footwear News Achievement Awards last December, an award earlier won by his wife Rihanna. Previously Rocky has been in campaigns for DKNY and Dior Homme and collaborated with Calvin Klein and JW Anderson.

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