The rapper-turned-designer boasts his line is now as respected as Calvin Klein and Marc Jacobs.
NEW YORK — When you've risen the ranks from intern to CEO, introduced the world to the greatest rapper of all time and had numerous records hit #1 on the charts, it's safe to say that you've achieved quite a bit in your lifetime.
So putting together a Sean John fashion show should be no sweat for Diddy, right?
Well, last Thursday, the flashy mogul was making last-minute decisions on outfits, squeezing in interviews with everyone from Fashion TV to E!, and his BlackBerry was buzzing more than rumors of Jay-Z's next album.
And this was all before "Days of Our Lives" aired. (That's 2 p.m. for those not in the know.)
You can't blame Diddy for paying extra attention to detail, though. Friday evening was the first Sean John Collection show at New York Fashion Week in five years, and it also marked the 10th anniversary of his clothing line. Diddy, along with Marc Jacobs, was tapped to close out the over-the-top week.
"I try my best to not be a crowd pleaser," Diddy told MTV News. "So I'm not trying to have too many tricks that go on. But at the same time, it's a show. It's going to be the way I present myself, and my style is a little bit different than other designs. I don't know if I'm gonna [be able to] turn water into wine, but I'm gonna definitely turn it into some Kool-Aid."
No doubt, his show had flavor.
Q-Tip, Tyson Beckford and vibe magazine fashion director Memsor Kamarake were just a few of the notables in attendance at Cipriani's in Midtown Manhattan, where the theme for the show was the "The Story of a King," and Diddy more than lived up to the billing.
The Sean John preview was a blitz of men's fashion, from stylish sweaters to suits to casual wear, featuring mostly muted gray and black tones and tailored cuts. Diddy also featured the first all-black model cast in New York Fashion Week history.
"It's been a long journey, 10 years, [and] there's peaks and valleys," Diddy said. "You have some good years and bad years, but we've had a loyal customer, and we've stayed true to who we are. And I think that's one of the things that's gotten us this far. And to now be one of the stars of Fashion Week — there's a lot of designers that have shows, but there's not a lot of headliners, and we're considered headliners. So we're up there with the same respect level on the show side with a Ralph Lauren, a Calvin Klein, a Marc Jacobs. And that's a dream come true. It started out as something small, but [we] always had dreams to be something big."
As the show ended, the DJ cued up Lupe Fiasco's "Superstar," and Beckford escorted Diddy down the runway to a standing ovation.
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