It has been announced that the creatively complex musical artist Frank Ocean is releasing a new line of luxury products via his new company, Homer.
Pitchfork reports, “The independent American company’s first collection will include printed silk scarves and jewelry pieces that are handcrafted using 18-karat gold, recycled sterling silver, hand-painted enamel, and American lab-grown diamonds. The Homer products are designed in New York and handmade in Italy.”
Ocean is said to have rented out a studio in Chinatown in New York City, and has been plugging away on this new venture for the last three years before the physical store could open its doors in The Jewelry Exchange, an emporium located in the Bowery district. The artist created the sleek cover of his new company and photographed the images inside along with imagery from his long-time collaborator Tyrone Lebon who directed Ocean’s music video for “Nikes.”
The artist has experimented with a few ways of sharing his presence with the world. Over the last few years he released a small amount of music, singles that did not garner any full albums, he started a voter registration drive in 2020, modeled in a Prada campaign and released a magazine called Boys Don’t Cry which doesn’t seem to be in print any longer.
Homer seems to be a more stable venture because of the opening of a physical location and the hard work he has put into the launch of this new line.
He shared his thoughts via Instagram:“Hand on my heart, this project has kept my mind moving and my imagination turning throughout it all. All of my work now is dedicated to my family. Everything. My hope is to make things that last, that are hard to destroy, set it in stone.”
i-D writes, “As for the inspiration behind the first batch of Homer designs, Frank cites ‘childhood obsessions’ and ‘heritage as a fantasy,’ which can be felt in the dice-shaped earrings, as well as whimsical cartoonish pendants in colors like “soba,” “cadmium red” and “canary.”
The by-appointment-only store is located at 70-74 Bowery.
www.homer.com