Sean John
The Label
Puffy, Sean, Diddy—no matter what you call him, rapper/producer/restaurateur/actor Sean John Combs remains a man of many talents. In 1998, Combs added designer to his list of monikers with the launch of the Sean John clothing line for men. One of the early music-celebrity fashion ventures, Sean Jean started as a street-smart solution to urban style—complete with the expected hoodies, hats and T-shirts—but has grown to include pricey designer apparel like suits, outerwear and lots of fur; there’s also a specialty store jeans line called Blue, and a women’s wear line that debuted in 2003. For the most part, the collection manages to maintain street cred while earning the fashionista stamp of approval: In Sean John’s first year, Combs was nominated for the CFDA Perry Ellis Award for Menswear, and in 2004, he collected the fashion equivalent of an Oscar as CFDA Menswear Designer of the Year. Yet another line is the up-coming Sean by Sean John, a more elegant collection that generated pre-launch buzz for its ad campaign featuring Penelope Cruz.
The Look
Casual sportswear to full-on bling. For women, little black fur bombers cropped high above the waist and worn over lingerie; leather “warrior” dresses; and a wool, cashmere and angora coat with a double coyote collar. For men, fitted suits; tailored pants with shrunken turtlenecks; broadtail topcoats; and alligator jeans.
The Designer
Going from Howard University drop out to multimillionaire in five years, Harlem-born Sean Combs left school for an internship with Uptown Records’ industry leader Andre Harrell. Promoted to a division director at 19, Combs ultimately made his mark as the creative force behind recording artists such as Jodeci and Mary J. Blige, and as the founder of Bad Boy Entertainment. Nominated several times for the Perry Ellis Menswear Award from the CFDA, clotheshorse Combs finally took home the CFDA Menswear Designer of the Year award in 2004, beating out Ralph Lauren and Michael Kors. Jenny La Fata, formerly head of design for La Rok, now heads up Sean John women’s wear.
