Breaking records and taking names. Doechii’s “Alligator Bites Never Heal” broke the mold of the standard album cycle and format, simultaneously leaning into her knowledge of hip-hop history and her aptitude for originality. As Doechii said in her Grammys acceptance speech after winning Best Rap Album, her win made her the third woman to claim the title since the award’s 1989 inception. She also spent the duration of the Grammys in head-to-toe, custom-tailored Thom Browne, a union of two creative scholars perfectly suited for one another (pun intended).
This was not Doechii’s first time wearing Thom Browne, Browne’s signature stripes were also visible throughout her “Alligator Bites Never Heal” tour. However, this year’s series of Grammys looks were certainly the biggest undertaking produced in collaboration between Doechii and Browne’s respective teams. Doechii arrived, performed, accepted her award, and celebrated in four different custom looks, with all of her dancers also performing in Thom Browne. The singer’s affinity for Browne’s aesthetic speaks to a larger synergy between the two creatives’ ethos, far deeper than clothing or style alone.
Doechii herself is a student. In the development of her now award-winning mixtape, Doechii went from being a student of hip-hop to a proper scholar. Diving deep into the history and development of hip-hop as both a genre and subculture, she strengthened her understanding of the power, impact, and influence of those who came before her. But like any truly great artist, it’s this very knowledge and appreciation for history that has made Doechii’s unique vision and output so impactful.
This knack for knowing and breaking norms makes Doechii’s collaborations with Thom Browne feel almost inevitable. What Doechii and Thom Browne both so naturally champion is a knowledge of tradition and the ability to reinvent it. Browne himself is known for his expert taste in tailoring and construction as well as his ability to whimsically reimagine suiting and traditional menswear. The two creatives have a keen eye for detail, putting thought and consideration into every button, seam, and syllable of their work.
Both Browne and Doechii have thoroughly researched and analyzed their respective artistic mediums in order to bring their personalities into them. Browne’s team perhaps phrased it best, describing their uniform for Doechii and her dancers as more than a silhouette but a discipline, “one that balances structure and subversion, tradition and play.” In an age of anti-intellectualism, rife with misinformation, Thom Browne and Doechii da Dean have taken us to school, using the Grammys as their lecture hall for a masterclass in uniforming nonconformity.
Words and graphics by Flora Medina