We already know Aubrey Drake Graham, otherwise known by his middle name alone, is a huge Rolls-Royce fan (and has his own jet). Last year, he purchased a Rolls-Royce Phantom with Mansory’s “Bushukan” package with a plush cream and black two-tone paint job. On top of that, he replaced the traditional Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament with his OVO record label logo, a diamond-encrusted gold owl.
Drake paired up with fashion brand Chrome Hearts to create his brand-new Rolls-Royce Cullinan, and it sure is something. Quilted within an inch of its life with a criss-cross pattern adjacent to stitched gothic crosses and fleur-de-lis, the leather blanketing the interior of the Cullinan is a one-of-a-kind wonder. The rims bear the Chrome Hearts logo and its signature “F*&% You” statement engraved along the curve. And this time, a triple cross configuration replaces the Spirit of Ecstasy.
This year-long collaboration is part of Drake’s Certified Lover Boy rollout, which includes a line of fashion and a host of branded accessories. Laurie Lynn Stark, who co-owns Chrome Hearts with her husband Richard, reportedly had a standing appointment to speak with Drake every night into the wee hours of the morning about the project.
For the Cullinan, not only did Drake want to achieve a certain aesthetic, the vehicle had to be street legal. What that means is that the leather had to be fitted precisely to ensure the airbags would still deploy, and the custom rims were required to allow proper movement.
Back in the early 90s when I would go to Motley Crüe and Guns N’ Roses concerts, Chrome Hearts leather and accessories were super trendy with the hair metal set. This brand has rock and roll roots, and in recent years has caught the eye of more contemporary musicians like Drake, Lil Wayne, Lil Uzi Vert and Travis Scott (both of whom also perform spectacular live concerts, by the way). As the story goes in GQ, Drake wanted a pair of Chrome Hearts jeans and contacted Laurie Lynn Stark, but she thought she was being punked. Once they finally connected, this collaboration started taking shape.
The heavily patterned leather is oddly well matched to the Rolls-Royce starlight headliner, which remained as is. If you happen to catch a ride sometime, as one Twitter user commented, don’t fall asleep with your face on the seats unless you want a temporary imprint of stitching on your skin. For now, Drake’s Cullinan will be on display at Miami’s Institute of Contemporary Art museum until May 15th.
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