Sunday, September 24, 2023

Why This Sustainable Streetwear Brand Turned Balenciaga Sneakers Into a Corset for Cardi B

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Cardi B is the latest celeb to wear an upcycled corset from sustainable streetwear brand Frisk Me Good.

You only turn 30 once. And for Cardi B, celebrating husband Offset, who turned 30 earlier this week, that meant an outfit sure to turn heads.

The Grammy award winner, 29, didn’t disappoint. She stunned in a custom corset made from upcycled green, black, and white Balenciaga sneakers. The one-of-a-kind statement piece was crafted for Cardi B by up-and-coming sustainable streetwear brand Frisk Me Good.

Custom sneaker corsets are a staple for Frisk Me Good, the Cleveland-based design house founded by 25-year-old designer Cierra Boyd. It also makes dresses and one-pieces.

“We are here to bring you the future of fashion by bridging the gap between sustainability and street wear, leading the industry in circular fashion,” reads the Frisk Me Good website.

Frisk Me Good

“It’s basically using materials, that have already been produced, already been created, already made their mark on fast fashion in the industry,” Boyd told WKYC earlier this year.

The young designer has built the business all on her own with a mission to provide sustainable high fashion pieces that are one-of-a-kind.

“I don’t have an assistant, I don’t have no sewers…It is all me from the social media to the designs to  …literally, every aspect is me,” said Boyd.

Boyd has seen the bulk of her success come via Depop, the peer-to-peer fashion resale app. She’s also been worn by other stars including musicians Saweetie and Dreezy, and actress Monique Coleman.

“I really found a community that accepted me and actually appreciated my work and they were also like willing to like buy it which was a huge confidence booster for me,” she said.

Now, the Black designer says she also has plans to release a book about influential Black designers. “That’s just one of my goals, is to educate people on the history of Black fashion and definitely giving recognition to those people that did lead the way for us,” she said.

Cardi B goes sustainable

Cardi B’s decision to support the young eco brand comes as the rapper also helped another young, Black, and sustainable designer, Sami Miró. Cardi B joined a roster of celebrities including Kylie Jenner and Bella Hadid in wearing the designer. Miró works with vintage materials, namely organic hemp, cotton, denim, and deadstock.

Miró was tapped by Samsung earlier this year to design its first collection of vegan leather watch bands.

But Cardi B’s biggest foray into sustainability has been her partnership with athleticwear brand Reebok. Cardi B’s size-inclusive collection is made from recycled polyester.

Image courtesy Reebok

The rapper has also been making shifts to her diet that may signal a growing interest in sustainability.

Earlier this month, Cardi B told her fans she was thinking about going vegan. She asked for recommendations on vegan meat, receiving thousands of answers, including one from talk show host Drew Barrymore. The host, a paid spokesperson for vegan meat brand Quorn, tagged the rapper on Instagram, stating Quorn “changed my life.”

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