Dear readers, 

I’m thrilled to welcome you to Issue #33, starring A$AP Rocky. (Can you believe it’s been a year since I first wrote one of these editor’s letters? Wild.) 

I first met Rocky in 2021 in Los Angeles. It was beautiful that day – but what I remember more than the crispy weather was Rocky’s love of women’s fashion. (At the time, he was a big Chanel guy, keen on wrapping his neck with pearls. Years later, and as you’ll see inside these pages, he also looks fantastic in a pearl manicure.) It was apparent then, and even more so over the past few months we spent working on this shoot, that Rocky doesn’t just wear clothes to align himself with fashion houses or use accessories as embellishments – he leads with style and innate elegance. He’s meticulous about his art, has taste, and is hyper-calculated about the universe he’s continued to create and orbit. 

It’s why his influence surpasses any modern definition of mega-stardom: Lord Flacko, beauty boy, Rihanna’s latest accessory, a dad, a touring multi-talented musician, the visionary who wore ERL to the Met Gala, part of AWGE, a Deadhead, and a trailblazer for Dior Homme. Bottega sales skyrocket from a flick; Marine Serre goes mainstream through a collaboration. The 35-year-old is the brains behind Been Trill, an early obsessive of Needles and Jonathan Anderson, and, who could forget, an Old Navy enthusiast! It’s an understatement to call him a celebrity or peg him as simply a musical artist turned fashionite. Rocky embodies what excites us at Highsnobiety: a boundary-defying creativity anchored in what we used to call real style; bold patterns, elegant tailoring; legacy luxury logos that come with their own staid stories paired with brand-new expressions by way of garments made by up-and-coming designers. (Someone on the editorial team recently named him the most stylish guy, ever???) It’s a Comme dress with pearls from the dollar store. It’s a Givenchy tank top with jewelry he’s had since childhood, as you’ll see on our cover!

There is only one A$AP Rocky. And it’s this intentionality that makes his vision so sound. I witnessed this on set. We stopped to dissect decals and berets, considered outfits upon outfits, and asked what makes a magazine story good anyway. Needless to say, none of this would be possible without Rocky’s unyielding determination and dear friends, Ryan McGinley, Jordan Coley, Matthew Henson, and without almost every single member of the editorial team at Highsnobiety (seriously). 

I can’t think of a better issue to end the year. We’ve spent the last 12 months building, growing, coming together, and learning from previous issues. I can’t say we haven’t weathered our fair share of storms (literally and figuratively). Still, I’m proud that we’ve always stayed committed to you, readers. 

Thanks for joining us. I’m so grateful you’re still here. 

Love, Willa Bennett

Head here to get a copy of the new issue of Highsnobiety Magazine.