Getty Image What do a rapper from St. Louis and a two-time WNBA MVP have in common? A love of hair care, apparently.
Earlier this month, WNBA star A’ja Wilson unveiled her long-awaited Nike signature sneaker, the A’One, after months of speculation and (some) controversy. The back-to-back WNBA MVP signed a six-year extension with the athletic apparel brand, which has already proven fruitful; this week, Complex offered a deep dive into Wilson’s collection.
One item from that collection has caught the attention of music fans on social media, though, prompting several to tag St. Louis rapper Smino in posts about a piece from Wilson’s collection. So what’s going here?
Well, the piece in question is a hoodie with silk or satin lining in the hood. As Wilson explained, “My mom didn’t want me to wear bonnets in airports anymore,” so she implored the Nike design team to create a piece that would protect her hair and preserve her hairstyles without having to wear the usual accessories (bonnets, du-rags, and the like) in public — which is frowned upon by some of our elders for making us look “ghetto,” “ratchet,” or otherwise unkempt or unprofessional (not that it matters to some people, who will never see us as anything but).
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However, Smino has long offered a silk-lined hoodie of his own, named after a track from his star-making debut album, blkswn, “Silk Pillows.” The flirtatious song finds Smino offering a silk pillowcase for his adult sleepover companion, a gesture of thoughtfulness that also suggests sexy times ahead. He incorporated the idea into his merch line, and has been selling the “Silk Pillow” hoodies for around five years. The piece consistently sells out, and let me tell you, it was a pain in the butt to finally get one (and so worth it).
Fans pointing out that Smino had the idea first (“Smino, you will always be famous,” wrote one. “Smino deserved more for this when he dropped his designs years back,” echoed another) seemingly want the artist to get some credit before the Nike versions hit retailers and his contributions are inevitably forgotten. It wouldn’t be the first time a big brand “borrowed” an idea from a smaller designer and outscaled them to outsell them. And hey, for what it’s worth, Smi’s got a brand-new color in his own Silk Pillow hoodies right now, and he’s even giving some away. You gotta respect the originators.
