The “Opium style” is often characterised by a futuristic, dark, distressed image, featuring leather and all-black. Big, sparkly diamond chains and jewellery are often the go-to accessories—it is not Opium style if they are not “iced out”. Think heavy-duty black boots, black nail polish, a bullet belt, flared skinny black leather pants, studded leather wristbands, or lots of oxidised silver jewellery. The style stands out in a crowd so much that you can tell exactly what music that person listens to, more so when the face of this style is the rapper Playboi Carti himself, alongside his fellow labelmates Ken Carson, Destroy Lonely, and the Homixide Gang, who also popularise this fashion approach.
In fact, the name of the style stemmed from the name of Playboi Carti’s record label. As the artists themselves are known for going against the mainstream, their music has been made with an idiosyncratic sound, developing their own industrial trap music style that is largely influenced by heavy punk rock. The brand focused on expressing emotions like rage through sound, often using distorted synths, heavy basslines, and fast tempos. Opium’s artists are renowned for using their voices as instruments, through performing skills like screaming or growling, to deliver the aggression.
Playboi Carti’s album Whole Lotta Red started the rise of their vampire-like image; the artist would even sometimes wear fangs, horns, and decorate his face with dark makeup. All-black clothing is common for the rapper, clad in designer pieces such as Chrome Hearts, Rick Owens, Maison Margiela, and Raf Simons. Fans would follow through with this intimidating and dark style; you’d even see some replicating his Joker-like face paint at his concerts. Carti’s vast collection of Chrome Hearts, many of which were custom-made, cemented the brand’s position as a highly sought-after brand among his fanbase. While the rapper would wear many personalised, one-of-a-kind pieces—custom denim or jewellery—the brand also showed their adoration for the artist through creating rare gear tailored for him.
The fashionable Opium artist Destroy Lonely has a song titled NOSTYLIST, with lyrics mentioning dressing stylishly without the help of a stylist. He was often seen parading in Rick Owens, from statement sunglasses and leather jackets to big boots. Tight pants too, be it leather, denim or leggings, have become his trademark. While most of his labelmates’ styles lean more towards goth and punk, Destroy Lonely described his style as “glunge”, where designer pieces such as Rick Owens are worn with a hint of a grunge approach.
Fashion has become such a big part of the Opium music label, to the point that Playboi Carti launched his own fashion brand, the YVL (Young Vamp Life). The Vamp King himself decided to further widen the vampire aesthetic, releasing clothing of his own, along with a wide array of accessories such as beanies, snapbacks, fur hats, tops, and even skate decks.
Celebrities such as Aespa members Giselle and Ningning are some of the K-pop artists who are known and often seen in public wearing accessories such as beanies, jewellery from Chrome Hearts or big statement sunglasses. On and off stage, Ningning’s predilection for monochromatic outfits that are filled to the brim with vampiric energy is seen by many as a subtler approach to the “Opium style”. Giselle, on the other hand, has worked with producers from the Opium label and is dubbed the person who connected K-pop and the Opium collective—widely known online as the “Kpopium”.
Albeit not entirely leaning into the “Opium style”, Stray Kids’ leader, Bang Chan, is also another artist who is often seen wearing head-to-toe black off-stage, decked in the emblematic Chrome Hearts horseshoe and cross logo. Think stacks of Chrome Hearts bracelets decorating his wrists, necklaces, rings and earrings. His adoration for the brand is apparent as he continues to surprise us with more and more collectables from the brand. Perhaps those who would like to dabble in the style can start slow by taking a cue from Chan for a more casual and laid-back approach.
As for those who would like to commit fully, Bloody Osiris, a stylist, model and fashion influencer, is one for the book. Black leather high-top Chrome Hearts x Rick Owens Cargo Baskets sneakers, for example, are worn strategically with his jet-black, blinged-out look. Not to mention the sneakers are also a desired collectable adored by the community.
While the aforementioned brands are the anchor of the style, upcoming names such as Helioy Emil too have an identity reminiscent of monochromatic and industrial Opium style. However, these comparably niche brands are not as accessible for the local community—though thrifting is a good resort—it’s common to see the local fans give the style their own personal spin, incorporating offerings from local brands like NOTINLIST, Aternel Made, and MSYD.
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