8 Things We Learned About Diddy From The Washington Post

With every passing day, Kanye West continues to build his brand and reputation as thee fashionista that the Hip-Pop culture just can’t get enough of. But before Yeezy embarked on his much loved and hated fashion venture, Sean “Diddy” Combs was paving the way for Hip-Hop artists to create, own and sell high-end clothing of their own since ’98.

While there were a few rappers with their own clothing lines at the time (Wu Wear and Fat Joe 560, to name a few), Puff Daddy was looking to infiltrate the designer stores of the world rather than just hoodie spots around the way. And did he ever.

In a recent article in The Washington Post, the Hip-Hop mogul spoke about how far he’s come over the past two decades in a fashion industry that’s composed of people who live to critique, downplay, and discredit anynew comers who have little to no history in the style game.

Check out some of the jewels dropped in the following pages.

Photo: WENN.com

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1. Still Making Bank

Sean John is still raking in $400 million annually. Who knew?

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2. Inspiration

Amongst the people that inspire his fashion vision, Ralph Lauren and Tom Ford seem to hold the highest ranks. We hope Yeezy doesn’t take that personal.

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3. The Runway

Looking to get taken seriously, Puff put together million-dollar runway productions complete with champagne flows for attendees.

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4. Channing Tatum

Before he was a household name in sororities around the globe, Channing Tatum was a runway model for Sean John. Diddy changing lives one model at a time.

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5. Model Mogul

Combs himself was once a runway model as he walked in a Tommy Hilfiger show. He also credits Hilfiger as a mentor who informed him on the industry.

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6. Grand Opening

In 1999 Sean John made it’s official debut with a cocktail party at Bloomingdale’s Lexington Ave flagship spot in New York City.

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7. Label Problems

Puff was insulted whenever his clothing brand was referred to as “Urban,” “street,” or “Hip-Hop” because no other designer was spoken of using those idioms. It was because of things like this Puff felt being an African-American designer was heavy on his heart.

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8. Making History

After receiving multiple nominations for Menswear Designer of The Year, Diddy finally walked away with the award in 2004 becoming the first Black designer to receive the honor in the award’s 23-year history.