Pharrell Reveals His Throwback Style Secrets

[Upbeat rap music]

This record I was like, you know what

I really wanna feel it.

I wanna get high off the music, man.

I want my body to fuckin feel something.

I miss that, cuz shit is so disposable.

You know, I never take any of this for granted

because I ve been doing this for so long and

I can t believe anyone still gives a shit.

[female laughter]

When I first, first got into the music

industry, Kelis was a dear friend and

an artist that we had on the label.

All I used to wear was Ralph Lauren and

she used to tell me all the time, you have to diversify

you can t just wear Polo all the time.

You know, you have to check out Versace or check out Prada.

Most of my style just comes from things that

I see on everyday people who are really living

their life, like they dress for the intention

of what they have to do that day.

A guy that works in lumber or a truck driver or an athlete.

It s the way that they wear them that inspired

me to go, oh man, I could take that and do this with it.

[rhythmic upbeat music]

In school, we looked up to A Tribe Called Quest,

we looked at De La Soul and they were wearing

leather medallions at the time that had like,

African, pro-black, and Malcolm X and all

these interesting schools of thought

that pertain to our experiences as African Americans

and I never forget the day I looked up,

fast forward, being such a purist.

I went to a BET show and they brought back Slick Rick.

Just so crazy with the diamond eye patch.

The rest of the show, it might have been a good show but,

from that point on, all I could think about was

the conversation that I was going to have with

Jacob the Jeweler about what we were going to make.

That was a era where being gaudy and

being bragadocious was a cool thing to do.

Now, it d be incredibly cringed out and

embarrassed but that duality, that fight

between where I come from and then

what I felt like I had to prove,

it took a long time for that to just bubble down.

There s no college course on how to start

out in our business, you know.

You just do a lot of dumb shit.

Then, you realize it s not really about that.

Becoming a dad and recognizing that there s

a much bigger picture and becoming

a husband, solidify what is that I want.

[upbeat rap music]