Showing love is something Smino makes sure to do whenever he can.

Be it to his family, his supporters, the greats who came before him, or his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri, the rapper moves with genuine gratitude across all of his creative endeavors.

Fashion is also a key pillar of his fine-tuned artistry, something the rapper has emphasized in our past two interviews with him.

“I try to embody a character or period of time with my fashion,” he told us during our first conversation back in June of 2024, when he shared more about his contributions to the KidSuper Spring/Summer 2025 Paris Fashion Week runway soundtrack.

The next time we caught up was back in December, when he pulled up to the Hypebeast office in a bright pink hoodie he designed himself for his BJORN brand, Timberland 6-inch wheats, and, on top, a bust-down bandana – a fit he calls “no swag.”

“This fit I’m wearing today is ‘swag,’ but it’s ‘no swag’. It’s ‘no swag’ because I’m not trying. I’m just wearing a hoodie and Timbs. But it’s ‘swag’ because I’ve got the custom bust-down bandana on with it.”

 

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Today, he’s still on the same wave. He’s prioritizing coziness more than ever before: “I’m always trying to find the most fly way to be cozy.”

His unwavering pursuit continues on the pitch, as he teams up with his hometown MLS team in what felt like a no-brainer move. For one of his first roles in the lead designer seat, Smi is already balling in the big leagues, partnering with St. Louis City Soccer Club on an apparel capsule –with all proceeds going directly back to his city to aid in tornado relief.

The rapper cosigns his hometown’s fairly new football club in the form of a four-piece drop of garments and accessories, spanning two graphic hoodies, a graphic T-shirt, and, in true Smino fashion, a bandana.

What were some of the early inspirations behind this collaboration? 

I’ve always loved fashion – especially the style from my early 2000s childhood. Girls used to wear bandanas. I’m big on bandanas, hoodies, and things like that. I’m always trying to find the most fly way to be cozy.

As we’ve talked about in past conversations, fashion is so core to your artistry. What was it like to take an active role in designing apparel?

It was cool. It was inspiring. It’s something I want to do more in the future – collaboration with more brands and more people. It was a fun learning experience. It’s always fun to be new to something.

The bandana feels so true to you. You’re always wearing one. Could you walk me through the creation of that piece specifically?

I wanted the bandana to literally look like a soccer ball. We made the whole thing soccer print.

What about the other pieces in the collection?

With the shirts, I designed them with the approach of wanting everyone to feel like they are there. In the city. In the stadium. The whole idea was to give people a little piece of the crib, of the city, even to the people who aren’t there. Even if they’re sitting on a plane flying to Africa.

You’re a busy guy. Why was making time in your schedule to design this collection important to you?

I was looking for a way to help out after the tornado. I’m from the North Side of St. Louis, so that’s my home. I was just at my sister’s wedding back home, and we rolled through that side of town and just saw all of the damage that’s still there. It’s hard for people to bounce back from that. Any time and any opportunity I get to help out people where I’m from, walking around the same areas I walked around, sh*t, I jump on it. This was a perfect way for me to get my hands in the city even though I’m not physically there.

How does the fashion creative process compare to the music creative process? 

It’s totally different. This is just like, straight fun. I feel like a child doing it. I always say that getting dressed every day is my first act of creativity for the day. 

What about this capsule makes it undoubtedly authentic to you?

The bandana. If you know me, you know I’m always wearing a bandana or a scarf. I’m big on hair care. I’m always making sure I’m keeping it right. Shoutout to my homie Ambi, who collaborated with me on those designs.