Frank Ocean Doesn't Want Homer To Be 'less Expensive' Than Cartier

Frank Ocean didn't want his accessories collection to be "any less expensive than Cartier".

The 33-year-old star has founded independent American luxury company Homer, which sells fine and high jewellery pieces and printed silk scarves, and he always intended to do something high end because of his aspirations when he was a child.

He told the Financial Times: “I didn’t want our work to be any less expensive than Cartier.

“My mother was into jewellery, but in a low-key Princess Diana kind of way.

"My godfather was into guns, but he was also into cars, and he bought luxury-lifestyle magazines, which I became obsessed with. They became a form of play for me as a child.

“It was the furthest thing from my actual life at the time, and I began plotting ideas and a life in that universe. I’d look at yachts and want one.”

The 'Swim Good' singer - whose real name is Christopher Breaux - is keen to establish the brand as his legacy because of his upbringing, with his surname common among enslaved Africans.

He said: “It’s never lost on me that my surname is a by-product of slavery in the US.

“I don’t have access to my real name. I can’t trace my heritage back that far, which is why I am interested in creating things that are mine, stay mine and belong to my family. Things that I can pass on.”

And Frank chose the name Homer as a sign of endurance.

He said: "It's five letters and the dotcom was available... Homer is considered the father of history and history is meant to endure – the same as diamonds and gold”.

The 'Chanel' singer thinks the fashion industry is opening up more opportunities for Black people.

He said: “There are possibilities for Black people now that weren’t always there for us”.

“I grew up in poverty. I’m grateful to my mother because she tried to expose me to as much as she could so far as the bigger picture is concerned. I’m very fortunate to be someone who can make someone else feel like they have possibilities, and I think that will make art and fashion richer for it.”