Fashion Battle of The Day: Rick Ross and Jacob Bernstein VS Louis Vuitton

Article written by: SoJones Asmara
Posted on: May 26, 2009

As we have previously written, high-end fashion labels such as Gucci and Louis Vuitton have always been embraced by the hip hop community… even if the luxury brands haven’t always reciprocated the hug. Last year Louis Vuitton successfully got TI’s music video pulled for copyright infringement as it featured an LV scarf. The battle between Louis Vuitton and hip hop erupted again on May 11, 2009, after Louis Vuitton execs sent a published e-mail to XXL magazine:

Dear Editor:

We were dismayed to see the cover of the May 2009 issue of XXL Magazine, which features a photo of Rick Ross wearing a pair of sunglasses prominently featuring counterfeit Louis Vuitton trademarks. Because the photo has generated considerable confusion among your readers and Louis Vuitton customers among others, we feel it is important to clarify several points.

The first is that the sunglasses Mr. Ross is wearing were not made by Louis Vuitton, and in fact, are counterfeit. Louis Vuitton did not grant permission to Mr. Ross or to whoever did make the sunglasses to use our trademarks. The second is that no affiliation, sponsorship or association exists between Rick Ross or XXL and Louis Vuitton. The third is that counterfeiting is illegal.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to correct the confusion.

Sincerely,

Michael D. Pantalony, Esq.
Louis Vuitton Malletier

Rick Ross claimed the shades were ‘pimped out’ aka customized, but were in fact authentic Louis Vuitton. Jacob Bernstein a.k.a. the Sunglasses Pimp, who was responsible for the ‘pimping’  said in an interview with Allhiphop.com:

“It’s the same thing as buying a Rolls Royce and having it tricked out; just because the product has been customized by me doesn’t take away from the fact that the frames are authentic Louis Vuitton Millionaires.”

Jacob Bernstein’s extensive knowledge of branded luxury sunglasses goes a long way back.  Although rarely heard of by the public, has his own audience in the hip hop world such as Jay- Z, Beyoncé, Kanye West, Rick Ross, Fergie and the Black Eyed Peas, Mary J. Blige, Usher and P. Diddy. Among his Hollywood clientele are Brad Pitt, Gwen Stefani, Matt Dillon, John Travolta, Kevin Spacey, Bill Paxton, Scarlett Johansson, everybody from Maroon Five, Goldie Hawn and more big names in the entertainment game.

Bernstein claims that he collects vintage sunglasses from Diors to Playboys, from Ray Bans to Porsches from around the world. He then cleans and refurbishes them with original factory parts -this he has also collected over the years. After the reshaping process -better known as ‘Pimping Up’-, the markup prices for his one-of-a-kind sunglasses can reach as high as 800 percent.

Bernstein makes good money fixing up sunglasses from other brands, but the man is a man of quality. He even guarantees that nobody leaves his store looking bad.

“Everyone leaves here looking good. People come in and want to buy the wrong glasses, and I won’t sell them. I’ll argue with them right in the store. I don’t want anyone wearing my stuff looking ridiculous. If they look like clowns, I’ll tell them. Some people take it the wrong way, but the other 99 percent love it.”

If you’re wondering -or even rather cynical- on what Bernstein told Rick Ross prior to the whole Louis Vuitton scandal, take a look at Bernstein’s creations for some of his celebrity clientele and decide for yourself.