Swae Lee Explains His Tie-Dye Philosophy

It’s clear from only a few quick scrolls through Swae Lee’s Instagram feed that he’s unafraid of bold patterns. Just take the trippy, skull-printed overalls that Lee wore onstage at Madison Square Garden last month—the 40s & Shortiesswae lee-designed garment spells out “World Take Over” in red lettering over a busy, bright green pattern.

Lee took his love of eye-catching patterns to an extreme, though, with the double tie-dye outfit he wore while in Denver, Colorado yesterday. The rapper paired a swirling Grateful Dead T-shirt, printed all over with the group’s signature dancing bears, with a similarly patterned pair of dip-dyed jeans. For Lee, tie-dye is more than just a passing fad. “I love tie-dye and its mixtures of colors,” Lee explained over email. “It all just clashes with no boundaries or rules, and that’s how I look at fashion.” Maybe Lee just sparked a whole new school of tie-dye thought, or maybe he’s a secret Deadhead. Either way, he’s clearly a master of the whirling print.