Whether it's through his debut album, Channel Orange, or his stint as a member of Tyler, the Creator's music group, Odd Future, fans know Frank Ocean as an artist first, albeit a reclusive one. He generally moves in silence, teasing albums with elaborate rollouts only to disappear entirely, leaving the public wondering when (and where) he'll pop up next. They dig for loosies online, ruminating about his return on Reddit pages and monitor his collaborators' track lists for a Frank Ocean sighting.
But Ocean spent his extended breaks focused on another industry altogether, he revealed in 2021, when his high-end jewelry brand, Homer, came to market. He had been working on the assortment — 25 pieces, from necklaces to rings to bracelets — since 2018, two years after his platinum-selling album Blonde dropped.
Ocean clearly invested quite a lot in his boutique accessories brand, as evidenced by the products but also its grand, neon-industrial booth located inside New York City's famous New York Jewelers Exchange. There, the avant-garde, planet-inspired pieces contrast plain pendants, rounded wedding bands and other traditional gold and silver accessories.
Ocean says the rotating collection draws inspiration from "childhood obsessions" and the concept of "heritage as a fantasy," an early press release revealed. The brand name itself, however, is a play on history and creating your own, despite being unable to connect to your past.
He chose the name "mostly because it’s five letters and the dotcom was available,” he joked to the Financial Times. "But also because Homer is considered the father of history and history is meant to endure – the same as diamonds and gold."
In the same interview, he detailed the importance of focusing on enduring outputs, like music and "hard goods" like jewelry, which he fashions from recycled silver, 18k gold and lab-grown diamonds.
"It’s never lost on me that my surname is a by-product of slavery in the US... It’s never lost on me that 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," he says.
These things include $1,900,000 pendant necklaces and $25,000 cock rings, but also $420 rings and silk bandanas. The prices may prove prohibitive for fans used to spending $40 or $50 on limited-edition vinyl, but Homer has won over similarly rich stars: Drake, Justin Bieber, Lil Baby, Cordae and Luka Sabbat, to name a few.
