Dame Dash Says Having 'Boss Vision' Is A Requirement For His New Collaboration With Black-Owned Eyewear Brand CEV Collection

Though his CEO brand has had glasses on its radar for quite some time now, Dame Dash admits that he always aims to test out his ideas through collaborations with companies that are experts in the area.

In this case, that organization is CEV Collection, a Black-owned eyewear business creating “elevated eyewear with culturally inspired designs to empower you in the present and help you envision the future,” per its website.

 

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“We’re gonna do different verticals, or different categories of speakers, socks, shorts, underwear, and the next thing we wanted to do were glasses,” Dame Dash told AFROTECH of his CEO endeavor. “I’ve been developing glasses, and I was looking for a manufacturer, but I like to do collabs first because it gives me an introduction to retail and people just buying it.”

He continued: “Also, if I’m not a specialist at making it, then I want to get with a specialist, and CEV [Collection] is Black-owned. So, I like the fact that they are Black and they are looking, or going along with something similar to my own ideals. My thing is to click up with people, and generals fighting the same way that I am in their respective fields. CEV has an army for the glasses, I don’t have that…so I got with them.”

Dame Dash and the team first connected with CEV Collection CEO Jamal Robinson at a dinner where Robinson was invited by his wife, Princess Edna Tafari Makonnen of Ethiopia, during the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) week. Dame Dash was attending the event as a special guest of Indiana Congressman Andre Carson.

“Dame has made a mark on global culture,” Robinson said. “He’s a visionary, and we highlight Black visionaries by sharing stories and paying homage to those visionaries like Dame. It’s also a way to give flowers and share the stories of those who have made an impact and difference in their fields or the culture, the global culture.”

As a part of his CEO collection with the eyewear company, Dame Dash asks each owner of the frames to approach wearing them with “boss vision.” 

“Being a boss means being in control of your destiny,” Dame Dash said. “A boss is traditionally in charge – being in charge of yourself, being in charge of your work, your life, your business, etc. And if you’re doing that, you are a boss.”

What’s more, he shed light on the process that went into the collaboration.

“Making the glasses was inspired by the ones that I’m already wearing, but making them better and making them different,” he explained. “And then, making sure they have good quality.” 

With a lens size that varies from medium to large, the frames are now available for purchase on the CEV Collection website and made for all bosses.

In addition to the huge success of the collaboration with Dame Dash, Robinson says he’s excited about CEV Collection continuing other limited edition collaborations in the future. He also plans on building out the team to ensure that the company keeps up the momentum. 

CEV Collection is currently sold in more than 500 optical stores across the nation, and company’s goal is to double that while also introducing the brand into traditional retailers in the U.S. and all over the world.