TJ Atoms is thinking beyond his acting career — the 26-year-old star is trying to build an empire.
Atoms stars as Russell “Ol Dirty Bastard” Jones in the Hulu series “Wu-Tang: An American Saga,” but he told Page Six Style that he’s leveraging his paycheck to get into the fashion industry.
“There’s people that have money and don’t know how to put [outfits] together and there are people with no money that put it together well,” he told Page Six Style.
“I respect that but these rich people got stylists and they still don’t put it together right. So I got my own clothing line that I’m dropping in December called Parallel.”
Atoms — who is also a rapper and just released his new single “Potato Chips” — says the clothing line will feature unisex pieces like socks, hoodies, t-shirts, denim jackets and jeans. with prices from $10 to $200.
As for the star’s style idol? “If I could jack anybody’s closet it would be Pharrell. I know Pharrell got something cool for me to rock. I know he got some Billionaire Boys Club and Bathing Ape that I could rock,” Atoms said, though he added that he feels he is the “best dressed in hip hop culture right now” and looks towards his friends rather than celebrities for inspiration.
And while Atoms told us he recently splashed out on an $800 pair of Alexander McQueen boots — “You know Philly cats, we always grew up wanting nice shoes,” he said —there is one piece of fashion history he’d love to own: the grills he wore on set as ODB.
“I will probably get to keep them at the end of the season. No one else can wear them, they were made to fit in my mouth,” Atoms said. “I have not been able to take anything from the ‘Wu-Tang’ set, but after we finish I’m trying to take everything. I need all the gear from season one, two and three.”
The series was co-created by Wu-Tang member the RZA and executive produced alongside Method Man. “Wu-Tang: An American Saga” airs on Hulu and has been confirmed to return for its third and final season.