We like to see collaborations in the world of headphones. There’s just something about giants in their respective fields working together to produce something that we, the end-consumer, can use on a daily basis. If that’s also how you feel, then you’ll probably be just as irritated as we are: The new Oscar de la Renta Beats by Dr. Dre aren’t very likely to end up, in-hand, with either of us—at least we wouldn’t bet so. These fur-studded beauties are clocking in a $695 a set, putting them slightly outside our comfortable price range. That being said, there’s no reason we can’t give you the full scoop on this deliciously posh pair of cans just below the break!
The People
Oscar de la Renta has been pushing gorgeously ornate, red carpet oriented dresses onto famous actresses for longer than we can remember. Everyone hip and fashionable has worn one of his ensembles at some point, including Sara Jessica Parker, Cameron Diaz, and Julianne Moore. All in all, the man’s done quite well for himself, establishing his presence in the fashion scene with an iron fist and a touch of lace.
Dr. Dre, on the other hand, has had a bit more success running behind the scenes, appearing on almost every award-winning R&B produced in the last decade. He’s also pretty well known for his heavy flow as a rapper, and oh, something called Beats by Dr. Dre? We’re not sure what those might be, but we have a feeling they’re pretty popular.
The Headphones
Oscar de la Renta Beats by Dr. Dre
The end result of this star-studded work-together is a set of Beats by Dre that looks like most other sets of Beats, but with one noticeable exception: The intense amount of real fox fur attached to the ear cups. Trust us on this, it’s quite a sight, not to mention a slightly strange addition for today’s more sensitive modern times. In fact, we weren’t the only ones to notice the beautiful, plum-colored silver fox fur. PETA also took one look at the headphones and hit the picket lines. We’d give you the lowdown, but this excerpt from a PETA representative to the Hollywood Reporter might be a better choice:
“We’re writing today after reading about your new fox-fur headphones design with Oscar de la Renta. We wanted to get in touch to urge you to keep fur and exotic-animal skins out of your Beats by Dre designs. Foxes, minks, rabbits, and other animals—including cats and dogs—are bludgeoned, genitally electrocuted, strangled with wire nooses, drowned, and even skinned alive for their pelts. Most animals killed for their fur are slaughtered in China, where there are no penalties for those who abuse animals on fur farms.”
This expensive set of headphones does come with a travel case and ControlTalk hands free calling. That said, these perks are certainly no consolation prizes to the foxes.
