Ryan Lochte has received plenty of attention at the London Olympics for his style as much as his swimming. Lochte wore a diamond grill in his mouth after winning the 400-meter individual medley last Saturday, and later sparked a controversy when it was reported he was barred from wearing the jewelry over his teeth.
Now we’re learning that the fashion-conscious Lochte actually had the grill designed by rapper Paul Wall aka The Peoples Champ.
“The grill he’s wearing is all hand-prong set, all VS diamonds and custom red rubies,” Wall told XXL Mag. “What he has in his mouth is all hand crafted. Every diamond is set by hand—one by one, prong set and all custom red rubies. Of course we gave him an Olympic discount.”
Wall said that custom grills typically go for anywhere from $15,000-$25,000. He’s pleased that the swimmer is making the grill hip again.
“For him to represent us and our culture, the grill culture, it’s just shining a light on hip-hop in the Olympics,” said the People’s Champ, who’s currently working on a new mixtape with DJ Whoo Kid. “Everyone’s talking about it…it’s just an incredible thing to be part of. I’m just honored to be part of it. There’s not too many world-class swimmers wearing our grill.”
Lochte may not have enough sway to make winged-shoes popular, but there’s no doubt he’s using his time in the limelight to bring back diamond grills.
H/T TMZ
Photo credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
