Sido, rapper and superstyler "I used to dream of living in Zurich"

Rapper Sido has been wearing glasses since childhood. Now he has presented his latest collection in Zurich, which he launched with a Swiss label. A conversation about his visual impairment, Taylor Swift and swimming in the Limmat.

What's going on there? 30 people are waiting behind barriers in front of the entrance to the Viu glasses store, while bodyguards make sure that nobody opens the door.

The reason for the crowd is Paul Würdig, better known to rap fans under his stage name Sido. Here in Zurich's Niederdorf district, the 43-year-old is presenting glasses that he developed together with the Swiss eyewear label.

The management confirmed an interview slot of ten minutes with Sido - but with the explicit request that questions about the collaboration between the musician and Viu must be the main focus. Questions about the music were also allowed, but personal questions were taboo.

The interview takes place in the middle of the store, between PR people, bodyguards and normal customers. As soon as I sit opposite Sido, the musician discovers a friendship bracelet on my right wrist and asks with a laugh:

Bruno, are you a Swiftie?

I was at Taylor Swift's concert in Zurich, but I'm not a Swiftie.

Anyone who was at the concert is a Swiftie (laughs).

I'm not one, but the concert was great. I think I'm too old to be a Swiftie.

Hey, you can always be a Swiftie.

Are you a Swiftie?

I'm not one either ...

... but you're a glasses fetishist.

No, I'm a glasses-wearing pro.

So you never lose your glasses?

Why? What does one have to do with the other?

There are people who misplace their glasses all the time.

I've lost glasses too - but more in the sense that they broke and I couldn't put them back on.

So you've never looked for your glasses and not realized that you've pushed them up into your hair?

No, that's never happened to me. It probably has something to do with the fact that I can't see anything without my glasses.

You are short-sighted. How bad is your eyesight?

I'm not sure, but I think I have minus 3.5 diopters.

How many pairs of glasses do you own in total?

Since I've been working with Viu and have my own eyewear collection, I've set up a whole cupboard at home for my glasses. But I can't tell you how many models are in there.

Who is more daring when it comes to eyewear: the Germans or the Swiss?

I think fashion is more of an issue in Berlin than in Switzerland. And that's why I say: Berliners are braver than the Swiss.

How did you come across the Swiss eyewear brand Viu in the first place?

I've been buying my glasses in the Viu store in Berlin for many years. At some point, the people in charge of the company approached me and asked if I would be interested in creating a collection with them. I thought it was a cool idea and said yes.

How should I imagine the collaboration between Sido and Viu in concrete terms - or to put it another way: how much say do you have in the "Sido x Viu Eyewear" models?

I'm mainly involved in the creative process - in other words, what does a model look like, what does the packaging for it look like and what does the advertising for it look like.

When I was a child, people with glasses were teased in Switzerland and called "spectacle snakes".

We say "spectacle snake" here too. When I was at school, I was also the glasses snake.

Were you also laughed at because of your nose bike?

I was eight years old when I got glasses. It wasn't just funny for me at first, but also for my friends and I was often called the "glasses snake".

Glasses have long been considered a prestigious consumer item - or in modern parlance: a must-have accessory.

Back in school, it was usually the particularly clever types and smarties who wore glasses. But who wanted to look like a nerd as a child - I certainly didn't.

Were you a nerd?

No - I was the opposite (laughs). But you're right, glasses have now become a fashion accessory. Nowadays, there are even people without visual impairments who wear glasses without corrected lenses.

What would glasses have to look like for Sido to wear them?

For me, the shape of the frame is important first. And then it also depends on how I wear my beard, i.e. whether it's short or long. Yes, it's a question of styling, if you can afford it financially.

That shouldn't be such a big problem with Viu.

I can't tell you that. To be honest, I don't even know how much the glasses I'm wearing cost in the store.

You always wear sunglasses during concerts. Wouldn't contact lenses be more comfortable?

I can't do anything with lenses. I tried once years ago, but I just can't bring myself to touch my eyes. I find that disgusting. And once the lenses are in, you have to take them out again at some point - just thinking about it makes me feel sick.

What's the funniest story you've had with glasses?

Oh, a few stupid things have happened to me with glasses. When I was young, I once went to school with half a pair of glasses because I got hit in the head with a puck while playing ice hockey and my parents didn't have enough money to buy me a new frame.

Does it often happen that people come up to you and say: Hey, Sido, where did you buy those glasses?

That happens a lot and is also one of the reasons why I think working with Viu is so cool. But I always tell these people quite honestly that these are models that I made to fit me.

Then your glasses don't fit other people's noses at all.

I don't know that. Everyone has to find out for themselves. In any case, I didn't make glasses to fit everyone. Maybe they do, but that wasn't my intention.

So women can't wear your glasses.

Yes, they can - the current models are all unisex. But the question is justified. And between you and me: we are currently working on a new collection and there will be a frame that is specifically designed for women.

A few days ago you performed at the Zurich Openair ...

... I used to dream of being able to live in Zurich one day. I've since given up on that idea. It's already very expensive here and I really like Berlin.

And now a nice sentence about Zurich, please.

Oh, I've long dreamed of jumping into the Limmat at Dynamo and floating down the river. Have you already done that?

Yes, I have.

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