In 2025, Accessorizing Your Headphones Is an Art Form, Thank You!
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This is Locked In, a quarterly column exploring where tech meets fashion, straight from the industry’s innovators. From viral gadgets to must-have accessories, discover the chicest ways to make your everyday devices part of your everyday wardrobe.
Unless your preferred aesthetic is super sleek, all this minimalist tech may be killing your vibe. Which is why it’s nice that an entire industry has evolved around accessorizing the accessories we use every day. Depop sellers, emerging designers, and even luxury fashion houses have charms, keychains, fitted covers, plushies, and ribbons that make modern gadgets a lot more personalized. Take what’s happening with headphones, which TikToker and thrift shop owner Emma Rogue personalizes to go with the rest of her look.
“I wear my AirPods Max five days a week, and I’m one hundred percent here for adding cute trinkets,” she says. “You can’t mess it up—it’s art. It’s showing the world who you are.”
You heard it here first—we’re cute-ifying our gadgets now, and nobody has the inside scoop on how the cool kids of NYC are doing it like Emma. I caught up with the style influencer on the set of her Cosmo shoot to get her take on everything from defunct Y2K tech and ChatGPT to the fast and furious rise of the Apple AirPods Max.
So, it’s 2025. Do you think we can say, at this point, that tech has become an accessory in itself?
Definitely. Especially when we’re talking about headphones. Wired earbuds were a huge thing, too. I even see girls coming to my shop wearing iPod Shuffles as hair clips or wearing iPod Nanos on their belts. They’re finding old technology that might not even be working and incorporating it into their outfits.
Walk me through how you’d deck out a brand-new pair of AirPods Max. What’s the creative thought process behind it?
There are so many options but I’d start with some skins or covers. Then put some stickers on them—I’d probably grab some Rogue stickers from the shop. Definitely need some beaded charms, maybe even a Sanrio charm or plushie. And then some bows like the ones we had during the shoot. I’ve even seen people come into the shop wearing headphones that have crochet covers or 3D-printed attachments.
What would you say to people who are purists about decorating their tech?
I used to be like that in high school and college. I never put a single sticker on anything. I had a big shoe box of stickers I never touched, and I was like, “Let me just save them. What if I don’t like where I stick it?” But you have to let you of that fear because it’s holding you back. I get being a purist, and it’s okay, but if you haven’t tried decorating your tech, maybe put down a single sticker and see how you feel. You can always rip it off after.
This trend of decorating your tech seems like one of those things that might appear casual but could secretly be really curated, like a photo dump. Is there a right or wrong way to do it?
You can’t mess it up—it’s art. It’s showing the world who you are. If you do it from a place of, like, “This is who I am, this is me expressing my creativity,” then it’s cool.
Cherry on Top Case
Galsang Flower AirPod Max Cover
Checkmate Pink/Orange Case
Heart Phone Charm
Phone Charms (4)
Marzo Bear Phone Charm
Love that. Do you ever get dressed in the morning with your tech in mind?
Sometimes I try to match my phone case to my outfit. For the selfies, obviously, and also just for the vibes. My employees will notice if I’m matching with my phone case because it’s always in my hand. I try to match the metals on my bag charms and jewelry, too.
Did you have any wearable tech growing up? I feel like the ’90s and ’00s had some great gadgets.
I had a Tamagotchi and I had an iPod Nano that I’d wear around my neck like a necklace. I’d hang it around my neck so I could just lift it up, pick my song, plug in my earbuds, and then let it go. I also had an armband case for it. And you know what we have to talk about? I had a beanie that had speakers built in near the ears with a cord that I could connect to my iPod. I’d wear the hat and then clip the cord onto my outfit. Silly things like that, which I think are amazing and cool.
Do you think the rise of the futuristic tech aesthetic has impacted personal style for young people at all?
Well, tech is such a good tool for figuring out your style, so I’m not sure about that. Things could take a really futuristic turn, but everyone loves vintage more than ever now. It’s all about the past. But with AI coming, who knows what’s going to happen? But I will say that Chat GPT is very helpful for writing emails.
How would you describe your personal style?
I’m entering a new era of thinking about what I’m wearing more intentionally. My style is very Y2K casual, comfy, baggy, oversized, very Soulja Boy. Right now, if you walked into my store and didn’t know me, I could just be another one of the kids working. But I want to get out of my comfort zone and explore a more sophisticated, refined look. I gotta move away from the sneakers because I think that’s what makes me not look like a boss sometimes. Maybe I’ll enter my heels era. I want people to know that I care about my professional appearance.
Because starting Rogue impacted your personal style so much and therefore your style DNA is woven into the Rogue vibe, does this new style era mean that how you stock your store will change?
I’ve built Rogue into what it is and it’s beautiful as it is. We’re going to stay true and continue growing with the kids that are our customers, sourcing vintage that matches whatever is trending right now. Maybe adding some new things, but never taking away anything. You might see my personal style elevation more in different things happening down the line that I’m working on.
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