By ERIC WILSON

Has there ever been a celebrity who, in the cause of promoting a fashion label, did not want to be known as more of a designer than a celebrity- It is kind of nice to imagine all the hours Jennifer Lopez, Sean Combs and Beyonce have spent laboring with needle and thread lest anyone doubt the sincerity that went into affixing their logos on $90 jeans.
At a party at the department store Barneys New York last month, Andre Benjamin, also known as Andre 3000 of Out- Kast, had his hands thrust into the pockets of his suspender pants. He really did look as if he would rather be at home with his Singer sewing machine than be known as another singer who can sew. He was there to introduce a line of men’s wear called Benjamin Bixby, which includes the golf trousers known as tweed plus fours and club sweaters with leather elbow patches. The collection was inspired by Ivy League athletics of the 1930s.
By designing under an assumed name, Mr. Benjamin is reflecting the latest trend in celebrity fashion, which is for celebrity designers to masquerade as nobody designers, and thereby appear to be more authentic than opportunistic.
Most of those collections would look the same: artsy dyed jeans, trendy T-shirts, fur-trimmed bomber jackets, etc. But plus fours- Mr. Benjamin has the field to himself. His collection is so unexpectedly nostalgic as to seem designed for another era. Or another world.
“I think people will judge what I do a little harder than someone who was just starting out,” said Mr. Benjamin .
As Andre 3000 , he suavely crafted an alter ego with a distinctive retro-preppynerdy style and used fashion magazines, which were captivated by his look, to promote his image.
But it was, to an extent, an act. Mr. Benjamin, 33, describes his true personality as more reserved and says that the flair was largely effect, to create a character.
As his career grew from singing to acting and now fashion, he became more skilled at manipulating the image.
The character of Benjamin Bixby is a world traveler whose wardrobe includes things like a $995 corduroy blazer, a $350 felted waistcoat and a $95 newsboy cap.
Mr. Benjamin’s point of view was shaped as a teenager in Atlanta, where, to stand out, he often customized his clothes and dyed his jeans turquoise or orange.
“For an African-American guy to be a prep, that’s a dichotomy,” he said. “Prep style comes from mostly affluent families who just wear these cool clothes. But when you come from a background that has more struggle, your take on it will be different. There’s a certain kind of rebel to it.
Mr. Benjamin said the style was just classic. “I can’t pretend I’m from New England or I’m at school at Harvard or Oxford, but when you think of men’s dress, you have to give a nod to England,” he said. “They created it all and brought it to America.
We calmed it and made it cool.”