Carti Buffs

‘Carti Buffs’ is a Detroit-based slang term for Cartier sunglasses. ‘Carti’ is an abbreviation of Cartier, the luxury brand that produces the glasses while ‘Buffs’ denotes the Buffalo horn from which the arms are made.

These glasses have long been a status symbol in Detroit, and often the wearer partakes in criminal activity due to the high value of the item (can range in the thousands of dollars for a single pair). Additionally, they are a target for theft, so being able to wear the glasses in a dangerous area is a symbol of street credit & lack of fear from repercussions.

“Imma pop him in his Cartis if he think he Buff, orange and brown Yeezys got my feet lookin like Reese’s Cups”- rapper Babytron referencing Carti Buffs in a song