The "Panda" rapper spoke to VladTV about the nature of their friendship ... which dates back some years when Pusha T hilariously put them on social media -- just to confirm they weren't the same person.

Desiigner says the first time they met, he felt like he was seeing a long-lost brother.

He says he even had to Facetime his dad during the encounter -- potentially for paternity answers? 😬

Although they're not actually related, they do have more similarities than just facial features. Iman, who is married to R&B star Teyana Taylor, released his "This Car Ain't Stolen" hip hop album last month ... and loves to be just as fashionable as his "little brother."