Can you still call yourself a motorsports enthusiast or F1 supporter if you don't look the part? Don't answer that because rapper turned fashion designer A$AP Rocky already did: you can't. Or, better said, you can, but you shouldn't.
Earlier this year, sportswear brand Puma became the exclusive licensee and trackside retailer for all Formula One races. Later on, they decided that rapper and established fashionista A$AP Rocky would serve as creative director for the new partnership, thus helping to bring streetwear, racing, and sportswear together in what they hoped would become a collectible-packed long-term endeavor.
To be sure, celebrity partnerships of this kind are not rare. Just now, songwriter and performer Pharrell Williams is serving as Men's Creative Director for Louis Vuitton. A few years back, Kanye West brought unprecedented exposure to Adidas with his Yeezy lines – and matching sales. Whenever a celebrity is named in such a position, you can expect their respective fanbases to migrate to whatever brand they're working with.
In most cases, though not in those mentioned above, the partnership is strictly a paper one. The brand gets the celebrity to be "the face" of the new line, do press for it, wear some items themselves, and maybe, if they're lucky, have some form of creative input in the process. The less, the better, usually.
Photo: Puma
Even the auto industry does it every now and then, and not always with enviable results. Do you remember the 200-unit Victoria Beckham Special Edition of the Range Rover Evoque? Yeah, she was only allowed to do "restrained color and detail changes to the car," so not actual design, even though she claimed differently.
Things seem to be different with the A$AP Puma X F1 line, a first look at which is available in the photos in the gallery. The first items will become available online on November 17, with the first full collection scheduled to debut at the Puma X F1 pop-up at the Las Vegas GP this weekend.
A$AP Rocky is famous not just for his music or his love life (he's the father of Rihanna's two children and her partner) but has also attained something of a fashion icon status. The style that helped him achieve this will also inform the style of all Puma X F1 collections, so you can expect racing elements, lots of jewelry, and unexpected combinations and flashy patterns.
The rapper's work will be phased, with Puma announcing collections through to 2025. He will do capsules and very limited collections but also handle marketing and create video content to bring motorsports and streetwear together. According to the brand, the first collection sees him do double service as creative director and producer and will explore "car culture in America and the impact it has on streetwear and fashion."
Bottom line is that if you're into F1, are itching for the Las Vegas GP to start, and have a taste for fashion, you'd best start budgeting.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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