Another celebrity creative director has risen in the ranks and this time it’s fashion icon and rapper A$AP Rocky for PUMA. The two are beginning a long-term creative partnership harnessing the artist’s fashion prowess into the brand’s F1 motorsports sector. He will be ideating and designing bespoke capsule collections that will drive interest toward future collections. Earlier this year PUMA announced its partnership with F1, a motorsport that has risen in popularity specifically in the fashion world. Notably, PUMA is the exclusive licensee and trackside retailer at all the sport’s races.
In November, Rocky is set to release his first limited-edition PUMA X F1 collection at the Las Vegas Grand Prix which will include clothing and accessories. This capsule will give a sneak peek into the upcoming collections in 2024 that will also be spearheaded by the rapper.
Rocky’s influence will be used in an incubator-style approach. For the rest of the year, all visuals and marketing efforts will be led by him. His first campaign will explore American car culture and its impact on streetwear and fashion. By next year, he’ll be focusing his creative direction on several Grande Prix races starting with Las Vegas and he will also curate activations at each of the other races including the forthcoming Miami Grand Prix.
“Working with brands as iconic as PUMA, and as innovative as F1, has been truly inspiring,” A$AP Rocky said in a statement. “When the world sees what we’re doing, I believe a shift will happen with how brands approach taking risks and working with diverse creatives.” By 2025, PUMA plans to have the rapper fully immersed in the creative design process for all of the PUMA X F1 product offerings including racewear and fan merchandise.
“We couldn’t be more excited to be working with A$AP Rocky. He’s incredibly talented, deeply thoughtful and invested in our brand,” said Maria Valdes, PUMA’s chief product officer continues, “He will showcase his vision with elevated F1 race capsules globally which attract new audiences and undoubtedly disrupt the track,” Valdes adds.