A$AP Rocky is Sportswear’s Latest Creative Director

Published 24 October 2023

3 min read

Via a multi-year licensing deal between Puma and Formula 1, the American rapper will design apparel, footwear and accessories – as well as oversee campaigns and race-side activations – that will impact fans and athletes alike. An early confirmation of our 2024 Look Ahead, the partnership...

According to Formula 1, A$AP Rocky will debut bespoke capsule collections for Puma x Formula 1 later this year, with his first creative involvement in a Grand Prix being Miami in May 2024. The aim is for Rocky to be “fully immersed” in the entire product design process – including on-track racewear, fan-led merch and ready-to-wear fashion – by 2025.

Rocky follows in the footsteps of Pharrell Williams and Future in making the transition from music to design (at Louis Vuitton and Lanvin, respectively). Meanwhile, Formula 1 joins the likes of Major League Soccer (US) – as well as various American National Basketball Association (NBA) and soccer teams – by appointing a creative director and taking a more sartorial approach to merch and uniforms.

According to Formula 1, A$AP Rocky will debut bespoke capsule collections for Puma x Formula 1 later this year, with his first creative involvement in a Grand Prix being Miami in May 2024. The aim is for Rocky to be “fully immersed” in the entire product design process – including on-track racewear, fan-led merch and ready-to-wear fashion – by 2025.

Rocky follows in the footsteps of Pharrell Williams and Future in making the transition from music to design (at Louis Vuitton and Lanvin, respectively). Meanwhile, Formula 1 joins the likes of Major League Soccer (US) – as well as various American National Basketball Association (NBA) and soccer teams – by appointing a creative director and taking a more sartorial approach to merch and uniforms.

A$AP Rocky for Puma x Formula 1

A$AP Rocky for Puma x Formula 1

A$AP Rocky for Puma x Formula 1

A$AP Rocky for Puma x Formula 1

A$AP Rocky for Puma x Formula 1

A$AP Rocky for Puma x Formula 1

The move is a smart one: not only are Gen Zers making sportswear an everyday basic via their mashed-up open-source approach to styling, but in luxury fashion terms, sportswear continues to resonate both on the catwalks and among showgoers – meaning there are ample diverse audiences for these kinds of product collaborations that span age demographics and budgets.

There’s also the (incredibly lucrative) celebrity spectacle of it all, which sees a myriad of fashion brands increasingly lean into key pop culture moments, properties and influencers in a major way. Keep an eye out for Luxury Fashion’s Cultural Pivot (publishing next week), where we provide further insights into luxe-leaning entertainment merch, sportswear partnerships, automotive pivots and celebrity endorsements.

The move is a smart one: not only are Gen Zers making sportswear an everyday basic via their mashed-up open-source approach to styling, but in luxury fashion terms, sportswear continues to resonate both on the catwalks and among showgoers – meaning there are ample diverse audiences for these kinds of product collaborations that span age demographics and budgets.

There’s also the (incredibly lucrative) celebrity spectacle of it all, which sees a myriad of fashion brands increasingly lean into key pop culture moments, properties and influencers in a major way. Keep an eye out for Luxury Fashion’s Cultural Pivot (publishing next week), where we provide further insights into luxe-leaning entertainment merch, sportswear partnerships, automotive pivots and celebrity endorsements.