A$AP Rocky is Sportswear’s Latest Creative Director
Published 24 October 2023
Via a multi-year licensing deal between Puma and Formula 1, the American rapper will design apparel, footwear and accessories – as well as oversee campaigns and race-side activations – that will impact fans and athletes alike. An early confirmation of our 2024 Look Ahead, the partnership is the latest to combine sports and fashion with celebrity star power.
According to Formula 1, A$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.