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Tucked away in a corner on the third floor of Puma\u2019s Fifth Avenue flagship store, A$AP Rocky was all smiles as he celebrated the latest drop of his tie up with the German athletic brand.<\/p>\n
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Indeed, the celebrated rapper, who had just hosted a public event<\/a> at the store to fete his newest night racing-inspired capsule collection with Puma, was eager to speak with FN about the significance of his Collaboration of the Year award ahead of this year\u2019s FNAAs.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The personal importance of this moment was felt before we even started the interview. In fact, Rocky, who just spent the last hour talking to other media outlets, went to work on creating the perfect backdrop for our discussion \u2014 having his team remerchandise the shoe wall he was posed against while taking a moment to change his clothes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Swapping out a head-to-toe A$AP Rocky x Puma look, the \u201cFashion Killa\u201d rapper stepped into a monochromatic gray designer outfit that was reminiscent of the many street style shots<\/a> snapped of the star throughout the years.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThis collaboration means the world to me,\u201d Rocky, born Rakim Athelaston Mayers, said as we settled into our conversation. \u201cI\u2019m really excited about this collaboration<\/a> because when we first started off, it felt like we were the underdogs. We weren\u2019t part of the overall conversation, but I think over the past two-and-a-half years, our mission and our goal was to establish that seat at the table more so than anything.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNow, we became that girl at prom who took her braces off and showed up looking like Sandy from \u2018Grease.\u2019 So it\u2019s just one of those situations where I\u2019m on my John Travolta sh*t right now and no one can compete with us,\u201d he added with a laugh.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n And Rocky isn\u2019t wrong. His collaboration with Puma, along with a similar tie-up with Rocky\u2019s partner Rihanna<\/a> is part of the brand\u2019s push to reenter the style conversation after several years of its competitors leading the discussion around must-have sneakers.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jon Tang, Puma\u2019s lead design of sportstyle footwear for ambassador, described working with Rocky on this project as a true \u201ccreative immersion.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe both have an affinity for pulling from the archive and nostalgia,\u201d he said. \u201cWe both love Tim Burton. We both love \u2018Nightmare Before Christmas.\u2019 We have this very similar mindset to things. So working with him is just a natural flow of ideas. He\u2019s like a pool of creativity and has a unique vision. But his way of looking at references and things like that is refreshing because he wants to help Puma craft different stories. And it just works.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Since Rocky joined Puma late last year as the creative director for the brand\u2019s Formula One partnership<\/a>, the music star has incorporated motorsport design elements across all of his offerings. And with the rising popularity of F1 in the U.S., the timing of this buzzy partnership couldn\u2019t be better.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n According to the \u201cPeso\u201d rapper, he sees his tie up with Puma as part of the plan to make F1 more inclusive. \u201cWhen I used to go to races before my involvement, you wouldn\u2019t see Black people,\u201d he told FN. \u201cThat\u2019s plain and simple. But after that Netflix show [\u201cFormula 1: Drive to Survive\u201d] and different advocates, a lot of Black people are really interested in Formula One. I plan on becoming that bridge between the sport\u2019s wealthy Caucasian audience and the cool-ass street-racing scene and make it something significant. That\u2019s why I\u2019m here.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Rocky also applauded F1 champion and fellow Puma collaborator Lewis Hamilton as being another contributor in making the sport more inclusive. \u201cThis is important because the only person to advocate for anybody of color or minorities was Lewis Hamilton, and we just needed to show there\u2019s not much differences between us. There\u2019s not much separation,\u201d he said. \u201c[Society still] really separate us as classes. But no need to get that deep, we have a cool-ass design.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Cool design, indeed. One of Rocky\u2019s most interesting Puma creations to-date was his take on the Mostro sneaker. Officially released in September, a version of the A$AP Rocky x Puma Mostro 3D made its first debut at the German athletic brand\u2019s \u201cWelcome to the Amazing Mostro Show\u201d at New York Fashion Week in February.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"ASAP](\"https:\/\/footwearnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/24AW_BR_ASAP-Rocky_Sept_Campaign_Mostro3D_5_1x1_3c91cb.jpg?w=1024\")
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