From Rihanna‘s reported $7 million creative director gig with athletic giant Puma — her designs sold over $1.8 billion dollars of merchandise in the first half of 2016 alone — to Justin Bieber‘s international Purpose Tour pop-up shops filled with edgy clothing merchandised by Bravado, it’s beginning to feel like almost every musician has a fashion deal in the works.
Beyond offering their savvy point of view, artistic sensibility and, of course, gigantic social media followings, it should come as no surprise that musicians have been tapped by a seemingly infinite number of brands — ranging from a 166-year-old luxury, heritage accessory and clothing line to buzzy, Instagram-fueled campaigns for emerging brands.
We filtered through the noise, presenting what are sure to be the hottest fashion collaborations in the music industry for summer 2017.
Get “Stoned” With Rihanna’s High-Fashion Heels
Bad Gal Ri Ri and legendary Spanish shoe designer Manolo Blahnik team up for their third and final collaboration, “So Stoned,” a four-piece collection that perfectly combines Rihanna‘s edgy sensibility with PVC elements and a Perspex heel, along with the designer’s signature Swarovski Crystal embellishments. The “Love on the Brain” singer called the partnership her “hands down favorite collaboration” with the brand and first publicly rocked her new heels in the music video for DJ Khaled‘s “Wild Thoughts.” The lavish heels range from $1,265 to $2,325 and are available in select Blahnik stores and online now.
Swizz Beatz’s Multi-Year Ready-to-Wear and Art Partnership
Noted hip-hop producer Swizz Beatz, whose credits range from “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem” by DMX to JAY-Z‘s “On to the Next One,” is teaming up with luxury retailer Bally for a debut launch of ready-to-wear clothes curated by Beatz (real name: Kasseem Dean) and a rotating array of shoppable art. Although the “Bally Collective,” a multi-year project between Dean and the Swiss house, debuts in October, the collaborators recently threw a fête at the Public Hotel in New York City, where Doug E. Fresh, Slick Rick, Vicious, A$AP Rocky and A$AP Ferg all performed, reports Page Six. Dean teased a sneak peek of what shoppers can expect on social media, which includes a pair of caramel, leather high-top kicks with custom flame details by painter Ricardo Cavolo.
Jamie Foxx and Hailee Steinfeld Hope to Disrupt the Eyewear Market
Singer-actress Hailee Steinfeld and Oscar-winning actor/musician Jamie Foxx, alongside Jeremy Piven (Entourage) and Ashley Benson (Pretty Little Liars), are involved in the product design and marketing of Privé Revaux Eyewear, a new brand of trendy sunglasses that sell for $29.95 a pop. “I wanted to get involved with a sunglasses company and create something that was fly and affordable for people. That brand is Privé Revaux Eyewear,” Foxx says in a statement. Selling cost-friendly merchandise to fans is also appealing to Steinfeld, who previously told Billboard that she “loves” that the brand is “accessible to anyone and everyone around the world.” She added that she can rock these shades “and feel just as great as when I’m wearing a pair that are five times the price. And when I’m onstage at a concert in middle America, I can offer them to the people in front of me. I feel like style isn’t necessarily dependent on luxury prices; it’s how you feel and how you rock it that makes the outfit.” The new optical line debuted June 1 at a private party in the penthouse suite of L.A.’s celebrity-friendly hotel Chateau Marmont and is available for purchase online and on Amazon.
This Bieber-Approved Skate Brand and Luxury French Fashion House Also Counts Drake as Both a Fan and Collaborator
After being commissioned by Louis Vuitton to create a song inspired by their tropical men’s Spring-Summer 2018 collection, Canadian rapper Drake donned a monogrammed denim jacket — perhaps a nod to his homeland’s infamous fashion trend the “Canadian Tuxedo” — from the recent Fall 2017 Louis Vuitton x Supreme drop. This hotly anticipated partnership grabbed the attention and affection of some of the music industry’s biggest and most stylish names, including 2 Chainz and Madonna, who both took to their respective Instagram accounts to show off their new, hard-to-get pieces. While the collection went through a few different phases of allegedly being “canceled” and then reinstated, Hypebeast has confirmed that the collection has not been canceled and will still be sold at stores worldwide, though perhaps a later date for North America.