While the slew of brand link-ups over the past few years have proven that ‘unlikely’ collaborations no longer exist, one we didn’t see coming was the three-way capsule collection by Mercedes-Benz, A$AP Rocky, and Pacsun. The somewhat unexpected collab comes as a result of A$AP Rocky’s tenure as guest artistic director at Californian lifestyle brand Pacsun, with the rapper bringing both his creative agency AWGE and German automobile manufacturer Mercedes-Benz into the mix for a streetwear capsule collection.
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“I grew up in the ‘90s, so it’s one of the most important eras for me to draw back inspiration from,” A$AP Rocky said in an interview with Highsnobiety. “This collection is paying homage to all the nostalgia that comes back to me every time I see the Mercedes emblem. … PacSun felt like a natural partner to sell the collaboration.”
While the accompanying campaign images feature a Mercedes-Benz S-Klasse W140, EQS, and F200 Imagination concept car, the AWGE x Mercedes-Benz collaboration is exclusively a wearable one, with streetwear classics inspired by retro car merch. Hoodies, sweatshirts, sweatpants, caps, and other wearable pieces sport co-branding with the AWGE and Mercedes-Benze logos sitting side by side.
“I’ve been working with Mercedes since 2016, so the launch of this partnership of collaborative product is a proud moment for me,” said Rocky in a press release. “To be able to incorporate my relationship with Mercedes and my partnership with Pacsun to release select items from the first drop echoes my original sentiments of creating premium products based on my love for nostalgia and heritage brands that are accessible at different price points.”
The AWGE x Mercedes-Benz capsule collection is available via the AWGE and Pacsun webstores.
Words by John Deckard
