Why did Puma choose A$AP Rocky as creative director for the F1 collaboration?

Puma has announced that rapper A$AP Rocky will serve as creative director for the brand’s partnership with Formula 1. The artist will, according to the announcement, «focus on the relationship between sports and streetwear,» directing campaigns and working to create «personally tailored capsules that will influence the brand’s seasonal design direction in the future.

The news comes less than six months after Puma launched a partnership with F1 that allows the brand to produce licensed apparel and accessories and cements the brand’s exclusive right to sell Formula 1 merchandise at select Grand Prix races.

A$AP Rocky’s hiring comes amid a flurry of celebrity creative hires at major brands — earlier this year musician and producer Pharrell Williams took on the role of men’s creative director at Louis Vuitton, while in 2021 Playboy named Cardi B creative director.

According to Allyssa Rapp, head of entertainment marketing at Puma, the news speaks to the continued trend of celebrity endorsements in marketing. «Artists are artists for a reason. They are creative beings and being able to express themselves through tangible products, campaigns and narratives for a brand is valuable,” he explained to The Drum website.

For the brand, the rapper represents the brand’s vision. Puma wants to embrace its heritage as a sports brand – since 2001 it has invested in the automotive sector, when the brand signed a deal to equip the Jordan team. Allysa also says that A$AP Rocky embodies «the connection between sports and culture.»

With this, the brand hopes to integrate «fashion and streetwear culture» and «revolutionize well beyond the runways» with a new direction that informs everything from product development to marketing.

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