The reaction following the announcement of A$AP Rocky’s new gig as PUMA’s F1 creative director was mostly positive. However, for a minority, the appointment raised questions around the rapper’s petrol head credentials.
The debate on whether Rocky is the right person to lead a motorsport-infused fashion line, though, looks like it could be a short one, that’s after the 35-year-old was spotted on November 7 showcasing exactly how racing gear should be styled.
Rocky sported an unreleased AWGE x Mercedes-Benz sweater and bag; a racing-themed hat designed by Kemal Akbas; and interestingly carried a $99.99 red Toyo Steel Cantilever Toolbox, which could've conceivably been swiped straight from a pit crew.
The look, while not resembling your traditional moto-core outfit (by which I mean dead heavy leathers), is most certainly a moto-core outfit. Though, typical of any Rocky ensemble of late, he’s put it together majestically. If nothing else, this outfit is only further proof that Rocky's the right person for the PUMA F1 job.
As for the rest of the garb, it was business as usual for Rocky. Sat alongside the aforementioned racing gear were Bottega Veneta’s Tromp L’oeil Leather Pants, a pair of the house’s $1,600 Haddock Lace-Up Ankle Boots, and a chunky joint, of course.
Rocky, whose debut PUMA x F1 collection as creative director will launch at the Las Vegas Grand Prix on November 18, has made a habit of dressing of late.
Whether that’s the grandpa Bottega outfit he wore for his 35th birthday, the five-figure Bottega coat he meandered around Hollywood in, or the leather sweat suit he donned out jogging last week, Rocky’s leading the line stylistically right now.
The only question, for some, that remained of Rocky's appointment as PUMA’s F1 creative director was: why? This outfit and the way it's been styled, though, should go some way to answering some of those critics.
