Stüssy's Sean Paul Collab Is a Bizarre 2010s Throwback
Stüssy, the face of tasteful streetwear, dropping a collaboration with larger-than-life reggaeton musician Sean Paul? Uh, sure, why not.
The Stüssy x Sean Paul capsule comprises a couple T-shirts that sport co-branded logos on the front and an amusingly odd photo of Paul's mug on the rear.
It's a weird fit. No hate or anything, but the super-sized photo of Sean Peal wearing his chunky shades and studded leather jacket that graces the rear of these tees feels more Stüssy of yesteryear than contemporary Stüssy, like a step back design-wise.
Disagree? No problem, grab a Stüssy x Sean Paul T-shirt in either black or white when they drop at Stüssy's website, stores and Dover Street Market locations on July 21.
Agree? Well, you're in good company, according to the comment section of Stüssy's Instagram post.
"What is going on with Stüssy? Why lately [sic] everything looks ugly and not like the same as usual," one user complained. "I thought this was Pitbull," another laughed.
In fairness, Pitbull and Sean Paul don't really look alike but I can at least see the throughlines in the big ol' branding and equally huge sunglasses.
The Sean Paul collaboration feels especially odd because contemporary Stüssy is better known for being so tastefully cool that it accidentally sets trends.
Likeminded partnerships with Nike and designers like Our Legacy uphold Stüssy's newfound clout.
I mean, it was only a couple years ago that Stüssy was an also-ran discounted at malls across America. Now it's teaming up with Martine Rose.
For better or worse, Stüssy x Sean Paul feels like an odd, out of place throwback to the 2010s, when Sean Paul was at the top of the charts and Stüssy was losing ground to upstarts like Pink Dolphin. No hate to Sean Paul, though, "Temperature" still bangs.
