(AllHipHop News) Former Outkast star Andre 3000 has signed on to become creative director of Swedish footwear and outerwear brand Tretorn.
The “Ms. Jackson” singer will also appear in a global brand campaign for the company later this year and design a 2018 capsule collection.
“We’re excited to collaborate with Andre,” Nick Woodhouse, the president and CMO of Authentic Brands Group, says. “His creativity, unconventional personal style and unique point of view, as applied to our fresh and reimagined designs, will be an adventure.”
Authentic Brands Group executives purchased Tretorn last year.
As part of his role as the 126-year-old brand’s new face, the Outkast star, real name Andre Benjamin, will also headline an upcoming concert to mark the 50th anniversary of the classic Tretorn Nylite sneaker.
Woodhouse insists the collaboration was meant to be – because Benjamin is a longtime fan of the brand’s famous tennis sneaker.
“It was very serendipitous,” Woodhouse shares. “We wanted to work with Andre because he resonates with all ages and he’s an OG (original gangster). He’s not a flavor of the month. There are a lot of terrific, young influencers out there, but Andre is established. These young kids are reaching out to him to collaborate. That’s why we did this.
“He came to the meeting with sketches of shoes. He has a very clear point of view on style, the way he dresses and the way he carries himself.”
This isn’t Andre’s first foray into fashion – Outkast had a short-lived clothing line over a decade ago and he launched a menswear collection, named Benjamin Bixby in 2008.