ASAP Rocky & Klarna Link Up to Encourage People to ‘Get Smooth Again’
Written by SOURCE on June 8, 2021
ASAP Rocky and Klarna have linked up for a worldwide campaign encouraging consumers to refresh their look as the planet continues to emerge from pandemic-spurred lockdowns.
The campaign—centered on the advice of “Drop your lockdown look. Get smooth again.”—features a short video component in which Rocky is depicted emerging from his own lockdown in New York. From there, fans are given a brief tease of an unreleased Rocky song as well as a short cameo appearance from Skepta.
“It’s not for me to decide what people should wear or how they should wear it, but helping Klarna create a space for people to discover their own style is more of the consulting and curation I’ve been a part of in fashion for years,” Rocky said in a press release on Tuesday.
With the world in a state of re-emergence, Klarna CMO David Sandström said “now is the right time” for a celebration of the joys of style and fashion.
“As a brand and service, Klarna wants to evoke feelings,” Sandström said Tuesday. “ASAP Rocky’s innovative mindset and his impeccable sense of style and creativity paired with Klarna’s shopping services is the perfect match that will lead us all out of fashion hibernation and encourage everyone to get out and express themselves again.”
As part of the rollout for the new campaign, Rocky spoke with Eric Brain for Hypebeast about his affinity for vintage clothes. At the moment, Rocky explained, he’s been into “every fucking thing,” bell bottoms included.
At the top of the month, Rocky served as CEO of Klarna for a day after being announced as an investor in the Swedish fintech company.
“Klarna is a company that looks ahead and challenges the status quo, which makes partnering with them so appealing to me,” Rocky said at the time. “I’m excited to begin working with Klarna in a number of ways, including jointly creating a space for people to rediscover style as we emerge from a global fashion hibernation.”
Thanks to the quarantine era, Rocky explained when further detailing his Klarna link-up, he’s been bringing some “iconic Americana” back into his rotation.
“It’s all a cycle—what we wanted as kids is what kids want now,” Rocky said. “Those classic styles are undefeated, they always win out over trends that are trying too hard or developed too fast. That iconic Americana is coming back out of my closet now, oversized shirting, coveralls, logo-centric branding—you can’t deny that connection we all have to that logo placement or even just the aesthetic.”
All of this, of course, only heightens the experience of waiting for more updates on Rocky’s forthcoming All Smiles album.
Below, get a closer look at Rocky x Klarna via a selection of official campaign stills. To shop the Rocky-curated selected vintage collection, and for additional info on Rocky x Klarna, click here.
