Pharrell Williams has been a superstar ever since his days in N*E*R*D, often regarded as one of the most influential people in hip hop and R&B music by many. He also creates an eclectic mix of vibrant and exciting fashion pieces with various brands such as Billionaire’s Boys Club, in which he partnered with Nigo to found in 2005, as well as Chanel and Adidas.
His frequent collaborations with Adidas, whether it be through BBC and Ice Cream or with his personal brand on his famous ‘Human Race’ NMD collection, and with the everchanging times in football fashion, it was only a matter of time before he broke into the football scene.
Skateboard P dived into football in 2020 with a recent collaboration on a pair of Adidas Predator’s made especially for Paul Pogba titled the ‘Predator Mutator HumanRace’. A wonderful remix of a classic Predator Accelerator, putting his own twist on it. This Predator release subtly hinted at what came after.
What came after was a selection of classic football shirt remixes by Pharrell Williams, where we see his take on classics from times gone by. They’ve been widely covered, pretty much blowing up the football internet scene since they dropped and for good reason. The shirts themselves are cool, especially the Arsenal one where we see Pharrell break the boundaries a bit more than the others. We have now seen, since the initial drop, Juventus wear their version of the kit which is a remix of the one made famous by Drake and all the shirts pop up on the famous StockX website.
“History is what shapes the future. And sometimes in order to look forwards, first we need to look back,” Williams said of the collection to GQ. “The most important part of the process with this collection was to learn of each club’s legacies and how each defining moment of their histories were captured and preserved from a design perspective. Each of the new jerseys are symbols of the five club’s legacies and a true celebration of the universality of sport.”
Adidas have been exploring their artistic side on their kits over the past year, which can be seen on their national team kits especially. This collection dives into this a bit more, combining football, fashion and art all in one release. Pharrell looks to ‘reimagine the future’ by looking into the past.
The question is, what does this mean for football and fashion and the crossover of the two? As I have discussed many times before, there is a fine line between joining football and rinsing the culture of the cash or actually having a passion for the game and creating something from that love. This collection treads on that line. The difference is that Pharrell and Adidas worked with long term creators in the scene on the release, such as Romance FC. This showcases the dedication to the creativity on their part, rather than the clout.
Whilst the shirts are good, we need to consider the effect of this release and what the introduction of Pharrell into the football scene means. This collection opens up football even further for wider fashion infiltration and collaboration, which is a good thing if done in the right way. Embracing the scene and harnessing the creativity of it is one way. What we’re, hopefully, going to see now is a shift in how creators embrace football. Virgil Abloh did it incorrectly, for me. Pharrell Williams has done it right.
It is good to have more creative minds enter the game and bring us fresh ideas. Whilst the shirts are remakes of past classics, the potential for something greater is there. Pharrell is one of the most iconic creative minds in music and fashion, so having that prowess in football can only benefit the game. And that is even further backed up by the interest Pharrell took in creators already grinding in the scene.
To have this influence of fashion on football is good. As the culture grows and connects with wider subcultures, the more fresh ideas we will see. Whilst the shirts aren’t the greatest thing I’ve seen, the direction and potential is wonderful to see. I expect more of this to come, especially from big creative minds like Pharrell. What I do urge everyone to be wary of is who is doing it for the right reasons. We will most likely see more brands like Balenciaga jumping on the trends of football too.
To have this influence of fashion on football is good. As the culture grows and connects with wider subcultures, the more fresh ideas we will see. Whilst the shirts aren’t the greatest thing I’ve seen, the direction and potential is wonderful to see. I expect more of this to come, especially from big creative minds like Pharrell. What I do urge everyone to be wary of is who is doing it for the right reasons. We will most likely see more brands like Balenciaga jumping on the trends of football too.
Luke is a football culture wunderkid with a love for football shirts and their history. Founder of @theculturedivis and a creative focusing on all things football including photography, writing and design. He sees football as art, so keep your stats and give him a Hatem Ben Arfa silky dribble any day.
