2016 was busy as hell for André 3000. He appeared on some of last year’s most impressive projects, including Frank Ocean’s Blonde, Kanye West’s The Life of Pablo, Travis Scott’s Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight, and Solange’s Seat At The Table. It appears 3 Stacks has finally stepped out the studio for a minute, but only to add another job title.
According to WWD, Tretorn – Swedish footwear and outwear company known best for their classic Nylite tennis shoes – has recently welcomed André 3000 as the creative director to help their brand reach a broader millennial audience.
The 126-year-old company is currently undergoing a revamp to their brand shortly after being sold by Puma to Authentic Brands Group (ABG) last year. ABG’s president and chief marketing officer, Nick Woodhouse, was in search of someone who was influential.
“It was very serendipitous,” Woodhouse said. “We wanted to work with André because he resonates with all ages and he’s an OG. 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.”
André 3000 was already a big fan of the tennis sneaker, so it was a perfect fit. The 41-year-old is set to appear in Tretorn’s fall global brand campaign and design a collection of footwear for 2018. He will work directly with Marc Fisher, Tretorn footwear license owner, to upgrade its traditional styles. The rapper did not waste any time sharing his vision for the company.
“He came to the meeting with sketches of shoes,” Nick Woodhouse stated. “He has a very clear point of view on style, the way he dresses and the way he carries himself.”
Looks like André and Tretorn are going to make a great team.
