Who says fashion and football don’t mix? This week, New York Fashion Week kicked off—as will the 2021 NFL season on Thursday night, literally. Accordingly, the week will no doubt be filled with fashion moments both outstanding and outlandish (after all, the much-delayed 2021 Met Gala also makes its return next Monday), but why should the runways have all the fun? In tribute to the in-tandem timing of these two American pastimes, design icon Dapper Dan has teamed up with another cultural icon, Pepsi, to create a limited-edition capsule collection merging the sport and his signature style for Pepsi’s season-long “Made for Football Watching” campaign .
“With this year’s NFL season kicking off at the same time as New York Fashion Week: The Shows, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to celebrate the football watching experience with some fashionable yet comfortable loungewear, perfect for game day on the couch,” read a statement from Todd Kaplan VP of Marketing for Pepsi, which is both the Official Soda Beverage Sponsor of NYFW: The Shows and the Official Soft Drink of the NFL. “While Pepsi has always had deep roots in pop culture and football, we have never brought it all together like we have with The Pepsi x Dapper Dan Football Watching Capsule Collection. Dapper Dan’s unique style of merging luxury fashion and streetwear is so bold and unapologetic—just like the Pepsi brand—so we thought he was the perfect partner to blend his visionary taste in streetwear with football fandom in the unique way only he can do.”
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Is this the Fashion Week moment we were expecting from the godfather of streetwear? Admittedly, no. But considering the fact to date, Dap’s collaborations have ranged from a landmark partnership with Gucci to his own line of Ken dolls for Mattel, perhaps Pepsi isn’t really such a stretch.
“I’ve been bringing luxury fashion to Harlem for 35 years and let me tell you, you don’t always see a true authentic collaboration come to life the way it did here with Pepsi, and right in time for the football season and New York Fashion Week at that,” said Dapper Dan. “This capsule collection is equally inspired by the Pepsi brand, football fans, and my one-of-a-kind looks. Fashion and football have never come together like this before. Athleisure has a new name on the block, and it’s Pepsi x Dapper Dan.”
The collection is full of Dap’s signature flash—including a custom Pepsi x Dapper Dan print both befitting “the father of logo-mania,” and devotees of the cola brand And just like your favorite football-watching recliner, “the collection’s handmade lounger with vegan leather pockets—perfect to hold an ice-cold can of Pepsi or your television remote—hoodie, bucket hat and collectible Pepsi can are designed to nod to classic football jerseys and keep fans fitted for every touchdown, sack and fumble this season,” according to a press release provided to The Root by Pepsi, which has also temporarily foregone its typical red, white and blue logo in favor of a regal blue and gold motif in honor of the collaboration.
Can you kick it? Yes, you can—though equally befitting Dap’s uptown mystique, which earned him the honor of becoming the namesake of our annual TGU 50 Lifetime Achievement Award (better known as “the Dap Award”), the collection is hard to get. Pepsi and Dapper Dan will drop the capsule Thursday, September 9 at 10 am ET on a custom collaborative webpage as well as on MadeForFootballWatching.com, where fans can “score” items from the collection while supplies last until September 23, 2021.
More from the release:
Capsule items are available to the first 400 eligible consumers that sign up. The first three eligible consumers will receive the custom, one-of-a-kind lounger featured in the capsule collection, handmade in Dapper Dan’s Harlem atelier. As part of the brand’s “Made for Football Watching” gear program that kicked off in August, fans will also have the opportunity to redeem points to enter for the chance to win the full capsule collection from September 12 - 18 and September 26 - October 2 (multiple drawing deadlines apply).
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