SZA will be working with Vans for a number of years as their first ever artistic director.
On August 14, the shoe business posted a description of the collaboration on its website, announcing the singer’s new role. SZA and Vans will collaborate “to reimagine upcoming campaigns and co-create exclusive product collections that fuse her unique vision” with the brand’s visual identity, the article states.
“In Vans, I feel free!” said SZA in a statement. “I’ve been wearing Knu Skools and other styles for years, they’ve always had an ethos I connect with. As Artistic Director, my mission is to show that joy, community, creativity, and fashion are all still intersectional. That humanity, culture, and connection are still the access points.”
“I’ve learned that bravery and curiosity are the cures for uncertainty, it’s a lifestyle and Vans champions that spirit,” she continued. “They stand where I stand, and I’m honored to invite a whole bunch of people to stand Off the Wall with us.
To commemorate their new collaboration, SZA and Vans have already unveiled a campaign that draws inspiration from one of her favourite pairs of shoes, the Vans Knu Skool.
SZA outlined why she’s ideal for a collaboration with Vans in a recent interview with Vogue. “It makes a lot of sense when you consider Vans and me,” she told the magazine. Self-expression and comfort have always been important to me. I adore being strong, steady, and incredibly adorable.
“Skate culture is really important to Vans, but I think what’s beautiful about it is its ethos,” she continued. “There is a lot of tenacity, attempting and failing—a community that enjoys taking chances.”
SZA will undoubtedly use her new position as leverage against her rivals, especially Nicki Minaj, with whom she had a back-and-forth on social media in July. SZA claimed in a post that month that she had been requested twice for a feature by Minaj, but she had turned her down.
SZA wrote, “You have asked for features twice and received no response, so you clearly understand my music and what I contribute.” You’re having a moment, not only because I’m rapping my songs about how I feel, “Cooking up the bass looking like a kilo.” I don’t know why, but may you be blessed.
