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| by kenn on 1/11/2004 08:09:00 AM |
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Pharrell Williams Slips Into Reebok Partnership
 Following in the footsteps of fellow artist/entrepreneurs Jay-Z and 50 Cent, Grammy-nominated producer Pharrell Williams is getting into the fashion business with Reebok.
Williams and the Canton, Mass.-based footwear and apparel company recently announced a long-term licensing partnership that includes Ice Cream, a collection of men's and women's Rbk footwear, and Billionaire Boys Club, a men's apparel collection.
"I just wanted to share my vision for what some clothes should be like," says Williams, one-half of the Neptunes and CEO of the Star Trak recording label. "Jay-Z suggested Reebok to me as a way of expanding my vision because he thought it was cool."
Slated to launch this summer, the lines will be available only in selected boutiques and department stores worldwide.
"Pharrell is a hybrid of youth culture," Reebok VP Todd Krinsky says. "He represents a lot of what kids represent today -- he's not stuck in a box of being one thing. He's a very versatile person, and his music reflects that.
"The goal of getting involved with Pharrell was that we loved his energy, and we also loved the cross-section of consumers that he reaches," he adds. "He gets us into areas that we're not really strong in right now."
Williams and Reebok are developing an integrated global marketing and grassroots campaign to promote the collections.
This latest deal furthers Reebok's commitment to bringing the worlds of music and fashion together.
"Sports heroes are always going to be relevant in young people's lives, but there are only a handful now that have the cachet that they did in the '90s, when so many players meant so much to young people," Krinsky says. "A lot of young kids still watch the NFL and the NBA, but there's a whole new group of heroes for them -- entertainers.
"They influence fashion just as much, if not more than, athletes, and they're culturally as relevant," he adds. "The whole cornerstone of the Reebok business is the fusion of sports and music."
While Reebok has already seen success from Jay-Z's S. Carter Collection and 50 Cent's G-Unit Collection, Krinsky says there are no immediate plans to align with other artists.
"We have the two biggest stars in hip-hop and now one of the biggest producers in the world. So we want to concentrate on making these three initiatives as big as we can possibly make them," Krinsky says.
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