Legendary Harlem couturier Dapper Dan has teamed up with Pepsi to issue a collection celebrating the start of both New York Fashion Week and the 2021 National Football League season. The “Made For Football Watching” capsule collection was issued Thursday (Sept. 9) and is described in a press release as “taking the football fan apparel game to the next level to ensure fans show up in style, no matter where they’re watching.”
The Pepsi brand is both the official soft drink beverage sponsor of NYFW and the NFL. The fashion designer’s signature style is present throughout the collection. The familiar circular logo was merged with Dapper Dan’s own branding to create a unique Pepsi x Dapper Dan logo pattern designed by the “father of logo-mania” himself.
“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 Dan in a press statement.
He continued, “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.”
NFL Super Bowl Champion and former New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz played a role in introducing the Pepsi x Dapper Dan collection to the world. The athlete and the fashion designer sat for a discussion where Dan explained his desire to bring the branded athleisure campaign to life.
“Honored to be a part of this. Celebrating the icon,” wroteCruz, sharing the video to Instagram TV.
“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,” said Todd Kaplan, the VP of Marketing at Pepsi.
He continued, “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.”
The capsule collection is available on the MadeForFootballWatching.com/DapperDan and MadeForFootballWatching.com pages. Fans can score items from the collection while supplies last until Sept. 23 with items available for the first 400 eligible users who sign up. The first fans who sign up will receive the custom, one-of-a-kind lounger featured in the capsule collection, handmade in Dapper Dan’s Harlem atelier.
View the full campaign video for the Pepsi x Dapper Dan “Made for Football Watching” capsule collection below: