A.P.C. Reveals Kid Cudi Collaboration, "Interaction #1"
- Words Anteneh Gebre
- Date February 18, 2019
10 years ago, Kid Cudi was hip-hop’s rising star. The Cleveland rapper had dropped a slew of mixtapes, caught the attention of Kanye West and through a past in retail at both BAPE and 10.Deep was considered one of the most stylish men in music. His uniform—Nike SB Dunks, BAPE tees and A.P.C. New Standard denim—redefined style in hip-hop. Following his debut album, The Man on the Moon, collaborations followed, first with BAPE and then on two limited edition leathers with Surface 2 Air. He even reached out to his favorite jeans manufacturer (Kid Cudi has claimed he wore the same pair every single day) to collaborate. Unfortunately, A.P.C. never returned the call—until now.
In an exclusive interview with Complex, A.P.C. founder and creative director Jean Touitou explains that it was a meeting with Kanye West in January 2018, when West played Touitou the yet-to-be released Kids See Ghost, that piqued his interest in Mr. Mescudi.
“After I heard the record, I felt [Kid Cudi] had something extremely strong but fragile at the same time,” Touitou said to Complex. “I, myself, happen to be a fragile person. I am fragile even if A.P.C. is strong. So I said, ‘Why don’t I try to reach out to him?’ He tried to reach out to me 10 years ago and I didn’t respond because I had no idea what I could do.”
The two got in touch and began working on their first “interaction”—Touitou prefers this term over collaboration—shortly thereafter. Nearly a year later, A.P.C. has officially unveiled Interaction #1 A.P.C. x Kid Cudi. The first in the “Interaction” series—wherein A.P.C. will work with musicians, artists and creatives to produce limited capsules—the 10-piece collection was inspired by pieces from A.P.C.’s archive as well as the current Spring/Summer 2019 season, albeit with specific direction from Kid Cudi. Including a white, paint-splattered T-shirt, Petit Standard and Petit New Standard jeans, a color-blocked cardigan, white “Cudder” embossed sneakers and a red leather motorcycle jacket featuring artwork by William Blake, the collection is equal parts French subtle luxury and signature Kid Cudi steeze.
Interaction #1 A.P.C. x Kid Cudi will release on February 21. Be sure to check Grailed shortly after the drop as pieces make their way to the Hype marketplace.
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