Cordae has announced a new partnership with PUMA. The DMV rapper views the release of the HI-LEVEL collection as a “full-circle moment.”
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“In middle school, the public school I went to in PG County, we had to wear uniforms. It was a white shirt, khaki pants, and all-black sneakers, so I always rocked the PUMA suedes,” Cordae told Nice Kicks.
Based on Cordae’s perspective on working with brands, it’s clear that sentimental value is a big element in why the two joined forces.
The 25-year-old disclosed to Bootleg Kev that he’s rejected away large sums because of misalignment during an interview.
“I’m not never going to be myself bro for the sake of a brand. I’ve turned down millions and millions of dollars because it’s a brand that’s kind of off-brand for me as a person,” Cordae revealed.
Cordae went on to say that he is extremely choosy, dismissing roughly 95 percent of brand deals “no matter how large or little.”
“I’m still an artist at the end of the day, and I try to just move with my heart,” he said. “I try to just move with my feelings. I can’t be a slave to the brand.”
“PUMA [does] hella community outreach. They do hella giveback stuff,” he emphasized.
“I like things to be organic and natural,” he explained to Nice Kicks. “All the extracurricular stuff they do for communities across the globe is tight. Even though they work with amazing artists, it wasn’t based on past work with artists but on how our relationship has been — a collaborative, cooperative thing.”
The HI-LEVEL line includes clothing and footwear, as well as a jacket, hoodie, sweatpants, and three T-shirts.
“We are very excited to build on our already strong partnership with PUMA,” Andrew Gray, Executive Vice President, Global Lockers and Champs Sports, Foot Locker Inc., shared in a statement. “By expanding and strengthening our collaboration with PUMA, we continue to advance our strategy to diversify our product selection and bring new and innovative products to our consumers.”