When Astrid Andersen designed her first full line of womenswear for Fall 2017, she had a particular chick in mind. “I’ve been a fan of M.I.A. for a long time,” the Danish wunderkind told Vogue on the eve of her Spring 2018 show at Copenhagen Fashion Week. “She was the benchmark for cool women who would wear my new collection—so when she called me, I was mega-excited.” M.I.A., who released her latest album AIM in September of last year and is preparing for a world tour this fall, approached Andersen when she decided that it was time for her to get into the music merch game. The pieces include orange and black anoraks, track pants, and tees, and range in price from $70 to $160. The all-black anorak is also made from 100% recycled plastic and produced by Parley for the Oceans, a sustainability-minded organization that recently started working with Stella McCartney. The collection will be available beginning tomorrow on M.I.A.’s new ecommerce site.
“I chose to work with Astrid because she is an independent who combines function, sport, simplicity, and futurism,” the rapper said. “It all very much suits my personal style because it’s utilitarian—you can wear it to a club because everything is light.” The pieces in the collection are signature looks from Andersen’s basketball and hip-hop-inspired Spring 2017 line (in which she showed a few experimental women’s pieces), but reworked to include colors and artwork from M.I.A.’s AIM album. It’s a bold and brilliant coupling: the politically charged female rapper together with the up-and-coming designer who went quickly and successfully from menswear to womenswear in only a few short seasons. “I admire how strong her entire universe is,” Andersen says of M.I.A. “Her message is strong and pure and her personality is strong-willed and determined—determined to stay on her own path and include people in her vision without outside noise.” She added, “That’s rare to find and that’s what made her so incredible to work with.”
Here’s an exclusive look at M.I.A.’s first collection of merch designed with Astrid Andersen.
