Travis Scott James Bridle ©

A BRIEF HISTORY: TRAVIS SCOTT, MASTER OF COLLABORATION

A BRIEF HISTORY: TRAVIS SCOTT, MASTER OF COLLABORATION

by Sam Le Roy
3 min
Travis Scott James Bridle ©
James Bridle ©

Houston-born and raised rapper and producer Travis Scott has taken the music and fashion industry and turned it upside-down to fit his psychedelic, dystopian sound style and aesthetic. His ascension to being the biggest popstar in the world has been nothing short of incredible to witness, with the Astroworld tour being pegged as some of the best performances of all time. His music and fashion tastes are cultivated and interweaved, with the punchy, pairing two-decade old Nike classics with the latest and greatest from the high fashion world in the same way his production sees the likes of Stevie Wonder playing harmonica alongside Kid Cudi on vocals over a new-age beat making for a unique sonic experience.

Nike travis scott
Nike ©

Now known as the man who collaborates with everyone, and anyone, the Sicko Mode rapper has an endless portfolio of projects dating back nearly a full decade. His first foray into fashion was in 2013 where he made #BEENTRILL#, a “meme brand” pre-dating the meme brand blueprint. Coincidentally, the brand was made up of some of today’s heaviest hitters – Virgil Abloh, Heron Preston, Justin Saunders of JJJJound, and Matthew Williams – with the collaboration being produced as tour T-shirts at the start of Trav’s career.

Rodeo is hallowed as some of La Flame’s best work to date, and it was accompanied by tour merch pulling inspiration from Kanye West’s Yeezy line through oversized cuts and graphic patches. This came alongside major partnerships with BAPE, Maharishi, and Helmut Lang

BAPE Travis scott
BAPE ©

His Nike partnership came to fruition just as Astroworld was ready to be released; a perfect timing that couldn’t have gone better for the two collaborators. A Velcro-Swoosh Air Force 1 – now reselling for upwards of US$1500 – was only the beginning as Trav now sits atop the throne of Nike collaborators with a growing collection of sneakers from nearly every Nike franchise. The Super Bowl LIII Halftime show (2019) saw the rapper don his – at the time unreleased – Air Jordan VI with a full fit from all his mates: Virgil sorted out a LV belt which saw the runway earlier on in the year, while Matthew Williams created a leather two-piece for the occasion. 

travis scott fornite
Fortnite ©

Moving to the present day, the portfolio is endless. Cereal boxes for Reese’s Puffs, clothing to mark the release of TENET, a McDonald’s burger and era-defining deals with Fortnite and Playstation – the man doesn’t stop. Just as rare, it seems as if the people can’t get enough. We’re looking forward to seeing what Travis Scott does next, because we couldn’t predict it if we tried.

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