There arguably isn’t a hotter hip-hop group right now than platinum award-winning trio Migos.
The Georgia-bred, chart-topping threesome of Quavo, Offset and Takeoff—owners of a bevy of bangers since dropping their debut album two years ago—are one of the few current superstars running the rap game.
With such a powerful and wide-reaching platform, athletic apparel retailer Finish Line has enlisted the rap stars to serve as creative directors and as the faces of the brand’s new marketing campaigns, using them as well as other social influencers to target audiences across the sneaker sphere.
Migos, certified everywhere with no need to print a resumé, is slated to take creative control of distinctive fashion styles and themes for product shoots by directing the on-set vision. The group will also connect with Finish Line’s fan base by curating social content.
“Our partnership will be a reflection of what’s to come for American fashion in the next 10 years,” Quavo told AListDaily. “The fashion industry is a daily revolving door with new trends, releases and collaborations. The benefit of our partnership is that we create and set those trends with our music, fashion and lifestyle. Finish Line has the selection to help choose your voice, and Migos is the voice of the millennials.”
Paul Diehl, senior director of content, social and consumer trends at Finish Line, said the collaboration will serve as a forum for the BET Awards-winning triumvirate to express their creative concepts to an audience that appreciates functionalities—all while boosting the brand’s reach and relevancy.
“We’re looking to continue strengthening the connection between sport, style and music—Finish Line is positioned in the intersection of these ideas,” Diehl told AListDaily. “Migos has a strong pulse on today’s culture and widespread visibility that will help connect consumers to our brand. Working alongside Migos will allow us to explore in more depth where performance, street and style meet.”
Diehl said this partnership is unique to the company because the group won’t be held to one specific brand; they’ll take consumer voices and channel it through the style offerings they select. The young, rich and bougie triad will have creative freedom to pick and style the products that speak to them from every make available. The deal provides much more control than most celebrity ambassadors get with the usual garden variety TV spot or digital activation.
“Our No. 1 goal is to pump energy into the lifestyle and image of the brand,” Offset told AListDaily.
“We intend to create and infuse our brand with Finish Line through our social media influence, curate one-of-a-kind shopping experiences for exclusive releases and meet and greets,” Takeoff told AListDaily.
“Whatever looks they pick will be authentic to who they are and what they would wear daily or for a special event,” Diehl said. “We have a few specific multi-brand product launches planned and we’re excited to surprise our consumers with what’s to come.”
Musicians are increasingly taking on roles as creative directors—just last week, Asics tied its brand to Steve Aoki to inspire a collection of shoes and other apparel. In recent years, Puma has worked with the likes of Rihanna, The Weeknd and Big Sean as creative directors, just as Adidas has with Kanye West and Pharrell Williams. Outside of shoes, Akon is trying to bring virtual reality to the masses as the chief creative officer for Royole, just as will.i.am tried before him with Intel and 3D Systems. Lil Yachty, who previously has partnered with Finish Line for digital experiences, is also the creative designer for Nautica. And just last month, Foot Locker and Timberland teamed up with Nas to launch a Legends Collection.
Migos making its way to Finish Line—which is unlike anything the brand has ever done before—is part of the company progressing its mission and approach to delivering consumer products. In recent months, Finish Line has also updated its app and debuted new store concepts with cutting-edge technology and in-store experiences.
“Migos already connects with our consumers through their music and online presence, so this partnership enhances that connection and allows us to join in on the conversation to understand our consumers on a deeper level,” Diehl said. “We’ve evolved the way we highlight the brands and styles that resonate with our consumers. Everything we do for the Finish Line brand ties back to our mission of providing the most desirable sneakers and latest trends from top brands and responding to our consumers’ expectations.”
Diehl said partnering with Migos complements their social strategy of not pushing specific products. A quick survey of the brand’s hip-hop and sport-infused Instagram page supplements that sentiment. It also helps the brand maintain cultural relevance by having conversations with consumers—all while facing mountainous tasks and marketing challenges plaguing retailers in the shoes, apparel and accessories categories.
Consolidated net sales for Finish Line, which runs across 950 branded locations in the US, were $469.4 million, a decrease of 3.3 percent over the prior year period, according to an earnings report released in September. Comparable store sales also decreased 4.5 percent, while their Macy’s department stores sales increased 5.6 percent.
“Our influencers are important because they’re also our consumers. They serve as an extension of our consumers because they live and breathe the brands we partner with and the products that we sell,” Diehl said. “We work hard to ensure we’re on the same page as our consumers. We’re always improving our speed, our messaging and our product offering to give them what they want, when they want and how they want it. The industry constantly changes. Making sure we’re on the cutting edge of today’s latest trends is crucial.”
