Napapijri partners with Kojey Radical for experiential drop of tech t-shirts

By

Gabriella Lacombe

Published
Nov 20, 2019

VF-owned Italian premium casualwear brand Napapijri has partnered with British rapper and artist Kojey Radical for an ultra-limited collection of t-shirts. 

Named “Future Tees,” the collaboration consists of a drop of 150 t-shirts, all of which are designed with a special augmented reality twist. Each shirt is printed with exclusive QR codes, which can be activated using any smartphone camera. Once the phone’s camera is pointed at the shirt, a special AR experience is unlocked, showing what the collaborators called “a portal into [Kojey’s] world.”    

"The use of augmented reality as the key element for the launch of “Future Tees” highlights Napapijri’s trailblazing attitude in the ever-evolving landscape of contemporary fashion," the brand said in a press release.

On November 20, the t-shirts will be released exclusively at a celebratory event held at Napapijri’s newly opened store on Carnaby Street in London, where Kojey will make a special appearance. Napapijri is focusing on social conversation for the launch, requiring attendees to share a photo on Instagram with the collaboration's proprietary filter and tag the brand in order to get a ticket to the event.

The AR collaboration was inspired by the recent launch of the brand’s “Futurewear” collection at the Carnaby Street store and in an experiential pop-up at King’s Cross, Napapijri said.

The future-focused t-shirts also mark the latest boost to Napapijri’s image as a sustainable brand, following the brand’s release of a 100% recyclable jacket in October.

Elsewhere in VF’s portfolio, the company’s Vans brand is set to open its largest European store, located on London’s Oxford Street, on November 21.