Travis Scott's merch is also full of football jerseys

Cactus Jack, Travis Scott's music label, has launched new merchandise consisting exclusively of jerseys inspired by football. The strategy remains the same: reinterpret the templates and patterns, or create rip-offs of commercial or technical sponsors. To make the drop more interesting, the sponsors have been replaced with titles from Utopia, the rapper's latest album, such as "Telekin" (short for TELEKINESIS), "Topia" (referring to TOPIA TWINS), "Maximo" (a reference to CIRCUS MAXIMUS and the first date of Utopia held at the Circus Maximus in Rome), and DELRESTO. The most notable jersey is the white and red striped one with "Maximo" written on it, a clear rip-off, both in font and color scheme, of the Kyocera sponsor that appeared on the jerseys of Borussia Mönchengladbach during the 2005/2006 to 2008/2009 seasons. A jersey that closes the loop; it recalls the times Travis Scott has been spotted wearing a training tracksuit of the German club, albeit with Santander branding.

The choice to use such a little-known reference is quite interesting: it shows that Travis Scott is likely not attracted to the more mainstream aesthetics of football jerseys, but rather this draws him closer to a true niche collecting. When the artist was arrested in Paris in early August for assaulting a bodyguard while wearing a goalkeeper jersey from the Juventus featuring Antonio Chimenti, a sort of multiverse opened up. Many certainties crumbled; this event marked a historical turning point for Bloke Core. Indeed, this trend is no longer just about pairing a simple football jersey with other items, but it has evolved, even attracting the attention of prominent figures like Travis Scott, who chose to wear the jersey of one of the less celebrated goalkeepers in Juventus history.

However, the discussion does not end here. We cannot suddenly speak of Travis Scott as a collector of football jerseys. The situation related to Chimenti rather reflects an evolution of Bloke Core, which increasingly risks taking on a parodic direction. From a distinctive niche phenomenon, it has now entered the mainstream, risking to become grotesque, theatrical, but above all, far from refined, resembling a costume more than anything else. If we go beyond the meme and the reflections that can (and should) arise from the fact that the name and number of Antonio Chimenti appeared in an outfit of Travis Scott, we can still affirm that the rapper is demonstrating how fundamental football is to his aesthetic and business strategy, and this is tangible. This is particularly evident after including Vinicius Jr., a likely winner of the Ballon d'Or, as a special model for the latest drop of Cactus Jack, perhaps showing that football according to Travis Scott wants to include everyone, from the strongest player on the planet to the least considered.