This past weekend [Saturday, May 14] the second floor of the Fred Segal flagship in Beverly Hills was transformed from boutique to paranormal forensic headquarters for the premier of a new line of collaborative merchandise in support of the new Ghostbusters revamp flick. Brands including Fila, Italia Independent, Tokyo Bike, Monster and New Era came together to collaborate with Nas’ clothing line HSTRY for its SS16 launch.
Unbeknownst to most, Nas is a fanatic about the Ghostbusters series, specifically the first installment. When asked he recalled:
“Part one was the first time I’d seen anything like it with all the guys I already loved from Saturday Night Live. It was a perfect movie, perfect timing for a film like that to catch the imagination of kids and adults alike.”
Through this collaboration, Nas was able to show just how his imagination was touched as a child by this film in an unexpected way. The merchandise features t-shirts, sneakers, hats and glasses all inspired by classic themes from Nas’ beloved 1984 cult-classic Ghostbusters. Along with the more conventional pieces, there was a desert camo, canvas jumpsuit inspired by the suits donned by Venkman, Stantz and Spengler. The collection also included non-clothing accessories including bikes and headphones all stylized to fit the Ghostbusters theme.
Although Ghostbusters had a huge role to play, the main focus of the event was the magnitude of this collaboration for HSTRY, Nas’ new clothing line.
“We’re just getting started really and this was like a slam dunk for us just giving us exposure beyond what I was expecting at this point in our business and I’m really happy about it.”
This release has the potential to build a large following for HSTRY with the success of Ghostbusters 3. HSTRY is currently an under-the-radar brand with a small market in respect to the more popular Hip Hop lifestyle street wear brands such as Antisocial Social Club and VLONE. Partnering up with such a popular and nostalgic American brand like Ghostbusters, HSTRY has the ability to reach a larger audience early on in its existence as a brand and in a fresh way.
Unfortunately Nas’ collaboration with Ghostbusters stops at the clothing and according to him, he will not be in the film. When asked about a possible cameo, Nas responded:
“My side is the clothes and that’s HSTRY and HSTRY deals with everything that’s movies, war, love, politics, people, places, and things, we do all of that. This movie is a part of my history.”
The merchandise is set to release online at hstryclothing.com May 18 and even though the Hip Hop legend may not be coming out of retirement as an actor for this revamp, if you’re looking for the hottest Ghostbusters gear on the shelves, you know who to call.
Photos by: Bratty Malone
