Tyler, the Creator’s current endorsement deal with Converse was enabled in part by his friendship with Pharrell Williams, the artist said in an interview released Friday.
Earlier today, Tyler made an appearance on Hot 97’s Ebro in the Morning radio show to discuss his latest studio album, Call Me If You Get Lost, and the arc of his career. Among the topics brought up was the influence one of his mentors, Pharrell Williams, who he said was instrumental in securing his partnership with the brand.
“My Converse deal wouldn’t have happened without him. He helped set that up. During The Grinch soundtrack. That man looks out for me,” Tyler said about Williams.
While Tyler mentioned that Williams played a role in the ongoing partnership with Converse, specific details on how it came about weren’t revealed.
Tyler did reference the 2018 project when Universal Pictures tapped Williams to narrate the remake of Dr. Seuss’ classic Christmas story The Grinch. He was also asked to join the project—which we now know was because of Williams—to reimagine the film’s iconic song “You’re A Mean One.” Coinciding with the film, Tyler’s apparel label Golf Le Fleur dropped a Grinch-themed Converse One Star around Christmas of that year.
Tyler has been signed to Converse since 2017 and thus far, the partnership has resulted in a number of collaborative releases with his Golf Wang apparel label. This has included the numerous One Star and Chuck 70 releases, as well the launch of his Gianno model.
Williams is no stranger to the collab sneaker scene—his Human Race line with Adidas has been fueled by the releases of the ever-popular NMD Hu. Before that, the producer released a set of colorful Adidas Superstars in 2015.
Prior to partnering with Converse, Tyler teamed up with Vans on collaborative sneakers. There was also a brief indication that he’d be working with Adidas, although that project never materialized.
