SZA is Vans’ first-ever artistic director

It’s been a landmark year for SZA. Besides winning her fifth Grammy Award, she’s been traveling the world on the record-breaking Grand National Tour with Kendrick Lamar, launched her beauty brand, “Not Beauty,” and made her acting debut starring opposite Keke Palmer in One of Them Days. She’s now taking a bigger step into the fashion world as Van’s newest and first-ever artistic director.

The brand announced the news on Thursday adding that under her new title, which will span a multi-year partnership, SZA will help develop campaigns and co-create exclusive collections.

“In Vans, I feel free!” SZA said in a statement of her new venture. “I’ve been wearing Knu Skools and other styles for years, they’ve always had an ethos I connect with. As Artistic Director, my mission is to show that joy, community, creativity, and fashion are all still intersectional. That humanity, culture, and connection are still the access points.

Her debut campaign with the brand centers around a black and white version of the skater-inspired Knu Skool shoes, released in 1997 and redesigned in the 1990s. In the campaign, styled by Alejandra Hernandez and directed and shot by Sophie Jones, the star wears the kicks in front of the natural backdrop of the Scottish Highlands. The shoes retail for $80 and are available on Vans.com.

Launched in 1966, Vans is known for their range of shoes, clothing, and accessories for skateboarders and action sports fanatics. In an interview with Vogue, SZA said her love of nature and the ‘“ethos of skate culture’” drew her to the brand.

We’re not sure when SZA’s first collections will launch, but it’s safe to say that she’ll bring fresh and original ideas to Vans’ iconic staples. “I’ll go as far as they let me go,” she said in the Vogue interview. “I’m still a novice, but I know color, and I know silhouette.”