Malibu creates merch with Aries

Pernod Ricard-owned rum liqueur Malibu has teamed up with luxury streetwear brand Aries on a clothing collection, alongside AI-generated assets.

The limited edition clothing line includes six items, including a t-shirt, bomber jacket and vest, and ranges in price between RRP £40 (US$51.34) to £1,200 (US$1,540).

Tad Greenough, global chief creative officer at The Absolut Company, said: “Malibu has been doubling-down on spreading a summer mindset – and we’ve seen unprecedented growth as a result. We’re on a mission to accelerate our ambition – which is why we’ve embarked on an exciting global partnership strategy, that includes some rather unexpected collabs, like Aries.

“Aries has always appealed to me – their ability to subvert norms in a positive way brings a new and refreshing lens on street culture. From the moment we met Sofia and her team, we knew the collaboration was going to be insanely good – they could help us animate the optimism of Malibu in a way we’ve never done before.”

The campaign assets powered by artificial intelligence (AI) were created by Aries’ in-house design and graphics team, and AI image maker Omar Karim.

The resulting media is intended to tell a story of the collection which ‘moves between beach to street and lampoons the silliness of a world that takes itself too seriously’.

Greenough continued: “The prospect of AI – demonised by some, but something we think has unlimited potential to push creativity forward – was incredibly exciting for both of us. The work itself is a true first for Malibu – in terms of process, and the finished result. There’s no doubt that it was a roller coaster ride, a learning journey. It was fun breaking new ground, and to push the limits of how we express optimism.”

The clothing can be accessed through ariesarise.com for a limited time.

The brand introduced a peach-flavoured rum-based liqueur in two iterations in February this year: a 750ml bottle and a ready-to-drink (RTD) canned cocktail.