Global music superstar and icon also to serve as Founding Creative Director of Playboy’s new creator-led platform CENTERFOLD
Fashion and Sexual Wellness Product Collaborations to Be Released
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Playboy, the globally-recognized, iconic lifestyle brand owned by leading pleasure and leisure lifestyle company PLBY Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLBY), announced today an expansive collaboration with multi-platinum music superstar, entrepreneur, and social activist Cardi B. In her new role as Playboy’s first-ever Creative Director In Residence, Cardi will provide artistic direction across co-branded fashion and sexual wellness merchandise collections, digital editorial, experiential activations and more. In addition, Cardi B will serve as the Founding Creative Director and a founding member of Playboy’s upcoming creator-led platform, CENTERFOLD.
“It is a dream come true to officially join the Playboy family. I can’t believe this is real,” said Cardi B. “For as long as I can remember, I’ve felt connected to Playboy. It’s truly the original platform for uncensored creativity and I’m inspired by its incredible legacy of fighting for personal freedoms. I have so many ideas already – I can’t wait!” Cardi B continued, “I’m also excited to launch our new creator-led platform, CENTERFOLD. Creators today deserve to express themselves freely and unfiltered. They deserve to feel safe in their creativity and sexuality. And they deserve to own their future. This is what CENTERFOLD is all about. For all those creators out there doing bold, revolutionary, truly culture-shifting things, come join me.”
“Cardi B is a creative genius and we are absolutely thrilled and honored to bring her immense talent and creative vision to Playboy,” said Ben Kohn, Chief Executive Officer of PLBY Group. “Through her unapologetic commitment to free expression, her dedication to lifting up artistic voices and her celebration of sex and body positivity, Cardi is the embodiment of the Playboy brand. I can’t wait to see what Cardi and our team develop together with our merchandise design, development and distribution capabilities and our best-in-class content production. I also can’t think of a better creative visionary to partner with us on the launch of CENTERFOLD. CENTERFOLD will revolutionize the creator economy just as PLAYBOY magazine shook up the publishing industry nearly 70 years ago – and Cardi is the perfect shepherd into this new era.”
Playboy and Cardi B’s co-branded merchandise collections will continue to expand Playboy and PLBY Group’s rapidly growing direct-to-consumer fashion and sexual wellness businesses around the world.
CENTERFOLD – the new home for the world’s top creators to interact directly with their fans, expand their communities and build their own personal content and commerce businesses – is expected to launch in December 2021. From music and fashion to art and activism to adult entertainment, CENTERFOLD will leverage Playboy’s decades-long experience sitting at the intersection of culture and sex and be a lasting, safe home for the platform’s creators and their respective fan communities.
About PLBY Group, Inc.
PLBY Group, Inc. (“PLBY Group” or the “Company”) connects consumers around the world with products, services, and experiences to help them look good, feel good, and have fun. PLBY Group serves consumers in four major categories: Sexual Wellness, Style & Apparel, Gaming & Lifestyle, and Beauty & Grooming. PLBY Group’s flagship consumer brand, Playboy, is one of the most recognizable, iconic brands in the world, driving billions of dollars in global consumer spend annually across approximately 180 countries. Learn more at http://www.plbygroup.com.
About Cardi B
Cardi B’s rambunctious spirit and brave tongue garnered instant online popularity, rapidly increasing her fan base. She has evolved into an entertainer, actress and a renowned rapper in just a short time. Cardi rose to rap success and fame, releasing her debut studio album Invasion of Privacy in 2018. Cardi continues to be at the top of her game as the first woman with five simultaneous Top 10 hits on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart as well as the first female rapper with five Billboard Hot 100 #1s. Now a GRAMMY AWARD WINNING rap superstar, Cardi’s 3x Platinum selling debut album Invasion of Privacy debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album includes the RIAA Diamond certified classic “Bodak Yellow,” and all 13 tracks on Invasion of Privacy have been RIAA certified Gold or higher – making Cardi the first female artist to achieve this feat. Cardi’s single “Money” is now RIAA 4x Platinum certified, and her recent single “Press” is RIAA certified Platinum. “WAP (Feat. Megan Thee Stallion)” proved an immediate blockbuster with a record-shattering debut that earned RIAA Gold certification on its first day, and became one of the top three hip-hop streaming debuts of all time along with breaking various other records. Cardi returned with the now 2X RIAA Platinum certified “Up,” and most recently appeared on the highly-anticipated “Rumors” with Lizzo.
Photo Source: Getty Images North America