Maluma collaborates with Balmain for ready-to-wear clothing collection

Maluma has collaborated with luxury fashion house Balmain for a new ready-to-wear clothing collection.

The Colombian singer/songwriter said the limited-edition line, which was inspired by the 1980s TV show Miami Vice, as well as his love for colour and bold patterns, started out as a tour wardrobe, but turned into a partnership with Balmain creative director Olivier Rousteing.

The 35-year-old French designer first worked with the Latin superstar when he created his outfit for the MTV Video Music Awards last year, and their partnership flourished.

“From that, we just exchanged texts and were like, ‘Why don’t we work together? Because your aesthetic and your vision of music can really combine with my fashion world.' For me, fashion could never exist without music. So he was just the perfect match," Rousteing told WWD.

Maluma said the designer "pushed" him to collaborate on the collection, which features printed T-shirts, a track jacket, sneakers, and a black-and-white striped shirt and short set, but he was grateful for the opportunity to work closely with Rousteing on the high-fashion line.

“Working with Olivier and the entire Balmain team was an amazing creative journey for me. It’s been one of my goals to work with a respected fashion house on a collection, but this journey was more exciting as Olivier pushed me to design with him, and that process was like making music — connecting the dots to create an energy for the fans," he explained.

He said the collection was "influenced by my fifth album Papi Juancho, which had an edgy style influenced by the Miami Vice vibe," and he wanted to create "great energy" by using bright colours.