Klarna and A$AP Rocky are teaming up to inspire shoppers to ditch the sweatpants and reclaim their style

• Klarna and A$AP Rocky joined forces for a campaign to help people rediscover their style after a year of lockdown.
• A short film features A$AP Rocky confronting the hard truth that even he is off his style game these days.
• The campaign highlights Klarna as an innovative shopping service for consumers in need of wardrobe upgrades for post-pandemic life.

In the history of fashion, it's very possible that 2020 will go down as the year of sweatpants – an era of indoor loungewear so pervasive even the world's top fashion icons let wardrobe refreshes slide.

But what happens when it's time to reemerge? That's the premise behind a new campaign from Klarna featuring musician A$AP Rocky. In a short film, Rocky dramatizes the style fails that can befall even the most fashion-forward after a year of lockdown. The video shows the shock of Rocky's neighbors at his less-than-polished appearance when he steps back out into the world.

But the shopping service Klarna comes to the rescue. After exploring the Klarna app's smooth interface, Rocky finds the power to reclaim his style-icon status – and inspire others to give their looks a new lease on life as well.

An artist celebrated nearly as much for his style as his music, Rocky identified Klarna's business model and its scale as opportunities that meet the moment. The company's highly accessible buy-now, pay-later model has already attracted 87 million global consumers. Those shoppers have embraced the service's personalized inspiration, exclusive deals, and the flexibility to split purchases into four interest-free payments at more than 250,000 retailers worldwide.

Founded in 2005, Klarna is one of the most highly valued private fintechs, with a valuation of $45.6 billion.

"Klarna is a company that looks ahead and challenges the status quo, which makes partnering with them so appealing to me," Rocky says. "I'm excited to begin working with Klarna in a number of ways, including jointly creating a space for people to rediscover style as we emerge from a global fashion hibernation."

The idea is buying a few new statement pieces to make you feel confident stepping back out into the world doesn't have to create financial strain. It can be as easy as filling your cart, then paying in increments even while you model your new looks. The Klarna shopping app can be easily downloaded with a quick QR-code scan.

Why A$AP Rocky is the perfect fit for Klarna

Rocky's role isn't just spokesperson: He became a shareholder in the company, and on June 1 served as CEO for a day, stepping in for CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski. Back in May, the two had a mentorship session where they discussed the business of fashion and ways to pay it forward for consumers and communities.

"When you spend time with A$AP Rocky, you quickly realize he defies categorization," Siemiatkowski says. "He's a musician, an actor, a philanthropist, an opinion leader in style, and someone who fundamentally understands what the public wants from so many vantage points. As the consumer experience in retail now demands discovery, curation, and sustainability, we at Klarna have a lot to learn from him."

The CEO role wasn't something Rocky merely tried on quickly for size. He sought to instill his "ASAP" leadership principle – always strive and prosper – on the company's culture. He is curating exclusive content in the app, with an eye toward upcycling and vintage fashion. He's also joining the company's recently launched GiveOne sustainability initiative by pledging 1% of his investment toward Kenya's Miti Alliance, which plants millions of trees to reverse deforestation.

And according to a recent survey of shoppers, post-pandemic wardrobe re-appraisals aren't just a short-term state, either. A survey Klarna conducted among US consumers aged 18-45 revealed much about our collective mindset around dressing and where we'll take it over the next couple of fashion seasons.

Insights from the research informed Klarna's current campaign and the ways A$AP Rocky approached his curatorial duties for the shopping service. For example, 71% of respondents expect to dress up more once the pandemic is over. More than a third expect to wear more color than they did before, and they show a renewed preference for sustainable fashion, like vintage or upcycled choices, which shaped Rocky's selections.

H&M, IKEA, Givenchy, Kenzo, Dipthyque, Peloton, Sonos, and Nike are just a few of the retailers who have enabled Klarna's shopping interface, both online and in-store.

Go here to find out more about how Klarna is innovating the shopping experience.

This post was created by Insider Studios with Klarna.