Those who are eagle-eyed on social media will remember that Sir Lewis Hamilton randomly started following an Instagram account in August called +44.
Many wondered what the new account could be; however, fans didn’t have to wait long to find out.
It was revealed prior to the Belgian Grand Prix that the seven-time World Champion was starting his own clothing label, having previously designed lines for Tommy Hilfiger.
The label supposedly tells the story of “The Inner Race”, which relates to the mental, spiritual, and emotional alignment the 37-year-old has obtained to become the most successful F1 driver in the history of the sport.
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The brand has gone from strength to strength since Hamilton announced it to the world, with the Instagram account alone now boasting 117,000 followers.
Ahead of this weekend’s first Japanese Grand Prix since 2019, Hamilton has revealed that the clothing label is going to collaborate with popular Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, to create a “transformative collection”.
“When I launched +44, I wanted to create bold, brave and transformative collections that made people feel the most authentic versions of themselves,” Hamilton told Highsnobiety.
“There is no one I consider more suited to help me achieve this than Murakami. He has consistently been at the forefront of street culture for decades, famous for his unique designs which are instantly identifiable as his.”
Murakami is widely known across the art world, with the Japanese artist best known for using traditional Japanese techniques to produce designs of anime and manga.
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The artist hinted that the collaboration will help people understand Hamilton’s “unmatched talent” and “what makes us all different”.
“He [Hamilton] is known for being a creative and inspirational force at everything he puts his hand to and his new creative lab +44 world is no different,” explained Murakami.
“We’ve worked together to make each piece reflective of our shared passion for the unique, psychedelic and a celebration of what makes us all different. Those who know Lewis can expect this collaboration to be a reflection of his unmatched talent.”