DJ Khaled just couldn’t help himself.
Although it was supposed to be kept under wraps until the launch on Thursday, the producer and media personality unveiled his capsule with MCM to his 38 million Instagram followers on June 26.
Khaled, through his We the Best brand, worked with the German luxury fashion and leather goods company on an exclusive collection of ready-to-wear, footwear, bags, accessories and small leather goods. We the Best Music Group is a record label, management, publishing, production company and studio that also creates T-shirts, hoodies, shorts and other apparel and accessories.
Khaled said the partnership is a dream come true for him since he’s been a fan of MCM since he was a child. “I was born and raised in hip-hop culture, and MCM was a big part of hip-hop.”
He said he first met Sung-Joo Kim, the owner of MCM, at his We the Best x Snipes store in South Beach, and they hit it off.
“I was blessed to meet Miss Kim at my store, and we started talking, built a great relationship and decided we needed to collaborate,” he said. “Miss Kim’s story is super legendary, because I’m an entrepreneur myself, and just to see the growth and what she’s accomplished is such a beautiful thing, and it just came together naturally, organically.”
MCM, which stands for Modern Creation Munchen, was founded in Germany in 1976 as an alternative accessories and lifestyle brand rooted in the lifestyle of the 1970s Munich scene. Kim acquired the brand in 2005 and it is now distributed in nearly 600 stores in 43 countries.
Khaled is a Grammy Award-winning producer with dozens of multiplatinum and gold certifications, including “I’m the One” [feat. Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper, & Lil Wayne], “Wild Thoughts” [feat. Rihanna & Bryson Tiller], and the triple platinum “No Brainer” [feat. Justin Bieber, Chance the Rapper, & Quavo].
The MCM x DJ Khaled x We the Best collection merges travel and music heritage in an offering that runs the gamut from golf bags to upscale basketball shorts. Core styles include two reimagined MCM heritage pieces: the Stark Backpack and the Ottomar Weekender, both executed in MCM’s signature Cognac Visetos and paired with either Ultrasuede in dark gray or napa leather in bright blue. A Crossbody Pouch and a co-branded travel charm complete the leather goods offering, each in the same colorways.
In apparel, a jersey bears the We the Best logo and DJ Khaled’s signature phrase — “Another One” — across the back. Knitted polos and graphic T-shirts are made from 100 percent organic cotton. A merino wool T-shirt is also offered along with shorts, a bucket hat, and slides.
DJ Khaled injected a colorful Miami aesthetic into the capsule.
Courtesy of MCM
Khaled said he worked with the MCM team on the design of the collection and the pieces that would be offered. “First thing we did was pick out all the things that we wanted to do, from bags to the polos, the Ts, the shorts, the slides,” he said. “Then we just told them our energy, our vibe, and their design team came back with some ideas. The first round was really beautiful, I barely had any changes.”
He added that he merely tweaked “little details and colors” to make the collection distinct. “MCM is so iconic with that brown and black — you can’t mess with that. We just wanted to add some flavor to it.”
The golf bag was a no-brainer for Khaled, who is an avid fan of the sport with a handicap of nine or 10. He said when he’s home in Miami, he tries to golf every morning, walking courses accompanied by a caddie, who drives the cart with his clubs. “That’s how I got a lot of my weight off,” he said.
“I feel like the world is one big golf course,” he continued. “It’s beautiful but it has bunkers, weather.” And the sport also helps him clear his head. “After I’m done with my 18, I come home, shower up and go back to work. I’m so focused because I got all my stuff out in the morning. I just see so much clearer.”
Khaled undoubtedly applied that clear-headedness to his MCM collaboration. In fact, the campaign for MCM × DJ Khaled x We the Best is titled “24 Hours in Sound,” and follows Khaled through a single day, tracing how music fuels his creativity and vision for design. The campaign was shot in Miami.
“As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, we wanted to partner with someone who has built an enduring cultural legacy through authenticity, ambition and an unwavering commitment to excellence,” said Dirk Schönberger, global chief brand officer for MCM. “DJ Khaled embodies that spirit. Together, we’ve created a collection that honors MCM’s heritage in craftsmanship while speaking to a new generation of luxury consumers who move fluidly between fashion, music and culture. This collaboration reflects where MCM is today: rooted in our legacy, but always looking forward.”
To mark the launch of the MCM × DJ Khaled x We the Best capsule, a dedicated pop-up will open at Bloomingdale’s on 59th Street for two weeks. Khaled is also expected to make an appearance at the store on Friday. There will also be a launch event in New York City on Thursday.
“We’re excited to bring the MCM x DJ Khaled x We the Best capsule to Bloomingdale’s 59th Street through a dedicated pop-up experience that captures the energy, creativity and cultural spirit of the collaboration,” said Kevin Harter, vice president of integrated marketing for the store. “As our flagship continues to be a destination for discovery, we’re proud to offer customers an immersive way to experience and shop this milestone collection.”
In addition to Bloomingdale’s, the MCM × DJ Khaled x We the Best capsule will be sold at MCM retail stores and online.
DJ Khaled with a backpack from the collaboration.
Courtesy of MCM
While MCM may be his current focus, this is not Khaled’s first fashion collaboration. Over the years he’s also worked with Tommy Hilfiger, with whom he did a golf capsule in 2024, and Dolce & Gabbana, which he worked with in 2021 on a colorful capsule. Both “sold out worldwide,” he said.
But whichever brand he works with, he first has to be a fan.
“When I was in middle school and high school, that’s all I wore was Tommy Hilfiger because of Grand Puba [a rapper and record producer] — that’s how powerful hip-hop is,” he recalled. “I got to meet Mr. Tommy Hilfiger, we sat down, and I told him my past and that I wanted to do something in the golf world. I love golf so much, and I was like, ‘Yo, I think it’ll be super cool to do a surprise collab’ — and it worked, it was incredible.”
He said he also admired Dolce & Gabbana when he was young, but it was out of his price range. However, later in life, he met the designers and they bonded. “That collab connected so well because they love colors and I’m from Miami, so it really fit.”
Khaled said he has plans to significantly expand his We the Best business into a variety of different categories. “I always knew it was going to be more than music,” he said. “It’s a blessing to be able to collaborate my music through fashion. I look at a Nike, a Pepsi, a Michael Jordan — I’m not saying I’m like them, but I’m saying it can be as broad a brand. We the Best is in everybody’s home all over the world, through music, through fashion, through motivation, through inspiration. So we’re expanding the brand into many other things and fashion is something we love and live.”
Beyond fashion, Khaled said he’s currently working on some “incredible” new music that should be released shortly, and he’s also been focused on his film and television department. He was an executive producer on “Killing Castro,” a film starring Al Pacino and directed by Eif RIvera that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last month and is expected to be released later this year.
“Just being on that red carpet, it was a moment that I shared with my kids, to explain to them that dreams come true when you put in the hard work. Anything’s possible.”
