The man, the myth, the legend – Acapella is incredibly excited to introduce our newest collaboration: Acapella x Sergio Pérez . This collection pays tribute to the incomparable Mexican Formula 1 driver who has put the name of our country on high. Sergio Pérez , also known as Checo, is outstanding in his vocation within the select group of elite pilots on the planet.
Checo knows having to sacrifice to follow your dreams, and he also knows having to face various obstacles along the way. However, he never gives up. Czech is a symbol of perseverance and resilience, admired by millions of people around the world. As compatriots, we at Acapella are very proud of Checo and are honored and grateful for their trust in the design of this great limited edition collection.
Hugo Martínez, co-founder of Acapella, shares a little about how the Acapella x Sergio Pérez collaboration came about . “At Acapella we always like to collaborate with artists, athletes, with people who share our same mission,” he continues, “which is to inspire people to escape the ordinary, to follow their dreams, to fight for their ideals and to not necessarily live within the same lines and parameters that the world and society sets for us.”
Hugo speaks for everyone at Acapella when he says that “Checo is one of the people we most admire. He is one of our favorite Mexican athletes, and we love all his essence and everything he represents. It meets many of the values and ideals that Acapella strives for. A collaboration seemed very natural between the two of us.”
Acapella approached Checo's team to share about the work and quality of the brand. “They were fascinated that in Mexico there was something like this father and they were immediately convinced to have garments made by Acapella by Sergio Pérez,” says Hugo. “So much work that we have put into Acapella to make good quality products, products that people love finally paid off and the Checo team quickly wanted to get in and try to get this collaboration out as soon as possible.”
Acapella x Sergio Pérez is for those in love with speed, competition, and adrenaline on and off the track. For those who do not know fear and seek excellence. The collection is also inspired by Checo's storied defences, including one of F1's most dramatic battles, Abu Dhabi 2021, where Checo was instrumental in team-mate Max Verstappen's victory over Lewis Hamilton.
The release includes several t-shirts, a hoodie, and a pullover. All the t-shirts in this collection are regular fit and made from 100% Pima cotton, known as the best cotton in the world. The result is extremely soft, cool, lightweight and wrinkle resistant t-shirts. Along with anti-shrink and anti-pilling technology, the jerseys are of the highest quality.
The Czech is a Legend Tee is short sleeve, available in black and white . Includes the iconic phrase of Max Verstappen, "Checo is a Legend" (Czech is a legend). You can also find this phrase on the Checo is a Legend Hoodie that comes in bone white.
We still had to include Checo's famous nickname, “Mexican Minister of Defense” (Mexican Defense Minister, courtesy of the internet), in our designs. The Minister of Defense Tee comes in short sleeve black and white and long sleeve black. Find the nickname on our Minister of Defense Pullover, too , which comes in a black wash.
Seeing Checo conquer his first "pole position" in F1, and being the first Mexican to do so, we had to include this milestone in the collection. The Pole Position Tee and Pole Position Cap are both black in color and celebrate this great event with a simple design that includes the historical time of 1:28.200 and the event where it happened: the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
The Acapella x Sergio Pérez collection definitely had its challenges. Hugo comments that the most difficult part of the collaboration was launching it. Everything was a pre-sale, and there was very little time to design the garments, produce, and take photos. “It was a great challenge to be able to put all the pieces in one place. The Acapella team raffled it off – it was 100 percent teamwork,” says Hugo.
In the first discussions that Acapella had with the Checo team, it was established that the team wanted to launch the collection for the first Formula 1 race. “We practically had a couple of weeks left,” recalls Hugo. “We decided to go pre-order while we produced the entire first drop and work with what we had in terms of marketing, artwork, and so on. To launch such an important collaboration in such a short time was indeed something impressive.”
In terms of what the collection means to him, Hugo shares that “it's something impressive, something incredible because I never thought we could collaborate with someone so important in the world. It has been our best collaboration by far so far, but it was something that I did not dream of, in truth something that I did not expect.
For the Acapella team, the collection means something very similar. But above all, it is the brand's most important collaboration to date. According to Hugo, "it is one more step that we are taking to prove to Mexico and the world that here in Mexico we can do impressive things, that we can make good quality products... That both athletes and artists, like anyone in Mexico have a very complete platform to be able to achieve your dreams and to be able to achieve what you set out to do.”
Hugo shares that what he has enjoyed the most about the launch is seeing how everything they dreamed of for a collaboration came true. From doing a collaboration with Checo, to how the garments were designed, to how the marketing campaign was planned.
Another thing that Hugo has really enjoyed is seeing the response of the people. “Reading all the comments, seeing how everyone was freaking out over this, seeing that so many magazines, so many newspapers have published about this collaboration,” he continues, “getting so much applause feels really good after all the work we put into it.” Some publications that wrote articles about the launch include GQ México , Milenio , and W Deportes .
Following the incredible response to the release, Acapella is planning many more surprises regarding Acapella x Sergio Pérez . From more extensive collaborations with more products and more colors, to concepts that may be available in physical stores. Hugo also assures that in Acapella "we are dreaming of other things that are also very cool with the Checo team so that we can release them very soon."
Acapella x Sergio Pérez is much more than a collaboration. “It means a lot of inspiration for Mexicans,” says Hugo, “that we have everything we need to compete worldwide and an example that everything can be achieved.”