Global music superstar and icon also to serve as Founding Creative Director of Playboy’s new creator-led platform CENTERFOLD
Fashion and Sexual Wellness Product Collaborations to Be Released
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Playboy, the globally-recognized, iconic lifestyle brand owned by leading pleasure and leisure lifestyle company PLBY Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLBY), announced today an expansive collaboration with multi-platinum music superstar, entrepreneur, and social activist Cardi B. In her new role as Playboy’s first-ever Creative Director In Residence, Cardi will provide artistic direction across co-branded fashion and sexual wellness merchandise collections, digital editorial, experiential activations and more. In addition, Cardi B will serve as the Founding Creative Director and a founding member of Playboy’s upcoming creator-led platform, CENTERFOLD.
“It is a dream come true to officially join the Playboy family. I can’t believe this is real,” said Cardi B. “For as long as I can remember, I’ve felt connected to Playboy. It’s truly the original platform for uncensored creativity and I’m inspired by its incredible legacy of fighting for personal freedoms. I have so many ideas already – I can’t wait!” Cardi B continued, “I’m also excited to launch our new creator-led platform, CENTERFOLD. Creators today deserve to express themselves freely and unfiltered. They deserve to feel safe in their creativity and sexuality. And they deserve to own their future. This is what CENTERFOLD is all about. For all those creators out there doing bold, revolutionary, truly culture-shifting things, come join me.”
“Cardi B is a creative genius and we are absolutely thrilled and honored to bring her immense talent and creative vision to Playboy,” said Ben Kohn, Chief Executive Officer of PLBY Group. “Through her unapologetic commitment to free expression, her dedication to lifting up artistic voices and her celebration of sex and body positivity, Cardi is the embodiment of the Playboy brand. I can’t wait to see what Cardi and our team develop together with our merchandise design, development and distribution capabilities and our best-in-class content production. I also can’t think of a better creative visionary to partner with us on the launch of CENTERFOLD. CENTERFOLD will revolutionize the creator economy just as PLAYBOY magazine shook up the publishing industry nearly 70 years ago – and Cardi is the perfect shepherd into this new era.”
Playboy and Cardi B’s co-branded merchandise collections will continue to expand Playboy and PLBY Group’s rapidly growing direct-to-consumer fashion and sexual wellness businesses around the world.
CENTERFOLD – the new home for the world’s top creators to interact directly with their fans, expand their communities and build their own personal content and commerce businesses – is expected to launch in December 2021. From music and fashion to art and activism to adult entertainment, CENTERFOLD will leverage Playboy’s decades-long experience sitting at the intersection of culture and sex and be a lasting, safe home for the platform’s creators and their respective fan communities.
About PLBY Group, Inc.
PLBY Group, Inc. (“PLBY Group” or the “Company”) connects consumers around the world with products, services, and experiences to help them look good, feel good, and have fun. PLBY Group serves consumers in four major categories: Sexual Wellness, Style & Apparel, Gaming & Lifestyle, and Beauty & Grooming. PLBY Group’s flagship consumer brand, Playboy, is one of the most recognizable, iconic brands in the world, driving billions of dollars in global consumer spend annually across approximately 180 countries. Learn more at http://www.plbygroup.com.
About Cardi B
Cardi B’s rambunctious spirit and brave tongue garnered instant online popularity, rapidly increasing her fan base. She has evolved into an entertainer, actress and a renowned rapper in just a short time. Cardi rose to rap success and fame, releasing her debut studio album Invasion of Privacy in 2018. Cardi continues to be at the top of her game as the first woman with five simultaneous Top 10 hits on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart as well as the first female rapper with five Billboard Hot 100 #1s. Now a GRAMMY AWARD WINNING rap superstar, Cardi’s 3x Platinum selling debut album Invasion of Privacy debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album includes the RIAA Diamond certified classic “Bodak Yellow,” and all 13 tracks on Invasion of Privacy have been RIAA certified Gold or higher – making Cardi the first female artist to achieve this feat. Cardi’s single “Money” is now RIAA 4x Platinum certified, and her recent single “Press” is RIAA certified Platinum. “WAP (Feat. Megan Thee Stallion)” proved an immediate blockbuster with a record-shattering debut that earned RIAA Gold certification on its first day, and became one of the top three hip-hop streaming debuts of all time along with breaking various other records. Cardi returned with the now 2X RIAA Platinum certified “Up,” and most recently appeared on the highly-anticipated “Rumors” with Lizzo.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company’s actual results may differ from their expectations, estimates, and projections and, consequently, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Words such as “expect,” “estimate,” “project,” “budget,” “forecast,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “believes,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue,” and similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the Company’s expectations with respect to future performance, growth plans and anticipated financial impacts of the Company’s recent business combination, its acquisitions and commercial collaborations.
These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to: (1) the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the Company’s business or acquired businesses; (2) the inability to maintain the listing of the Company’s shares of common stock on Nasdaq; (3) the risk that the business combination, recent acquisitions or any proposed transactions disrupt the Company’s current plans and/or operations, including the risk that the Company does not complete any such proposed transactions or achieve the expected benefits from them; (4) the ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the business combination, acquisitions, commercial collaborations and proposed transactions which may be affected by, among other things, competition, the ability of the Company to grow and manage growth profitably, and retain key employees; (5) costs related to being a public company, acquisitions, commercial collaborations and proposed transactions; (6) changes in applicable laws or regulations; (7) the possibility that the Company may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors; (8) risks relating to the uncertainty of the projected financial information of the Company; (9) risks related to the organic and inorganic growth of the Company’s business and the timing of expected business milestones; and (10) other risks and uncertainties indicated from time to time in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K, including those under “Risk Factors” therein, and in the Company’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company cautions that the foregoing list of factors is not exclusive, and readers should not place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date which they were made. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statement is based.
Contact:
Investors: investors@plbygroup.com
Media: press@plbygroup.com
