Anna Sui + muscle cars = revved-up tees.

Anna Sui’s latest designs are inspired by hot wheels.

fifty years old and not a single wrinkle—that’s something to be jealous about. The Ford Mustang’s seemingly perennial cool continues to enchant people, including notable designer Anna Sui, who collaborated with the all-American manufacturer to celebrate the prancing pony’s anniversary. The result is a freshly-bought-at-a-concert collection of limited-edition T-shirts, launching this month.

ON THE MUSTANG’S APPEAL “In my own work, I’m constantly referring to nostalgic, romantic and rock influences—and often include a nod to my Midwestern roots. I grew up in Detroit in the 1960s, which was truly its heyday. Its distinctive homegrown music scene was at its height, with important bands passing through all the time. The car industry was really booming—that’s the exact moment when the original Mustang rolled off the production line. It was a very exciting time! I wanted to celebrate Detroit when it was at its best.”

ON PLAYING LOUD “My goal was to contribute something that was graphic, resonant and rock ’n’ roll. It was a challenge to capture the human touch— the hand-drawn aesthetic of vintage posters—as it’s a style you don’t often see anymore. There’s a certain naïveté, a charm that has been lost.”

ON HER DESIGN PHILOSOPHY “There’s always a very sweet, feminine [quality]— a touch of nostalgia. There’s also the aspect of trendiness I try to create by adding a bit of rock ’n’ roll coolness. It’s always that ambiguity: the good-girl versus bad-girl thing.” – MARC BOUCHARD, EDITOR-IN- CHIEF OF AUTOGO.CA