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Justin Timberlake giving William Rast clothing line a revamp

Written by . Published: September 08 2016

Justin Timberlake is relaunching his William Rast fashion collection by fronting a new Americana-influenced ad campaign for the line.


The Suit & Tie hitmaker created the brand with his best friend Trace Ayala in 2005, and 11 years on, they have decided to give the company an image makeover to unveil its new designs.


In the new promo, which opens with the sounds of the national anthem being played on an electric guitar, the Southern gents reflect on the way their childhood in the small town of Millington, Tennessee, inspired both their personal style and the pieces they are creating for William Rast.


"To talk about the brand, you have to understand where we grew up," Justin explains of the location of Millington, just outside of Memphis, "(It's) the home of the blues and the birthplace of rock and roll."


Noting the proximity of Nashville, which the star calls "the cornerstone of country music", he states the William Rast line has "gotta be a little bit country, and it's gotta be a little bit rock and roll at the same time."


"We try and take the old Hollywood lifestyle and everything that we had and grew up with in Tennessee and put it together into a piece of clothing," continues Trace. "(We think about) how we can make it fashion and fit into the world and the lifestyle that we live."


Justin goes on to list Frank Sinatra, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, and Elvis Presley among his style icons, revealing he and Ayala always set out to make clothing which "stands the test of time".


"We chose to name it (the brand) after our grandfathers so it means a great deal to us," he concludes. "Everything we make with this brand is from something that was really honest and true to us."


William Rast items have previously only been sold at department store Lord & Taylor, but their new Fall/Winter 2016 collection will now be made available to additional retailers, including Macy's, Nordstrom, and Bloomingdale's.

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