A Sterrato-Inspired Wardrobe, Unveiled at Art Basel Miami
Lamborghini and Los Angeles streetwear label Rhude chose Art Basel Miami to debut a capsule collection built around the Huracán Sterrato, the brand’s first all-terrain supercar. Stephan Winkelmann, Lamborghini’s Chairman and CEO, joined Rhude founder and creative director Rhuigi Villaseñor at the Lamborghini Beach Lounge for the launch, timed to coincide with the Sterrato’s own Miami premiere during the same week in December 2022.
The collection spans jackets, cargo pants, polo shirts, tees, flat-brim hats, and canvas “soft toolbox” duffels, all drawing on the Sterrato’s raised-ride-height bravado and Lamborghini’s broader design language. Prices range from $295 to $2,995, available through Rhude’s website from mid-December 2022. A second chapter, tied to Rhude’s Autumn-Winter 2023 lineup, was set to follow at Paris Fashion Week in January.
The venue choice matters more than it might seem. Art Basel draws the exact demographic Lamborghini wants to court: young, affluent, culturally engaged buyers who may not yet own a supercar but already think of themselves as part of that world. Staging a fashion launch alongside a car debut tells you where Lamborghini sees the brand’s next growth frontier, and the Sterrato, the oddball in the lineup, turns out to be the perfect vehicle for that message.
A young man showcases the RHUDE x Lamborghini collaboration apparel at an exclusive evening event. Image: Automobili Lamborghini.
Why Rhude, and Why Now
Supercar brands selling branded merchandise is nothing new. Lamborghini itself operates the Collezione line and a Squadra Corse apparel range tied to its racing program. What separates this partnership is the choice of collaborator and the deliberate positioning at a contemporary art fair rather than a motor show or dealership event.
Rhude, founded by Villaseñor in 2015, occupies a specific niche: luxury streetwear with a narrative bent, rooted in American iconography and Los Angeles culture. The label’s audience skews younger and more fashion-forward than the typical Lamborghini owner, which is precisely the point. Winkelmann described the capsule as “just a taste of what’s to come,” a phrase that reads less like a throwaway quote and more like a strategic signal. Lamborghini appears to be building a pipeline to buyers who will graduate into six-figure cars over the next decade, and branded apparel at the right cultural moment is one way to keep the raging bull visible in their world.
For existing owners, the calculus is different. The brand already commands fierce loyalty, and many collectors participate in curated driving experiences like the Esperienza program. A streetwear collaboration does not dilute that. If anything, it reinforces the idea that the cars sit at the center of a broader cultural orbit touching fashion, art, and design. Whether a $2,995 varsity jacket appeals to someone who just specced a Revuelto is debatable, but Lamborghini is not really selling to that person with this particular drop.
Translating All-Terrain Audacity into Canvas and Twill
The Sterrato is an unusual muse for a fashion line. Most supercar collaborations lean on the obvious: aggressive aero, low-slung silhouettes, carbon fiber textures. Lamborghini says this collection instead draws on a military surplus aesthetic, executed in canvases and twills, which maps neatly onto the Sterrato’s raised ground clearance, underbody protection, and rally-inspired stance. The car looks like it wandered off a Dakar stage and into Sant’Agata. The clothes borrow that same sense of rugged utility dressed up in premium materials.
Specific design details tie back to the car and the brand’s heritage. A half-zip anorak features vent-mimicking panels on the back, inspired by the cooling slats on the original Countach (produced from 1974 to 1990) and echoed on the Sterrato itself. An aviator jacket carries patches with both Rhude and Lamborghini iconography, while a varsity jacket spells out “Automobili Lamborghini” across the shoulders. The “soft toolbox” duffel bags are covered in embroidered patches referencing the Huracán Sterrato and “Rhude Team,” visual language that reads more like a motorsport pit crew than a typical fashion accessory.
The military-surplus angle gives the collection a coherent identity beyond “car brand plus logo” and avoids the trap of making everything look like a pit lane souvenir. Whether the execution matches the concept in terms of material quality and construction is a question the official material does not answer. Reddit discussions around Rhude’s broader output show divided opinions: some buyers praise the weight and feel of the fabrics, while others question whether the price points are justified. Independent reviews of this specific Lamborghini capsule remain scarce.
This olive green military-style jacket from the Automobili Lamborghini x Rhude collaboration features an array of distinctive patches.
Rhuigi Villaseñor’s Connection to the Raging Bull
Collaborations between car brands and fashion labels often feel transactional: a licensing deal wrapped in a launch party. Lamborghini positioned this one differently by emphasizing Villaseñor’s personal ties to the marque. The designer drives a Lamborghini Urus, lives and works in Italy, and his stated passion for autosports and high-performance cars predates the partnership.
Villaseñor described the project in enthusiastic, if informal, terms: “Cars and Fashion are two of my favorite life joys, being able to marry these fields in a modern and intriguing approach excited me.” The phrasing is pure designer-speak, but the underlying point matters. Lamborghini chose a collaborator who already sits inside the ownership ecosystem, not an outside name lending credibility in exchange for a check. When the designer already owns the SUV and lives down the road from the factory, the resulting product tends to carry more genuine DNA from both sides.
That said, the collection leans heavily into Rhude’s streetwear sensibility, which may or may not align with the tastes of someone whose wardrobe already includes a few Italian sports coats. The practical takeaway for buyers: this is fashion-first, car-inspired, not the other way around. Expect Rhude’s silhouettes and proportions with Lamborghini accents, not Lamborghini’s existing Collezione aesthetic reinterpreted by a guest designer.
The model poses with a gold Huracán Sterrato, showcasing the RHUDE x Lamborghini military-inspired collection. Image: Automobili Lamborghini.
Competing in the Luxury Lifestyle Arena
Lamborghini is not operating in a vacuum. Ferrari, under CEO Benedetto Vigna, is making an aggressive push to become a full luxury lifestyle house, bringing fashion design, production, and retail in-house to control quality and brand coherence. One industry analysis describes Ferrari’s approach as aiming to rival established fashion houses like Hermes and Prada. Porsche, meanwhile, leans on heritage storytelling and emotional connection, extending its brand into lifestyle products while integrating sustainability messaging.
Lamborghini’s approach differs from both. Rather than building an in-house fashion operation or licensing the logo broadly, the company is pursuing targeted collaborations with external partners who bring their own credibility in specific cultural niches. The Rhude partnership, the Tecnomar yacht collaboration, and the various limited-edition design objects all follow this pattern: find a partner who already commands respect in their field, co-create something that carries both identities, and stage it at an event where the target audience already gathers.
The risk, as always with collaborations, is dilution. Enthusiasts on forums occasionally grumble about car brands stretching into fashion, questioning whether it cheapens the core product. The counterargument is straightforward: Lamborghini sold roughly 9,000 cars in 2022. The number of people who aspire to own one is orders of magnitude larger. Branded apparel and lifestyle products keep the brand visible and desirable among future buyers without adding a single car to the production run. Done well, it reinforces exclusivity rather than undermining it.
What This Signals for Lamborghini’s Brand Direction
Winkelmann’s comment about this capsule being “just a taste” suggests the Rhude collaboration is a pilot for a broader lifestyle strategy, not a one-off marketing exercise. The confirmed continuation into Rhude’s Autumn-Winter 2023 collection, revealed in Paris, reinforces that read. Lamborghini appears to be testing how far it can extend the brand’s cultural footprint without losing the performance credibility that makes the whole enterprise work.
For LamboCars readers, the relevant question is whether this kind of activity changes anything about the cars themselves. The short answer: no. The Sterrato remains a limited-production, naturally aspirated V10 supercar with raised suspension and rally-inspired bodywork, and its legacy does not hinge on whether someone wears a co-branded anorak to Art Basel. The longer answer is more nuanced. Every major luxury automaker is learning that the brand experience extends well beyond the driver’s seat, and the companies that manage that extension skillfully tend to command stronger residual values, deeper customer loyalty, and a longer cultural shelf life.
Lamborghini choosing the Sterrato as the collection’s muse, rather than the Revuelto or Urus, is itself a telling decision. The Sterrato is the oddball in the lineup, the car that proved Lamborghini could be playful and unconventional without sacrificing its identity. Wrapping that spirit in a streetwear collection makes a certain kind of sense. It says the brand is willing to go off-road, literally and figuratively, and that confidence tends to age well.
This dark green and brown varsity jacket from the Automobili Lamborghini x Rhude collaboration features the iconic Lamborghini shield and a bold 'Rhude' emblem.
Collection Details: What You Get and What It Costs
The capsule spans a full range of apparel and accessories. Key pieces include an aviator jacket with dual-branded patches, a varsity jacket with “Automobili Lamborghini” lettering across the shoulders, a half-zip anorak with Countach-inspired vent detailing, cargo pants, polo shirts, tees, flat-brim hats, olive green shorts, and the “soft toolbox” duffel bags. A leather tote with embossed Rhude lettering rounds out the accessories.
Pricing ranges from $295 to $2,995, with the collection available through Rhude’s website (rh-ude.com) from mid-December 2022. For context, that top-end price buys a varsity or aviator jacket, not an entire wardrobe. The entry point, likely a tee or hat, sits in line with premium streetwear pricing from comparable labels.
| Category | Notable Pieces | Price Context |
|---|---|---|
| Outerwear | Aviator jacket, varsity jacket, half-zip anorak | Upper end of $295 to $2,995 range |
| Bottoms | Cargo pants, olive green shorts, track pants | Mid-range |
| Tops | Polo shirts, graphic tees, long-sleeve shirts | Entry to mid-range |
| Accessories | Flat-brim hats, canvas duffel, leather tote, baseball cap | Entry to mid-range |
One detail worth flagging for prospective buyers: Rhude’s quality reputation is mixed in online enthusiast communities. Some owners praise the heft and construction of the brand’s fabrics, while others question whether the premium over comparable streetwear labels is warranted. Independent, hands-on reviews of this specific Lamborghini capsule remain thin on the ground, so anyone considering a purchase at the higher price points would be wise to inspect materials in person if possible.
This olive green duffel bag from the Automobili Lamborghini x Rhude collaboration is adorned with multiple embroidered patches.
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