Maluma Brings His Signature 'Papi Juancho' Aesthetic to His New Sunglasses Collaboration

Wherever Maluma goes, his signature style follows.

The Latin pop star, 27, has paid homage to his Colombian heritage and brought his sense of fashion to every new opportunity — and his latest collaboration with Quay is no different.

Maluma teamed up with the celeb-loved sunglass brand to launch a line of frames that embody the Papi Juancho aesthetic characterized by neon colors, bold prints and sexy silhouettes.

Speaking to PEOPLE exclusively about how the unisex collection (available today on quayaustralia.com) came to be, Maluma said he set his sights on collaborating with Quay after seeing a fellow Latina superstar design a line with the sunglasses brand back in 2019.

"I've been wearing Quay for like five years, something like that. I saw that they were working with Jennifer Lopez and I was like, 'Yo, I want to do the same!' After that, someone from the [Quay] office called me and told me that they wanted to do the collaboration with me," he said. "It was beautiful."

As his millions of fans know, Maluma is a true creative who's mastered the art of branding himself (if you follow the "Hawái" singer on Instagram, you know exactly what we're talking about) so collaborating with Quay was an "amazing" experience because he got to be involved in the design process. "It's been a great journey with them," the star shared.

Maluma shot the campaign on location in Miami so it would mirror the "Miami Vice" vibes of his fifth studio album art. "I wanted to show all the creativity that was involved with producing Papi Juancho," he said. "That's why we wanted to make the [Maluma x Quay campaign] match."

Of curating his eccentric fashions, Maluma (who's worn everything from a sequin suit to a lobster-shaped scarf) said, "There's something about it that I love."

"It's part of my world. It's part of my DNA. I've been like this since I was a little kid. I remember my mom telling me what to wear. And I was like, 'No, I want that. I want this outfit or this other one.'"

"I have fun with [my look] so it's not forced. It's something that for me is organic and natural and I just leave it like that."

When red carpet events were put on hiatus due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Maluma started using Instagram to show off his expertly-styled 'fits and express himself. The "Medellín" singer soon became the king of #OOTDs and spicy thirst traps. The secret to the perfect Instagram photo? Authenticity.

"I don't want to be fake. I'm a real person. I'm a real artist. I don't want to go out and be someone that I don't really like," he said. "I just wanted people to know how I feel every day with my Instagram or my Twitter or any social media that I'm using right now."

As the world reopens, Maluma has two major opportunities to showcase his style IRL: the Papi Juancho World Tour (he's currently working with creative executive Ugo Mozie and Balmain on custom stage looks) and the 2021 Met Gala.

"I went once in 2019, and I had such an amazing time. But this year is going to be epic," the singer teased of fashion's biggest night. "We're already working on the outfit and everything. It looks insane."