5 LIL NAS X

LAST YEAR 1

LIL NAS X had quite the year in 2022. After walking the carpet at the Grammys in custom Balmain, decked out in pearls and with a butterfly insignia stitched on the chest and arms, he took the stage to perform hits from his debut album, Montero, in looks inspired by Michael Jackson. “My whole career has been about breaking down doors,” he said in a video released to inaugurate his relationship with Coach, the high-end leather brand that created a full set of looks for Nas’ Long Live Montero Tour. Together, Nas and Coach creative director Stuart Vevers came up with a production that told the story of the rapper’s life and wild ride to fame — complete with a lifelike Coach-embossed horse that galloped onstage during the show. “The looks we created for Lil Nas X explore playful tensions between past, present, and future,” Vevers explained. “They reference our American heritage through the lens of Montero’s playful, expressive vision — combining the timelessness with futuristic.” Getting a luxury brand to create custom looks for a live performance is impressive, especially for an artist who’s been around for just a few years. But it only scratches the surface of what Nas has done through fashion. Few artists are so skilled at mixing simplicity and ostentation — from outlaw cowboy to gilded fabrics to sci-fi armors. And he’s just getting started. “Style is a form of self-expression,” he said recently. “I feel like to get further in life, you have to shed skins.”