How Lil Nas X's Big Coach Campaign Came Together (2024)
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Stuart Vevers is fascinated by the way youth culture shapes culture at large. The executive creative director at Coach since 2013, he has plumbed that fascination for the last nine years to help transform a once-ailing brand into something that once again speaks to the people who so inspired him.
“Coach has certain preconceptions for a lot of people, and a part of what I love to do is to challenge those preconceptions,” Vevers explains, noting that some folks might see it as tinged with nostalgia, or have been introduced to it by their parents. “And I thought a partnership with Lil Nas X—and all the things he represents—I was hoping it would surprise people.”
Certainly in the musician Vevers and the rest of the crew at Coach have found someone who’s got no problem smashing preconceptions and surprising people. Lil Nas X’s ascendency—from the virality and controversy surrounding “Old Town Road” to the smash-hit success of Montero—didn’t just ignore the rule book, it seemed predicated on the idea that there simply is no rule book, at least not for the man born in Little Springs, Georgia, under the name Montero Lamar Hill.
“In his work, he’s just managed to find that rare thing of doing something that hasn’t been done before,” Vevers says. “That’s what really drew me to him.”
At the end of the summer, Coach announced that the connection was official: This fall’s Long Live Montero Tour would feature the musician decked out in custom Coach throughout. “It took me a while to get my head around it,” Vevers admits. The settings were theatrical, over-the-top, immersive fantasy tableaus with Lil Nas X at the center. The costumes needed to match that degree of theatricality, something in which Vevers—who sees the day-to-day realities of New York as a big part of the inspiration for his work—was not exactly well-versed. “We were stretching who we are as a brand, who I am as a designer,” he says.
Still, the project came together in a way that everyone was happy with, and then it as time for the next step: A declaration of the fledgling partnership at New York Fashion Week. Lil Nas X walked the Coach runway in a look from the spring/summer 2023 collection specially styled by Vevers for the musician. The reasoning? He’d never been on the catwalk as a model before. “The idea of walking really came from the fact that he'd never done it before,” Vevers says. “So, the idea of a first to unveil our partnership felt instinctively felt right.” (If you’re wondering if people were freaking out backstage or being hounded by paparazzi, as one might expect, the answer is no; according to Vevers, it was a “very controlled environment.”)
Which brings us to today, which marks the third and arguably biggest moment in the partnership thus far: Lil Nas X’s debut as the face of Coach’s latest campaign, “Courage to Be Real.” The centerpiece is a video, directed by Petra Collins, set to his new song “Star Walkin’.” It shows Lil Nas X’s journey from the Atlanta suburbs to superstardom, illustrated by his movement through a series of doors.
“This campaign is about having the courage to express your true self,” Lil Nas X told Esquire in a statement. “People either love and appreciate that or they won't. But that’s okay, you just have to have the courage to keep going and doing you. Each door represents a really important transitional part of my life.”
“I hope it inspires the world to transcend their limits like he has and express who they really are,” says Vevers. “It's really a call to action to encourage courageous self-expression.”
It’s also, as it happens, a pretty damn good way to plant an earworm. “You know when you go to sleep and a song is playing in your head and you wake up in the morning and that song is still playing in your head?” Vevers says. “’Star Walkin’” is that song right now for me. I think it's the only song in my head right now, and it's a great song, so that's not a bad thing.”
The campaign, set in a vibrant virtual universe, uses the new Coach collection to tell a story that follows Imma on her journey to find courage, visiting each ambassador along the way as they reside in their own unique virtual world.
Nas created a Twitter account and collected 30k followers. He did this with the help of memes and humor. Cooperating with YoungKio gave Montero's a solid boost to his fan base. Lil Nas X has also received some help from YoungKio when it comes to some meme ideas.
Montero Lamar Hill, born April 9, 1999 near Atlanta, GA, is known by his stage name Lil Nas X. He is a 24 year old rapper, singer, songwriter, and media personality. He attended the University of West Georgia for one year before dropping out to pursue his musical career.
Lil Nas X's breakthrough reflects how virality and meme culture is breaking down the barriers to mainstream chart success. His content can be digested by all demographics but mainly targets his main demographic, i.e. Gen Zers and Millennials, who are familiar with meme culture and can relate to his songs' themes.
Coach began with a dream to hand-craft leather into beautiful, clever, practical things. Founded in New York in 1941 by six artisans, the house grew under the vision of Lillian and Miles Cahn to become the Original American House of Leather.
Coach New York, commonly known as Coach, is an American luxury fashion house specializing in leather handbags, luggage, and accessories, as well as ready-to-wear.
Its abbreviated form usually suggests humor, affection, or cuteness. It may also imply that a character is rural or Southern. In hip-hip, a lot of rappers choose to name themselves “Li'l ____” for a number of reasons. Some, like Lil Wayne and Lil' Kim, use lil to allude to their short stature.
In mid-1992, Nas was approached by MC Serch of 3rd Bass, who became his manager and secured Nas a record deal with Columbia Records during the same year. Nas made his solo debut under the name of "Nasty Nas" on the single "Halftime" from MC Serch's soundtrack for the film Zebrahead.
Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy was born on January 23, 1998, in Plantation, Florida, to Jamaican parents, Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy and Cleopatra Eretha Dreena Bernard. His father named him after the Bob Marley song "So Jah Seh", which interpolates Ezekiel 34.
1. His stage name was inspired by a “stan” account he once ran on Twitter. Born Montero Lamar Hill in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, Lil Nas X lifted the “Nas” in his stage name from @nasmaraj, a Nicki Minaj fan account that he started on Twitter as a teenager.
We previously reported the couple as an item in 2021 after Lil Nas X kissed Yai during his BET Awards performance. His then backup dancer, Lil Nas X eventually starred in a music video with Yai for his hit song “That's What I Want”. However, after a parody episode of The Maury Show - the couple called it quits. ~Swipe.
According to John Salcedo, digital marketing director at Columbia Records, Lil Nas X's early followers were “other absolutely hilarious people on Twitter, and rising creatives and musicians.” Nowadays that fanbase includes the likes of Janet Jackson and Bruno Mars.
He rose to prominence with the release of his 2019 country rap single "Old Town Road," the longest-running number-one song (at 19 weeks) since the U.S. Billboard Hot 100's 1958 inception. Simultaneously he came out as gay, the only artist to do so while having a number-one record.
This iconic logo features an intricate horse-and-carriage illustration filled in with black ink. The carriage is drawn by two horses, as the carriageman sits atop the carriage. It is reflective of both the company's and New York City's history.
This is the first chapter of the new campaign that will also feature brand ambassadors Camila Mendes, Youngji Lee, Kōki, and Wu Jinyan. According to Coach, the project draws inspiration from the younger generation's definition of what it means to be “real” and navigates complex layers of identity.
For Spring/Summer 2024, Coach's message is simple: Find your courage. And to amplify that message, the brand assembled a diverse cast, including American rapper Lil Nas X, Riverdale actress Camila Mendes, Chinese actress Wu Jinyan and South Korean rapper Lee Youngji.
Hobby: Flower arranging, Yo-yoing, Tai chi, Rowing, Macrame, Urban exploration, Knife making
Introduction: My name is Madonna Wisozk, I am a attractive, healthy, thoughtful, faithful, open, vivacious, zany person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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