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Lil Nas X has officially joined the Coach family as its newest global ambassador. The news comes after the Grammy award-winning artist made his runway debut for Coach last month at New York Fashion Week.
To celebrate the news of his joining with the fashion label, Coach has unveiled a short film starring the rapper, which features his latest single, “Star Walkin’”. The short film explores themes of self-expression and implores all to find the courage within themselves to explore this very theme within their everyday lives.
‘Courage to Be Real’ is the underpinning mission and message of this new Coach campaign, which explores all aspects of who you are with confidence – the endless possibilities of being your authentic self.
The short film is the work of director and artist Petra Collins, and explores the evolution of Lil Nas X as an artist over the course of his rapid rise to fame, the obstacles that he has overcome and the journey that he continues on today. In the film, Nas is walking through a suburban location only to step that there’s a shimmering portal at the end of the dark street. As he walks through the portal, he embarks on this journey which represents key moments in his personal journey—from high school music lessons, to viral Instagram live streams and finally, landing onstage as he achieves his ultimate musical dream. In each room, Lil Nas X moves through doors that represent the struggles he has faced in life—from fear, and self-doubt, to judgment from others—and ultimately takes the stage, inspiring the world to transcend their limits and express who they really are.
“My whole career has been about breaking down doors, and this campaign represents everything I’ve overcome so far,” he says in a statement on the film.
“It’s about walking into new chapters of life, new experiences and new versions of myself, and it’s rooted in authenticity and self-expression – two things I really care about. It was really fun collaborating with Stuart [Vevers] and Petra to bring this to life.”
For those that follow Lil Nas X’s career, you’d know that he is a barrier-breaking artist who has bravely paved new paths for future artists and creatives to come. It’s for this reason that Nas is the global ambassador for Coach, who is looking to explore authenticity through being courageous.
Lil Nas X won’t be the first trailblazer of Coach, however, but rather joins legends of the house, like founder Miles Cahn, who earned the brand the title of the “Original American House of Leather” with his invention of Glovetanned Leather, and Stuart Vevers, who has transformed the Coach we know today with his vision of heritage reimagined for the next generation.
“My vision for Coach has always been to create a fashion world where people feel free to express themselves as they are,” said Coach Creative Director Stuart Vevers.
“To bring this vision to life, I was thrilled to bring Lil Nas X and Petra Collins together with Coach for the first time—two artists who have changed the world around them by being themselves. The film we created together is a new form of storytelling that not only feels unexpected and different for us, it helps to create a community around the values we share with the next generation.”
Courage to Be Real will be an ongoing series of campaigns and storytelling moments that will use ambassadors, like Lil Nas X, to explore the theme of courageous self-expression. It also happens to be the first campaign to fall under the new ‘Expressive Luxury’ positioning the brand is defining through the acts of self-expression, inclusion, and emotional connection.
