Cardi B‘s relationship with high fashion brands has reached a new level, with the rapper walking the runway for Balenciaga over the weekend.
The 31-year-old made her runway debut on Saturday (December 2) in unique setting: according to The Hollywood Reporter, the coveted luxury brand took over a stretch of Windsor Boulevard, turning the tree-lined residential street in L.A.’s Windsor Park into a celebrity-filled venue.
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The event was attended by a long list of A-Listers from the worlds of film, music and fashion — including Lil Wayne, Tinashe, Tracee Ellis Ross, Storm Reid, Kim Kardashian and Kendall Jenner. Cardi’s walk was even captured by Sexyy Red, who shared footage of the show via her Instagram Stories
Appearing noticeably shorter than the professional models around her, Cardi rocked a blue fur coat, leaving only a pair of black boots visible to the public. Her toned-down look also found the stylish rapper donning a braided pony tail that swung down to the back of her thighs.
Cardi B hits the runway in Balenciaga Fall 2024 Fashion Show https://t.co/3Yh0bOWXIApic.twitter.com/Iy7QtQ6Ux9
— HipHopDX (@HipHopDX) December 3, 2023
Cardi B has previously spoken about having to fund her love of fashion during the earlier years of her career, after being snubbed by high-end labels. However, she and Offset have become darlings of the fashion world in recent years.
Their formal relationship with Balenciaga specifically dates back to September 2020, when the Bronx diva landed her first high-fashion campaign, courtesy of the luxury brand. The debut ad spot was self-produced during the quarantine and premiered on September 1 plastered on the side of historic Paris art museum The Louvre.
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The following year, the “it” couple hit the red carpet at Balenciaga’s Spring/Summer 2022 show during Paris Fashion Week, dressed head-to-toe in the luxury brand.
The couple turned heads as Cardi stepped out in a trench coat plastered in a collage of magazine covers, paired with a dramatic rounded black hat. Offset, meanwhile, rocked an oversized leather jacket over an equally baggy hoodie, with a plaid shirt tied around his waist.
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As Cardi B and Offset’s red carpet photos made the rounds on social media, it wasn’t long before the jokes began to fly, with many followers comparing their ensembles to the arcade fighting game franchise Mortal Kombat.
That hasn’t impacted their love for the brand, however. The two were back in Paris over the summer, attending a number of high profile Fashion Week events in the midst of some infidelity rumors.
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TMZ caught the pair outside of Balenciaga‘s fashion show in the City of Love on July 5, packing on the public displays of affection and smiling ear to ear as they greeted eager fans who were waiting outside.
Both rappers were the subject of infidelity claims the week prior. Cardi’s enemy, blogger Tasha K, claimed that she had receipts the Migos artist was once again cheating, while Set later directly accused Cardi of sleeping with another man in a since-deleted Instagram Story.
While Cardi took time to showcase her modeling skills over the weekend, fans of the “Bongos” rapper won’t be seeing her collaborate on too many projects on the music side of things any time soon.
In an interview to accompany her Vogue Mexico cover in August, she promised that a project is finally on the way.
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“I’m not going to release any more collaborations, I’m going to put out my next solo single,” Cardi said. “Right now I’m working on the cover art and ideas for the next record because it’s definitely coming up.”
She continued: “Everyone always tells me I should put the record out now, they did when I released ‘WAP‘ and when I released ‘Up,’ but I always let them know I’m not going to wait long after all these singles. So stay tuned because it’s coming out very soon.”
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After making similar comments during a chat with Ebro in the Morning in September, Cardi B promised her fans that she’ll be dropping some new music before the year is up and that she’d be “talking her shit” on the new track.
In a Twitter Space on November 13, the “Bodak Yellow” rapper teased the new track to her excited fans.
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“But I was thinking about, you know, being really quiet, being really private,” she said. “But I don’t know. Maybe I should just put a lil’ something something out before the year ends.”
She continued: “It depends, though, because…hmm. Would y’all mind if I just do, like, a video? […] I don’t really have nothing planned for, like, right now. I don’t know. I’ll think about it by the end of the day. I don’t know. I just feel like I gotta talk my shit a little bit. You know what I’m saying?”
