“Charli has been wearing my designs for years. I think the first time I saw her in my clothes was at Cannes in a couture gown I designed for Jean Paul Gaultier,” says Glenn Martens, creative director of Diesel and Y/Project. “Even though both brands have a different language and place in the industry, both Diesel and Y/Project are linked with the spirit of fun and freedom. They both push individuality. They stand for a ‘no bullshit’ mentality. Charli represents exactly that… and even more! She’s witty, ironic and, let’s be frank, she’s hot!”
Charli and her stylist Chris Horan also champion emerging talents, including Timothy Gibbons, who has made custom hoodies for her Partygirl raves. Charli wore London label Knwls’s Raze cardigan in a shoot for Rolling Stone, which prompted “a major uptick in sales around the world”, Knwls founders Charlotte Knowles and Alexandre Arsenault write over email. Charli also wore some oversized denim trousers from Knwls SS24, they added, which were never produced. “Now everyone wants them.”
For brands, Charli’s off-the-wall spirit is attractive. “I think Charli’s sense of humour, her unapologetic attitude and understanding of the zeitgeist are very much connected to what we want the Knwls woman to be,” say Knowles and Arsenault. “She is special because she is able to take something like pop and elevate it to a different level, transforming something usually very simple into something very complex, while still being able to speak to a wide audience.”
In Charli XCX’s ‘360’ video from Brat, stars including Gabriette, Julia Fox and Chloe Cherry wore various looks from Scandi label EYTYS. The brand felt the reaction instantly on social media, says Eytys co-founder Max Schiller, and used the behind-the-scenes shots from the video shoot to promote the brand on social. The buzz led to Eytys being featured in scores of articles about Brat summer, boosting brand awareness with a new audience. “Charli’s ‘Brat pack’ is fierce, hot and intimidating, which I think separates them from other talents,” Schiller says, “That’s exactly what makes them a good fit for Eytys.”
More than an aesthetic
Much like the birth of Barbiecore last year — which followed a series of clever marketing moments, including the Barbie Airbnb and in-character costumes for the cast on the red carpet — Charli XCX and her team’s guerrilla approach to promotion has propelled the Brat summer trend.