By World Licence 
Kendrick Lamar just put the skinny jean revival on hold. Last night, as he made history as the first solo rapper to headline a Super Bowl halftime show, Lamar brought back a piece of (divisive) fashion history during his performance: the 2000s flare jean.
After winning his 20th Grammy last weekend in double denim, Lamar continued to embrace the utilitarian fabric in New Orleans. He donned a pair of light-wash slim-fit pants with a flared bottom that went all the way to his Nike Air DT Max ’96 sneakers. His shoes were a nod to former NFL player and current Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders, who made the DT Max famous in the mid-’90s.
The kick flare of Lamar’s pants is reminiscent of styles from American brands like Baby Phat and True Religion. But who made Kendrick’s jeans? Celine by Hedi Slimane, specifically Slimane’s “Serge” jeans, inspired by ’90s icon Serge Gainsbourg, which debuted at a Celine show in 2019.
Lamar’s outfit quickly went viral on social media, with X (formerly Twitter) users in particular contrasting his denim choice with his performance that included everything from his not-so-subtle insult to Drake’s “Not Like Us” to Serena Williams’ stomping walk. “Imagine your opponent is a little flared jean cutie like Kendrick Lamar,” one account wrote. “Kendrick has bootcut jeans, a 5’5″ frame, and a hater mentality and I respect that,” another joked.
While Super Bowl performers’ outfits typically border on the theatrical, Lamar’s choices were right on trend. Flared denim is all the rage among celebrities, with Jennifer Lopez and Bella Hadid recently rocking bell-bottom pants. Even Kendrick’s collaborator and pal Pharrell Williams is a proponent of the 2000s denim trend. The Louis Vuitton menswear designer has been wearing flared pants almost exclusively, whether in traditional denim or supple leather, in recent weeks.
Lamar’s Celine pants were certainly the talk of last night’s Super Bowl, at least for those more interested in fashion than the game itself. The rapper stylishly completed his look with a five-digit Rahaminov pin, a simple black tee, and leather gloves. A custom Martine Rose engraved with the word “Gloria” was a nod to the final track on his album, GNX .
