Kendrick Lamar's performance at the 2025 Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show in New Orleans was a masterclass in symbolic fashion choices. Sharing the stage with SZA, the rapper also welcomed special guests Samuel L. Jackson, who portrayed a sharply dressed Uncle Sam in custom Bode attire, producer Mustard, and tennis legend Serena Williams, who took on the role of back-up dancer.
Known for infusing his fashion choices with deeper meanings, Lamar did not disappoint with his Super Bowl ensemble. Styled by Taylor McNeill, he sported Y2K-inspired bootcut jeans and a custom leather Martine Rose varsity jacket emblazoned with the word "Gloria" across the front.
SZA, styled by Alejandra LaPilusa, wore a custom red leather jacket by Born x Raised, featuring a white "Lana" logo on the chest—the title of her 2024 album—and "Crybaby" on the back, referencing one of its tracks. Both artists utilised this global platform to align their fashion with the essence of their music, effectively becoming living, breathing billboards.
Lamar's Super Bowl performance also featured a notable moment, a final statement in his ongoing feud with Drake. The rapper's choice to wear a chain with an "A" pendant—a nod to the A minor chord mentioned in "Not Like Us"—was seen as a subtle yet pointed reference to their infamous rivalry. This move echoed previous sartorial choices, such as the "Canadian tuxedo" he donned at the Grammys, which many viewed as a playful jab at Drake's Canadian roots.
At the heart of his outfit was the "Gloria" jacket. For those in the know, this was a direct nod to his 2024 album, GNX, where "Gloria" serves as a metaphor for his artistic journey. The word, symbolic in its own right, grounded the performance in his personal narrative—one of pain, perseverance, and transformation. It was a subtle yet powerful reminder that Lamar’s music, like his fashion, is deeply tied to his roots and struggles.
This connection between his narrative and his wardrobe extended further through a partnership with designer Willy Chavarria. Lamar’s collaboration with Chavarria produced a limited-edition collection specifically for the Super Bowl halftime show, drawing inspiration from the cultural fusion of '90s sportswear and street fashion, particularly the influence of people of colour. The result was a series of iconic pieces: satin starter jackets, hoodies, practice jerseys, and t-shirts.
In the end, Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime performance, as is so often the case, was about far more than just the music. It was a lesson in fashion's power to transcend the superficial, transforming a performance into an emotional, deeply personal expression. Collaborating with designers like Chavarria and carefully incorporating meaningful symbols into his attire, Lamar used the moment to showcase his growing fashion sensibility—a sensibility that is both conscious and evolving. For Lamar, fashion, like music, is another language of self-expression, another string on his already incredibly powerful bow, one that will continue to resonate long after the lights of the Super Bowl have faded.
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