Though Paris Fashion Week doesn’t officially begin until the end of September, a celebrity fashion-newcomer is kicking off the month with a flashy runway show in the French capital.
On Monday evening, the musician Post Malone, whose real name is Austin Richard Post, will stage a presentation to debut his namesake label, Austin Post, as “a new creative expression and soulful extension of his identity,” per a press statement shared with GQ.
It’s a somewhat surprising move for the Texas-raised singer, who is perhaps as well known for his idiosyncratic face tattoos and cowboyish attire as he is for his platinum hits. Per the statement, Austin Post’s “Season One,” titled “At First Light,” will feature “Dallas western with Southwest ranch influences.” In an exclusive first image from the brand’s campaign, the singer wears a chambray cattleman’s shirt, blue jeans with a silver belt buckle, and a starchy beige cowboy hat; he is holding a shearling-lined denim jacket with the brand’s label stitched onto its collar. The show’s invitation evokes a red paisley bandana.
While this is Posty’s first jump at starting his own label, he is a chronic brand collaborator, having lent his name and likeness to companies such as Bud Light, Crocs, Skims, Ugg, Moose Knuckles, Doritos, and Postmates. With his Austin Post line, he joins a growing cohort of famous musicians who have founded their own clothing labels in recent years, notably A$AP Rocky’s AWGE, which also debuted in Paris, and Justin Bieber’s Skylrk. Such ventures follow the lasting influence of predecessors such as Pharrell, whose Ice Cream and Billionaire Boys Club lines were catalysts to his becoming the creative director of Louis Vuitton menswear, and Kanye West, whose Yeezy label memorably called its collections “seasons”—the same parlance Austin Post is using for its debut.
Post Malone was already at work on the brand when he spent several days in Paris back in April, though GQ can confirm the visit was otherwise unrelated. The hitmaker is currently in Europe as part of his “Big Ass” World tour with fellow countryman Jelly Roll, who is his opener on select dates. The duo will make their scheduled tour stop at La Défense Arena in Paris on September 3, two days after the runway show.
