Schlossman and ‘Throwing Fits’ co-host James Harris say the rapper’s impact for independent brands is in part due to his ever-growing GOAT rapper status, which makes more experimental brands digestible for a broader menswear consumer. “Martine Rose is not an easy brand to wear, Wales Bonner is not an easy brand to wear,” says Harris. “To see [Lamar] wear it in a contemporary, masculine way that is still very LA, still very hip hop, is pretty valuable.”

Alongside independent fashion favourites Rose and Chavarria, the ‘Not Like Us’ video features newer, lesser known brands Kaló Soil and Ghetto Rodeo. For these labels, the impact has been significant. Los Angeles brand Kaló Soil, launched in 2024 by Hunter J Baker, say their follower count increased by 20,000 following the video. “We were able to sell a lot of hats, we were able to sell a lot of hoodies [the items worn in the video],” Baker says. “It gave us a jump-start.” Baker has since reissued the hat, with the proceeds going to Vintage Church Malibu, to help those affected by the LA wildfires.

Ghetto Rodeo’s Brian Saucedo, meanwhile, says the brand’s Instagram follower count has grown by around 15,000. The hat that Lamar wears — actually a collaboration with Kaló Soil — had not previously been put into production, but that changed with the video. “We sold around 500 units,” Saucedo says. “We could have sold more, but I didn’t want us to get overwhelmed.” Following a restock, a further 500 were snapped up.

Saucedo says that along with the bump in sales and profile, there is a wider symbolism that comes with Lamar’s endorsement. “Kendrick has been very big on supporting the Latino community,” says the designer. “All the comments from the Latino community [on Instagram] were really proud. It’s more than a hat, it’s representation.”

Boosting established luxury houses

Lamar isn’t only connected to independent brands. For the rapper’s much talked about Glastonbury headline slot in 2022 — which featured intricate dance performances and visual art — the artist wore Louis Vuitton, along with a custom-made crown of thorns by Tiffany that took 10 months to make and incorporated 8,000 pavé diamonds. Lamar performed on the runway at Louis Vuitton’s Spring/Summer 2023 menswear show wearing the crown.