By: Fiona Poth

Since the birth of Rock and Roll in the United States during the 1950s, musicians have expressed themselves both through their music and dress. They have often turned to fashion designers to achieve their looks. For example, Elvis Presley wore flamboyant bejeweled, jumpsuits designed by Bill Belew. Freddie Mercury of Queen often wore flowy, pleated  shirts designed by Zandra Rhodes and a yellow-buckled military jacket designed by Diana Moss. David Bowie wore many looks designed by Freddi Burretti including an aquamarine suit with coordinating platform shoes  in his “Life on Mars?” music video. And Madonna famously wore a golden cone bra designed by Jean Paul Gaultier during her 1990 Blond Ambition Tour. As a result, these musicians become known for not only their music, but also, their fashion statements.

Recently British rappers have been in the pop culture spotlight for both their music and fashion choices. Central Cee, a 27 year-old rapper from London, known for his 2023 single, “Sprinter,” is equally known for and identified by his signature style of a Nike Tech Fleece set paired with Nike Air Force 1s, diamond encrusted gold chains, and large diamond stud earrings. When not creating and performing music, Cee is often seen dressed this way attending fashion shows. For example, he was spotted at the Louis Vuitton’s Spring/Summer 2025 menswear show in Paris sitting in the front row next to fellow entertainer Sabrina Carpenter. 

Like Cee, Esdeekid, an anonymous, Liverpool-based rapper, has also created his own signature look, relying on a mix of Y2K inspired streetwear and luxury brands. Esdeekid often wears a large designer hoodie, baggy denim jeans, and his famous black balacava which conceals his identity. At Milan Fashion Week in February of 2026, he sat front row at Demna’s debut Gucci show, wearing a Gucci black look with an oversized croc-leather Gucci bag and later performed at the after party. Both Cee and Esdeekid are immediately recognizable for their distinct fashion choices. 

Similarly, fakemink, or Vincenzo Camille,  21 year old Essex based up and coming producer and rapper, also is developing his own signature look of dirty luxury, combining luxury items with vintage streetwear like James Jebba’s Supreme brand. His style combinations echo Esdeekid’s combinations of high and low fashion but are his own. fakemink walked in Demna’s debut Gucci show. Wearing the twelfth  look of the show, fakemink wore a black t-shirt, a bomber jacket, low-waisted leather trousers, which allowed the Gucci branded underwear he wore underneath to partially show, shiny black leather loafers, and a Gucci branded fanny pack slung across his torso. Twenty seconds into his walk, he paused, pulling his phone out of his fanny pack to scroll, before resuming his walk. His nonchalant pause went viral on social media, leading many to discover his music and his dirty luxury fashion sense, which he often displays on his curated Instagram page (@fakemink). 

fakemink was supposed to headline Bacchanal, Columbia University’s annual spring 2026 music festival. Unfortunately, fakemink canceled less than twenty-four hours before the concert was to take place, preventing students from hearing his popular music and experiencing his unique fashion style. With support from some of pop culture’s biggest names such as Frank Ocean, Playboi Carti, and Timothée Chalamet, fakemink has quickly achieved mainstream recognition. He currently has over 8 million monthly Spotify listeners with more than 83 million total streams. He is known for his 2025 collaboration with fellow British rapper, EsDeeKid, on the song “LV Sandals,” and his own single  “Easter Pink.” On January 29 of 2026, he  released his first EP entitled, The Boy who cried Terrified.  His music and fashion mirror each other offering unexpected juxtapositions in styles. He relies on hard, groovy beats in his song “Young Millionaire” and blaring synthesizers in his song “Dumb.” 

After fakemink backed out of performing at Bacchanal at the last minute, students took to social media, including Instagram, SideChat, and TikTok, to criticize the rapper, playing on  his stage name calling him “flakemink” or “fademink.” Although fakemink may not be dependable, fakemink’s fashion style is. Like many musicians, fakemink wears, collaborates with, and references high fashion brands with his music. However, what distinguishes his style is how deliberately he rejects the typical UK rap uniform. His style is not based on flashiness. Instead of oversized logos, loud branding, or trend-driven pieces, his outfits are understated and intentional. Rather than chasing trends, fakemink is creating a distinctive aesthetic of his own.

His typical outfits are composed of baggy jeans, a vintage tee-shirt or popped collar Polo, and sneakers. He favors vintage items. He has been seen wearing a Kate Moss photo tee from Supreme’s Spring/Summer 2012 collection and a Saint Laurent Dinosaur Knit sweater from their Spring/Summer 2016 collection. Recently, he was seen wearing the “Marty Supreme” track jacket produced by fashion brand Nahmias founded by fashion designer Doni Nahmias,  promoting Timothée Chalamet’s A-24 film, Marty Supreme. In his most recent Instagram post from April 1, 2026, he is wearing a pair of low-waisted denim jeans and a grey polo shirt with a green, Gucci cross body bag and Hérmes slides. His fashion feels personal, authentic, and unforced like his music. 

fakemink’s absence from Bacchanal was a disappointment for students. Although no reason was given for his last minute cancellation,  it was probably a consequence of his quick rise to fame fueled by his EP release, his participation in the Gucci fashion show, and the announcement of his first world tour,  A Terrible Beauty – The Tour, to promote his forthcoming first album, Terrified which began at Coachella on Friday, April 10. At fakemink’s opening show, although his dress was eye-catching and followed his signature style of dirty luxury with grey sparkling denim jeans paired with a white t-shirt and a Burberry gray plaid scarf tied around his waist, his performance was reported by many music critics to be initially shaky and lackluster leaving the crowd not engaged or energized. Perhaps, fakemink was short-sighted when he cancelled his performance at Bacchanal. Bacchanal could have been his much-needed warm-up for his tour and a way to cultivate more fans. If you can forgive fakemink for standing Columbia up, tickets are still available for his world tour which continues through July. Ironically, he plays  at Brooklyn Steel on April 30 and Terminal 5 on May 1. Will you go? Personally, I am thinking that I will save money and follow him on Instagram (@fakemink) for free fashion inspiration.