Lil Uzi Vert Channels Karl Lagerfeld in a Cameo-Rich Video for Their New Single “What You Saying”

Lil Uzi Vert spun a love of fashion into the theme of the video for their new single “What You Saying.” The first release from an upcoming album, this catchy chanson d’amour features a hypnotic sample, in French, from Indila’s “Love Story.”

The artist might sing of a language barrier, but nothing was lost in translation when it came to the style bona fides of the video, which fashion folk are sure to be dissecting and obsessing over for some time to come. Not only are there some serious cameos—Marc Jacobs, Law Roach, Adriana Lima, and Lourdes Leon in vintage Vivienne Westwood)—but the fashion selections go deep into archives. The video speaks to a fascination with deep-cut fashion that grew out of Tumblr and ’90s nostalgia, but it’s very true to Lil Uzi Vert. “My closet is so tied to who I am as a person,” they told Vogue. “Getting dressed never feels thoughtless to me . . . the way I put things together is a ritual. I’ve always been naturally curious and drawn to research and history, which is why I love collecting rare clothing and jewelry.”

The video was creative-directed by the artist with Ava Nirui; Charlotte Wales was behind the camera calling the shots, and Clare Byrne was the stylist. On set Lil Uzi Vert credited Marc Jacobs as “one of the first people to give me a high fashion opportunity.” (The artist was featured in the spring 2023 Heaven campaign.) “Uzi is more knowledgeable about fashion than anybody I know,” says Nirui. “No,” Lil Uzi Vert joked, “I just wear anything more than anyone that you know.”

“This video,” they later explained, “was born out of a conversation that I had with Ava where I expressed an interest in including a mock ‘Fashion TV’-style runway show in my first music video from my new album… We thought it would be cool to imagine an alternate universe where instead of me being a beloved rapper, I am a beloved fashion designer. It makes sense for me to have a music video inspired by the world of fashion, as I have always been an avid fashion fan and collector from a very young age. I thought it was important to include archival references to fashion designers I am a fan of, like Martin Margiela, Marc Jacobs, and Karl Lagerfeld in both the storyline and in the wardrobe. I recently released a music video for a song called “Chanel Boy,” so I’m finding ways to pay my respects to fashion and the brands I like through my visuals and also my music.”

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The video opens with Lil Uzi Vert as a Lagerfeld-like figure (note the fingerless black leather gloves) sketching in his dark atelier. In this scene the artist wears his own Chanel jacket accessorized with a Helmut Lang feather collar over a Raf Simons shirt and fringe top. The action then moves to a studio where Law Roach is styling Adrina Lima who is wearing an archival Maison Margiela top with a Miss Claire Sullivan skirt and Helmut Lang heels. Next, dancers in custom Thom Browne move about the atelier. The reference for this sequence is the racing with the clock scene from the 1957 film Pajama Game. Nirui describes the choreography, by Celia Rowlson Hall, as being “very kind of poetic.”

The reportage-style section, loosely referencing gushing interviews of the sort seen in Zoolander and featuring Marc Jacobs and Char Defrancesco, precedes the denouement, a fashion show with models wearing full looks from Marc Jacobs’s spring 2025 collection. The catwalk is briefly interrupted by protesters, but there is a happy ending. Lil Uzi Vert takes a bow and receives their flowers while a rapturous audience, which includes Dara, Andre Walker, Lynn Yaeger, and Steff Yotka, cheer the designer on.