On Saturday night, Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong paused during his band’s headlining set at Coachella to throw on a bright green baseball hat with the word “brat” written across its crown. The crowd went wild at this cheeky reference to Charli XCX, who took the stage right before Green Day, and her viral look the weekend prior, which some read as a snub to the punk band.
In case you missed it, Charli became the main character on social media last weekend after wearing a dress with a sash printed with the words “Miss Should Be Headliner.” Her fan base found it on-brand and very Brat (the name of her über-viral, internet-omnipresent 2024 album has become synonymous with a certain attitude). Green Day stans found it disrespectful. As for the members of the band? They seemed to take it all in good fun — drummer Tré Cool shared a photo wearing a paper sash that read “actual headliner” in anticipation of their performance.
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The exchange caught the attention of attendees and the media, but it also underlined a shift at Coachella.
Once known for setting festival style trends, the dual-weekend event has received flak in recent years for its corporatisation, having become somewhat of an influencer’s equivalent to the Met Gala due to its popularity among content creators in the fashion and beauty space. These attendees, in turn, have helped transform the look of the festival from its signature boho roots — see Vanessa Hudgens in the early 2010s — to a more homogeneous one. Chalk this up to the way mall and fast fashion brands have seized the Coachella opportunity by hosting parties and activations that involve their own swarms of guests dressed in head-to-toe looks by each label.
But 2025 marked a departure. While the usual big brands — Marshalls, Revolve, Pandora and others — still left their mark at Coachella, both weekends proved to be important platforms for an array of independent designers, ranging from fledgling to established.
Charli’s after-party dress was commissioned by her stylist, Chris Horan, from Briah Taubman, a New York-based Parsons graduate whose fledgling label, Briah Artemis, has quickly gone from under-the-radar to the name behind a viral sensation. Lady Gaga, whose memorable Friday headlining performances received the most praise by critics and attendees, performed her new hit “Killah” in a custom catsuit by Francesco Risso for Marni, but her most talked-about looks came from two independent labels: she sang “Perfect Celebrity” and “Paparazzi” in a custom dress by insider-favourite Dilara Findikoglu, and closed off her set in a true-to-form look by Matières Fécales, which staged its debut show in Paris in February.
American-born, London-based designer Conner Ives also made a splash. In February, Ives took his bow at London Fashion Week wearing a tee that read “Protect the Dolls”. He did so to make a statement about trans rights in response to the aggressive anti-trans legislation currently plaguing the UK and the US, and as a gesture in support of the trans women who have uplifted him over the course of his career, he told me in an interview last week. After the initial impact of the T-shirt, Ives decided to make it available for pre-order with all profits donated to Trans Lifeline, a US-based charity by and for trans folks.
Ives has raised close to £100,000 already, with the number rising by the minute, thanks, in part, to a few high-profile placements. Haider Ackermann and Pedro Pascal both wore the T-shirt earlier this month, as did Addison Rae on a TikTok on Sunday following her guest-star role at Charli’s weekend two performance. Most significant, however, was Troye Sivan’s appearance in the tee, savvily styled by Marc Forné. He donned it while performing alongside — you guessed it — Charli on her weekend one set. Ives has subsequently been interviewed by the New York Times and The Washington Post, with a plethora of other outlets reporting on his work. It’s the most attention he’s received over a single item ever, he says.
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The new onstage opportunity
It would be remiss not to point out that two of these moments were less about the actual fashion and more about a single slogan — one a funny, viral joke and another a forceful and timely political statement. Gone are the days in which a good look is enough for an artist or brand to win the weekend fashion-wise — a clear point of view is paramount to win over audiences.
Much of celebrity style on the streets has been co-opted by brands looking to seize these organic moments — which are often reported on by outlets including Vogue — as placement opportunities. The stage, it seems, remains a pure space for artists to play with fashion. While there are brands that still see this as a chance to stand out, Coachella has proven that artists still see this as a key moment for them to flex their creativity.
“I love when my pieces start up a conversation,” Taubman says. “It’s brought a lot more visibility [for my brand], which has been really great,” she adds, explaining that she’s seen her follower count on Instagram grow exponentially, in addition to receiving a few orders.
The viral-to-sales pipeline has been tough to crack for designers like Taubman, particularly when — as was the case here — the virality in question does not include proper credit. (The X post that first reported on Charli’s look, which currently has 79.7 million views, did not include a mention of Briah Artemis.) Still, Taubman was able to capitalise on the opportunity after tags from Horan’s team, an interview with i-D, and coverage from Paper and Harper’s Bazaar. “What means a lot to me is the response from my peers in the fashion world,” says Taubman. “A lot more people that I’ve been wanting to work with are now reaching out to me.”
Big designers, customised looks
Some stylists still opted for big-name luxury brands, but in a more customised way than before. Charli XCX wore a vintage top by Tom Ford for Saint Laurent during her first performance (opting for an underwear set by indie label Willy Chavarria this past weekend). Tyla chose to wear an archival Dolce Gabbana set onstage during the first weekend, styled by Ronnie Hart. Dolce Gabbana also made Benson Boone a pair of body-hugging jumpsuits similar to the viral one he wore at the Grammys. The look was less about the Italian label and more about Boone. This has become the name of the game when it comes to brands dressing celebrities for the stage. While it continues to be an opportunity for fashion labels to align themselves with popular artists, performers are now opting for looks that underscore their current aesthetic and that can highlight their storytelling.
Brands have less to gain here past association. Sure, being a part of a successful performance can help build positive attention, but the tangible impact is less clear. Now that most appearances can be pay-to-play, there is more to gain from outfitting a celebrity in a look available at retail, which will be photographed by paparazzi and reported on, than a custom performance ensemble that can feel less proprietary to a brand from a customer’s perspective.
This has opened up the floor for indie designers like Chavarria or Findikoglu, whose budgets cannot rival a major luxury player but whose aesthetic worlds can help enhance an artist’s. When the artist is footing the bill (be that by hiring a well-related stylist, paying for a custom look, or for the logistics of borrowing a runway style), they are more likely to engage lesser-known designers who feel aligned to their narratives than with a major luxury player, tipping the scale in favour of brands like Ives’s who will see a tangible return from the association as they can still gain from the brand awareness celebrities can provide.
The influencer question mark
In contrast to these standout onstage fashion moments, the audience’s style was markedly less compelling. Coachella once had a reputation for having helped define the contemporary festival look for stateside audiences, similarly to Glastonbury in the UK. That much has changed since the pandemic, with attendees opting for comfort and casual fashion as opposed to statement-making ensembles.
After reportedly low ticket sales in 2024, there seemed to be an uptick in interest from both attendees and those tuning in online this year. Online, much of the chatter around Coachella fashion that excluded performers and celebrities revolved around the artsy, DIY approach that influencers like James Charles or Madeleine White have embraced. While the days of Coachella being a boho playground are long gone, this doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s no longer a space that allows for fashion innovation, just that there is less to see off-stage.
In the same way that personal style and trends have evolved following the rise of TikTok, so have spaces like Coachella. Namely, the lesson here is that there is no longer an appetite for a singular, dominating aesthetic, but a more expansive approach to fashion. Now, brands that hope to engage with customers via online personalities will need to rethink their strategies in terms of who they wear and with what, while celebrities themselves will have to push the envelope further to be competitive and claim the audience’s attention.
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In a sense, this is good news for festivals like Coachella. If those who attend feel the need to up the ante, it can only mean that this shuffling of the influencer industrial complex will bring more character to its grounds.
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