How Doja Cat’s “Fever Dream” Coachella Fashion Came to Life

Tonight, Doja Cat’s Coachella set made history, as she became the first female rapper to ever headline the annual star-studded music festival. And the performer certainly didn’t disappoint, performing a lineup packed with her greatest hits—and plenty of avant-garde fashions too. “This show is very special because it’s a representation of how I’ve evolved in the past two years,” Doja tells Vogue. “It’s poetic to how I’ve come to love myself for who I am. The plastic and synthetic materials all are a nod to this sort of ‘scientific’ exploration of the self—a dissecting of the mind, and deeper understanding of what makes us the way we are.”

Working with her stylist and creative director Brett Alan Nelson, the duo started crafting the concept for Doja’s Coachella set back in November. “She had some insane ideas about hair, muscles, and bones,” says Nelson. “There was this idea of this world of masculinity, and playing with the risk factor of using materials and shapes that no one else would feel safe doing on stage.” The rapper—who is no stranger to a bold fashion moment—was also intrigued by the idea of having a surreal transformation on stage. “I loved using these creams, whites, eggshell, and bone shades to match with my bleached hair,” she says. “I didn’t want to lean into anything too literal or childlike; I wanted this show to feel like a textural fever dream. Almost like you’ve fallen into my hair and dove through my head and into my thoughts.”

In a look by Brett Alan Nelson and Charlie Le Mindu.

Photo: Greg Noire

With a clear vision in mind, Nelson started building out various sketches for Doja, and then reaching out to different designers to see who could collaborate and make their ideas come to life. “As a costume designer myself, I wanted to include some of my own designs into our show,” says Nelson. “I understand the shapes she loves, and the things she is comfortable in.” They landed on partnering with a few different labels to bring their one-of-a-kind looks to fruition—one of which was the masterful hair artist Charlie Le Mindu, who created a special long-maned “hair monster” outfit for the star. “For the start of our show, Amala [Doja] wanted to build this world around a ‘haircut,’ and my mind went nuts,” says Nelson. “I have loved Charlie Le Mindu for over a decade. I had him not only make all of the dancers’ wardrobe, but I collaborated with him to design Doja’s look and shoes, which are customized Staud.”

In keeping with the hairy style inspiration, Doja and Nelson also partnered with Entire Studios on a faux-fur look consisting of a blonde crop top, bikini bottoms, and boots made in collaboration with Timberland. “Amala had a very specific color world in mind for this show, and blonde like her hair was one of these colors,” says Nelson. “We came to a final design with this look that is so sexy and so chic.”