She’s so ‘BRAT’ coded.
On 28 February 2024, the British avant-pop and electronic superstar caught the world’s attention when she posted an atrocious slime green graphic with four lowercase letters in a stretched lo-res Arial font. The caption read: “Brat – this summer. 15 songs. 41:23 minutes long. on repeat.”—and the rest was pop history.
From her Boiler Room ‘Party Girl’ rave in Brooklyn to releasing Internet-breaking music videos for Von Dutch and 360, which featured a line-up of It girls, the months leading up to the release of the Brat album—the soundtrack to everyone’s summer in 2024—saw one of music’s most impactful marketing tactics. The viral TikTok dance to Apple was also used by Daisy Edgar Jones and Glen Powell to promote their movie Twisters. If we weren’t there ourselves, videos of Charli and Troye Sivan from the Sweat tour joined by pals Lorde, Addison Rae and Tate McRae surely grazed our social media feeds.
To discuss the cultural phenomenon of Brat summer would mean to analyse the fashion aspect along with it. Ever since her entry into the pop scene over 10 years ago, the singer’s style always drew inspiration from goth fashion and the ‘slightly-dishevelled’ look. But when it came to her ‘Brat’ era, which was a characterisation of the carefree, raunchy—almost trashy—party girl aesthetic, Charli honed in on her personal wardrobe and the outfits she would usually wear to a party. With the album—now a winner of three Grammy Awards—inspired by rave culture from the noughties, knee-high black boots, mini skirts, black sunglasses and white vests with no bra were the staple.
Fashion brands—from H&M, Skims and Acne Studios to Converse—were quick to notice this cultural impact and wasted no time in jumping on the bandwagon to partner with the singer, resulting in a few of last year’s most talked-about campaigns. Even fashion houses were creating designs in the iconic green shade.
While we may be saying goodbye to the Brat era, fans can look forward to more projects from Charli as she is entering the world of Hollywood. She will be producing and starring in an upcoming film from A24, called—fittingly—The Moment. In honour of the end of quiet luxury’s reign, thanks to Charli, we’ve rounded up the musician’s best looks through the years.
