
The hottest denim brand of the ’00s turns to hip-hop for its resurrection
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. True Religion’s distinctive, $400 jeans were everywhere in 2005: in paparazzi shots of early reality stars Paris Hilton and Jessica Simpson, lyrics of “My Humps" by the Black Eyed Peas, the windows of a new flagship store in Manhattan Beach, Calif., and billboard and magazine campaigns featuring blonde, tanned and toned models standing in wild prairies. Twenty years and two bankruptcies later, True Religion and its ads look very different.
The brand’s jeans still feature the thick stitching and horseshoe logo that made it famous, but cost much less than $400. The illusion of exclusivity no longer figures in its business operations. And the blonde models have been replaced by predominantly Black and Latina hip-hop artists, a group that continued to evangelize True Religion after other celebrities had moved on and the company fell into financial trouble.
True Religion’s newest video and social media ads star Sexyy Red, a 26-year-old rapper and singer from St. Louis, Mo., as part of the brand’s ongoing, celebrity-starring campaign “Own Your True." They follow similar ads in February with pop star Anitta and a holiday push with Megan Thee Stallion. “This ongoing back-and-forth love with that community is real, it’s genuine, and it’s long-lasting and consistent since 2002," said Kristen D’Arcy, True Religion’s chief marketing officer since 2023.
Read on livemint.com