Lil Yachty is the new face of OVO's University of Toronto fashion line
It's pretty much impossible these days for OVO Clothing to surprise anyone with a new brand collaboration. Like Disney, the Drake-founded fashion house seems eager to partner with literally any company or organization that has big name recognition (including Disney, natch).
And yet, with one simple tweak to their time-honoured formula, OVO has done it again, turning heads across the web with a soon-to-drop collection featuring a collab that will generate no headlines, but a model so unconventional that people are talking about it.
American rapper and singer Lil Yachty, 25, was revealed on Tuesday afternoon as the face of OVO's latest collaboration with the University of Toronto, and — despite the Atlanta artist's lack of any connection whatsoever to the school — fans are feeling it.
It's no secret that Drake and Yachty are friends, which is the most-obvious reason for this seemingly incongruous casting choice.
The rapper, born Miles Parks McCollum in Mableton, Georgia, has been spotted in the past wearing OVO clothing, has been known to fly Air Drake, and is featured on several songs with Drizzy.
Still... why would an American rapper who has no affiliation with Canada's top-ranked university be chosen to represent a clothing line created in collaboration with said university?
Friends in high places? An unreletning willingness (like OVO itself) to collaborate with pretty much any brand? Or is Drake's company tapping into the hype surrounding Lil Yatchy's latest viral track, "Poland."
Commenters on OVO's post previewing the collection, its latest with UofT, are certainly making it seem like the latter.
"Took the WoOOocK to Toronto," wrote one fan on OVO's page, referencing the lyrics in Yachty's latest TikTok banger. "Wock to U of T," wrote another.
Whatever the case, Yachty does look great in those letterman jackets and sweaters.
Could it be that the rapper was chosen for his looks alone? Unlikely, but plausible... and aspirational.
"Imagine if you had class with Lil Yachty," reads one comment on OVO's revelatory post.
"You didn't even go to U of T," wrote another fan, "but I'm tryna rep lol."
