Old friends Kid Cudi and Nigo have long been two creative peas in a pod, so it made perfect sense for the rapper and actor to be the face of the Japanese designer’s first big red carpet moment since he became the new artistic director for Kenzo, the French luxury house founded by Kenzo Takada in 1970. “Nigo is family to me—he’s like big bro,” Cudi tells Vogue of their collaboration and friendship. Nigo, who showed his very first collection for Kenzo just this January, suggested that Cudi wear a version of a 1984s black tuxedo with a cape from the brand’s extensive archive for the Met Gala. It was Cudi who had the idea to remix it in electric blue, all finished with flowers lining the inside of the cape. “I really loved it. I wanted to make it a little more ‘me’ and add some color and make it brighter,” he says. “It was my idea to do blue. We were thinking about red, but I chose blue. I just feel like it represents where I’m at right now. I’m in this cool happy place—I wanted something that represented the vibes.”
