A month and some heavy rush-hour traffic after he was originally due to appear, New Orleans rapper-turned-fashion mogul Lil Wayne finally arrived at the Dillard’s in Jefferson Mall Friday night to promote his TRUKFIT collection, a line of contemporary menswear aimed for the skate park.
The festivities began at 4 p.m. in the men’s department of the national chain’s anchor at the south Louisville mall, where a crowd of young men and women – ranging in age from elementary school to post-high school, the latter in the majority – gathered around security fencing not unlike the kind found at one of the hip hop artist’s shows, waiting patiently for their star to descend. In between the stage and the crowd was a smaller media pit, composed of the same fencing as the festival seating behind it, where reporters and journalists from WHAS-TV, WDRB-TV, WAVE-TV, The Louisville Cardinal and, of course, yours truly, could have the best views of the man of the hour.
Regarding his collection, though originally designed as menswear, the name behind TRUKFIT has allowed the line to be worn by men and women of all ages. This appeal stems from its expansion from T-shirts to skinny jeans composed of black tiger stripes of bold hues of blue and red, letter jackets with red sleeves in the same motif, and puffy yellow hooded vests. Even the assorted access passes reflected Lil Wayne’s vision, the lanyards composed of fat, spotted TRUKFIT shoelaces. There are plans in the offing to expand into womenswear next year, with youthwear down the road.
Around 6 p.m., the crowd erupted in excitement as Lil Wayne, accompanied by a proper-looking bodyguard, charged between the pits like The Ultimate Warrior once charged into the ring before taking to the stage to thank his fans for being patient, appreciating their adoration for his collection. The mogul then met with a number of fans who purchased between $150 and $500 or more from the TRUKFIT line, each receiving an autographed pair of red Lil Wayne Beats by Dre Pro headphones and a brief moment with the artist.
For more information about TRUKFIT, visit www.trukfit.com, as well as on Twitter and Facebook. The full line is available now at Dillard’s and other fine retailers.
Photos: Louisville.com/Cameron Miquelon.
