Dressed for the Rawring Twenties at Nettspend's 18th Birthday Rager
Nettspend's 18th birthday party came and went as quickly as one of his bouncy two-minute singles. As the moment raced by in a sweaty rush of excitement, onlookers could only just barely pull out memorable snippets: Nettspend's helicopter arrival, a packed Los Angeles penthouse rattling with restless energy, one giant stuffed donkey.
But it was really all about the kids.
Nettspend's adoring fans are mostly barely older than he is and yet they found a way to trek en masse to his big birthday blowout like pilgrims seeking salvation.
Some jetted to LA on last-minute plane tickets, some planned meet-ups on the Nettspend Discord channel, an ad-hoc collective of fans overseen by a moderator who attended the shindig with her enormous "HOLLYWOOD" back tat on full display.
Like Nettspend himself, these are the kids — and they really are, largely, kids — with their ears on the ground.
They know what's up next and what's hot now.
Some have been plugged into Nettspend's oeuvre since long before he modeled for Miu Miu. Others are newcomers riding the wave of a rapper far too big to be contained to Soundcloud, where Nettspend began uploading his snappy trap-inflected tracks only a few years ago.
But they're all unified by a psychic connection to the immediate, informed by endless hours spent scrolling through TikTok, Twitter, and everything else that the kids are on (I do not know, because I am old).
As such, their outfits are like an instant crash course in the style of right now.
Clad in Ed Hardy-flavored hoodies and baggy jeans, the kids at Nettspend's birthday party epitomized everything that real young people really wear.
Trend forecasters would be wise to observe their Arc'teryx (and Arc'teryx-like) skullcaps, their cut-off jorts, their work pants with the waist rolled down, their statement belts — Nettspend, the king of the cool youngs, was himself clad in a belt fitted with a Texas-sized buckle.
The Nettspend fans wore exaggerated makeup and spiked hair that recalled the scene kids of yesteryear, a motif only reiterated by their chunky skate shoes, LRG-ish hoodies, and spiked accessories.
They were clad in thrifted grails and indie streetwear finery, their Nettspend's birthday outfits assembled a level of care akin to that of early 20th-century socialites clad in gold and gowns. Clearly, we're living through the Rawring Twenties.
