Cardi B is turning a cheeky teenage connection to Old Navy into a major fashion partnership years later.
At the same time, the rapper opened up about why the brand’s denim works better on her than many luxury labels’. She also reflected on the body insecurities that once led her to layer tights under her jeans to create the appearance of a fuller figure.
Cardi B is fronting Old Navy’s fall 2026 denim campaign, but her history with the retailer goes back long before the endorsement checks.
During an Instagram Live on August 12, the Grammy winner revealed that she used to shoplift from Old Navy in high school. Cardi joked that she was never caught and credited the store with helping her stay fashionable as a teenager.
“Thank you Old Navy for holding me down,” she said, calling the partnership a “full-circle moment,” according to Billboard.
The rapper also praised the brand for making jeans that work for her figure. Cardi said finding denim after getting a BBL can be difficult because many luxury labels do not accommodate her proportions.
Her Old Navy campaign, titled “The Most Wanted,” debuted August 4 and also stars Wisdom Kaye and Quen Blackwell. Cardi appears in a Western-inspired ad wearing the retailer’s high-waisted cuffed jeans.
Cardi’s Old Navy Denim Flies Off Shelves
Cardi’s Old Navy campaign appears to be translating directly into sales already. The Curvy Extra High-Waisted Cuffed Wide-Leg Jeans featured in the promotion sold out quickly and were not restocked until August 13 due to demand, according to Page Six.
The $49.99 style is available in sizes 00 through 30 and is designed with extra room through the hips alongside a more fitted waist.
Shoppers were already showing strong interest before Cardi’s campaign. The curvy silhouette has amassed more than 3,000 reviews with a near-perfect average rating. The rapper also kept the brand front and center at its New York campaign launch, where she wore dark denim capris and layered two Old Navy cardigans. She completed the look with a Chanel bag.
The Rapper Says Her Kids Wear Old Navy Too
Cardi also recently revealed that she regularly buys clothes for her children from the retailer, describing it as a brand that has been part of her life since childhood.
“I used to wear it when I was a kid, and now my kids wear it,” Cardi said, per InStyle, and called Old Navy a “forever brand.”
She also praised the retailer’s quality and range, particularly when shopping for her daughter. Cardi explained that her daughter has especially long legs and said Old Navy carries jeans that fit her well. She added that the variety of denim styles is another reason she keeps returning to the store.
Cardi B Says She Used To ‘Stuff’ Her Jeans As A Teen
Cardi B’s relationship with denim was once far less confident than it is today. Earlier this month, the rapper told PEOPLE that skinny jeans made her especially self-conscious as a teenager because she felt her figure did not match the curvier look celebrated around her.
Cardi said the insecurity became so strong that she started layering multiple pairs of tights under her jeans to make her thighs and backside appear fuller. “When I was like a teenager, that used to be something I was really insecure about,” she recalled.
Growing up in the South Bronx, Cardi said being “thick” was viewed favorably within her community and culture. That left her worried about appearing too flat in fitted denim.
Cardi B Details The Procedures Behind Her Famous Curves
Cardi has never been especially guarded about the cosmetic work she has undergone.
In a 2018 interview with GQ, the rapper revealed that she paid $800 for injections to enhance her backside. She said the procedure was carried out in a basement in Queens rather than a medical facility.
Years later, Cardi began reversing some of that work. During a 2025 appearance on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, she said she underwent surgery in 2024 to address the earlier procedure, jokingly describing the operation as a “tummy tuck on my -ss.”
