Cardi B's Iconic and Viral Ugly Christmas Sweater

The Story Behind Cardi B's Iconic Ugly Christmas Sweater

In December 2020, rap superstar Cardi B made headlines when she posted a photo on Instagram wearing a loud, fun, and tacky Christmas sweater covered in glitter, pom poms, presents, bows, and the Playboy bunny logo. The post immediately went viral with over 4 million likes, sparking joy and laughter for her fans during the holiday season.

Cardi B Makes a Statement

The sweater was custom-made for Cardi by the company UglyChristmasSweater.com, who are well known for their over-the-top and absurd knitted creations. They collaborated with Cardi to design a sweater that would reflect her bold personality and style.

The bright red sweater features a large image of Cardi herself posing seductively in a Santa hat, surrounded by the words "Cardi Claus." Glittery gold ribbons and bows adorn the sleeves and hem. What really takes it over the top is the green Playboy bunny logo positioned right over Cardi's chest, an homage to her past career as a stripper.

Going Viral on Social Media

As soon as she posted the photos on Instagram and Twitter, they instantly went viral, garnering millions of likes and shares. Fans loved the fact that Cardi was bringing her trademark audacious attitude into the holiday season with a tongue-in-cheek ugly Christmas sweater.

"I’m legit dying at cardi b’s Christmas sweater," wrote one fan on Twitter. Another fan replied, "I want this sweater so bad but could never pull it off like HER." It seemed everyone wanted their own loud and sexy Cardi B Christmas sweater that holiday season.

Ugly Sweaters Get a High Fashion Twist

Cardi B putting her own spin on a traditionally ugly Christmas sweater vaulted the style into high fashion territory. What was once considered a tacky sweater your grandma might make for you was now edgy and cool, especially among Cardi B fans wanting to emulate her style.

The ugly Christmas sweater trend has been growing for years, but Cardi taking it to the next level in her own unique way resonated so much that it blew up online. She made wearing an intentionally ugly and over-the-top Christmas sweater seem effortlessly iconic.

Behind the Design of Cardi's Sweater

The masterminds behind Cardi B's viral ugly Christmas sweater were UglyChristmasSweater.com founders Fred Hajjar and Kevin Wehbi. They built a company around outrageous sweater designs featuring pop culture figures and nostalgic icons.

Collaborating with Cardi B

When designing Cardi's sweater, Ugly Christmas Sweater knew they had to reflect the rapper's larger-than-life persona. According to Hajjar, "We all recognized that she's got an incredibly big personality, beyond just the music." They decided to lean into the extravagant side of her style.

"When we create these sweaters, it really is about who the celebrity is and making sure that the design encompasses and speaks to their brand,” says Wehbi. For Cardi, that meant embracing over-the-top elements and details suited to her sexy, funny, and confident personal style.

Focusing on Cardi's Sense of Humor

Ugly Christmas Sweater also made sure the design showed off Cardi B's lively personality and sense of humor. "She's got a great sense of comedic timing and is very funny,” says Hajjar. “So we wanted to make sure that we had an element of that humor intertwined in the actual design."

The giant image of Cardi herself posing flirtatiously in a Santa hat, combined with the tongue-in-cheek Playboy bunny logo plastered across her chest, tapped into her audacity and lively wit that so many fans connect with and love.

Achieving a Shared Vision

The finished sweater turned out to be the perfect reflection of everything Cardi B represents as an artist and icon. As soon as she put it on, she knew Ugly Christmas Sweater had managed to encapsulate her bold brand of femininity combined with unapologetic fun.

In an Instagram post showing off the sweater, Cardi wrote: “Ya look what I got on! They really captured my personality.” For Ugly Christmas Sweater, achieving the ultimate ugly sweater vision of their celebrity collaborator is the best measure of success.

Why Cardi's Sweater Became So Popular

It's clear that Cardi B's ugly Christmas sweater connected so strongly because Ugly Christmas Sweater perfectly distilled Cardi's audacious personality into one tacky, hilarious, sparkly knit. But looking deeper, there's more reasons why it blew up into one of the biggest pop culture moments of 2020's holiday season.

Leaning Into Joy and Camp

2020 was a difficult year for most people, with lockdowns, economic recession, and tragic news cycles weighing on everyone's spirits. When Cardi B revealed her ridiculous Christmas sweater, it allowed fans to access a moment of pure levity, humor and fun during a bleak time period.

The sweater also falls into the aesthetic category of "camp" - which represents exaggerated or tongue-in-cheek displays of glamour and style. Camp seeks to bring fun, irony, and sexiness to even the ugliest and tackiest of items - which Cardi clearly nailed with her ugly Christmas sweater.

Uplifting Female Confidence

What also made Cardi B's ugly Christmas sweater so iconic was her innate confidence and self-assurance while wearing something so outrageous and silly. Instead of coming across as making fun of herself, she owned the sweater and made it seem fashionable through her attitude alone.

This ability to uplift female confidence and transform expectations resonated powerfully with her fans during the holidays. If Cardi can rock an ugly sweater featuring a glamorous photo of herself, why can't everyday women and girls embrace the holiday season with boldness and humor too?

Leaning Into Nostalgia and Memory

Trends like ugly Christmas sweaters have lasted in popularity because they remind people of fond memories and nostalgia around the holidays. No matter how tacky or exaggerated an ugly sweater design is, it still feels warm, familiar, and is reminiscent of what we remember loving from childhood Christmas moments.

Cardi B took that underlying nostalgic factor but elevated it through her high fashion celebrity status and edgy personal brand. The combination struck a perfect balance between irony and authenticity that so many fans connected with - spurring countless Instagram Stories and tweets of people rocking their own ugly sweaters that holiday season in homage.

FAQs

Who designed Cardi B's ugly Christmas sweater?

Cardi B's ugly Christmas sweater was designed by the company UglyChristmasSweater.com, who are known for making outrageous and pop culture-themed knitted sweaters.

What made Cardi B's sweater go viral?

Cardi's sweater went viral due to its over-the-top design reflecting her bold personality, as well as the timing of it sparking joy during a difficult 2020 holiday season for many people.

Where can I buy my own Cardi B ugly Christmas sweater?

While Cardi's specific sweater was a custom design, UglyChristmasSweater.com creates new pop culture ugly Christmas sweaters every year. Check their website to find one with your favorite celebrity or character.

What aesthetic category does an ugly Christmas sweater fall into?

Ugly Christmas sweaters can be classified under the aesthetic category of "camp" - which represents exaggerated and tongue-in-cheek displays of style and glamour, often in ironic ways.