Lil' Kim Stars in a Bold New Mackage Campaign — and Celebrates Her Birthday on Set
Drew Vickers
There's a new Mackage star in town.
The outwear brand just released its newest campaign for the season with Lil' Kim as the frontwoman. The rapper wears the brand's new monogram collection in the sleek black-and-white shots with her hair slicked back away from her face.
"Lil' Kim being a strong, independent woman who embraces bodycon fashion and is not afraid to stand out was the parallel we needed to introduce Mackage's first ever monogram collection," said Mackage CEO Tanya Golesic in a press release. "Her iconic looks have influenced so many throughout the 90's and continues to do so today."
Lil' Kim, 48, was excited to work with Mackage on this new launch, saying in a press release that she likes to do the unexpected — like working with this brand — but that she's really just a fan of Mackage's clothes.
Drew Vickers
RELATED: Where Does Lil' Kim's Hair Stop and Her Clothes Begin in This Wild Outfit?
"I already had a genuine relationship with Mackage," she said in a press release "I love their incredible leathers and puffers. When the team reached out to me to collaborate on launching their first monogram, it just felt true to me. They knew and understood the history of my style and most iconic looks and built campaign looks around that."
The brand, which was founded in the 1990s but rose to prominence in the early 2000s, threw it back to its origin story in bringing in Lil' Kim, who also launched her career in the 1990s. The rapper has never shied away from a bold look, and Mackage's new monogram line is certainly bold — making it a perfect match.
"It feels right you know; this brand is growing so quickly now but it had to come up year by year building its credibility because people genuinely loved the crazy quality, style, and dramatic fit. It's the real deal, and so am I," Lil' Kim shared in the press release.
Lil' Kim even celebrated her birthday while on set with Mackage shooting the images for the new campaign. She celebrated her 48th birthday on July 11, and the team at Mackage was on board to help her ring in a new year.
"It was a very family-like intimate atmosphere," Lil' Kim tells PEOPLE exclusively. "My crew and a small creative and Mackage team on set to celebrate and we kept it going at the Polo lounge after…just great chemistry all around."
RELATED: Lil' Kim Writes 'Candid' Memoir 'The Queen Bee' and Opens Up About the 'Hidden Moments of Her Reign'
Drew Vickers
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Lil' Kim has had a number of exciting looks over the years, including just a few months ago when she showed off a new hair look that was ultra long. The Grammy-winning rapper took to Instagram to debut a waist-length, half-up/half-down hairdo precisely highlighted with gradients of green, indigo and purple hues.
While the hairstyle is unconventional, it blended in perfectly with her camouflage clothing and knee-high stilettos, Dolce & Gabbana accessories and the forest green shawl that she styled over her ultra-long locks.
No retelling of Lil' Kim's fashion choices is complete without one of her most iconic looks. In 1999, the Hard Core artist walked the MTV Music Video Awards in an all-lavender look (wig included) that revealed one of her breasts decorated in a matching seashell nipple cover.
"My nipples used to pop out so much on their own," the She's All That actress previously told PEOPLE. "The girls used to laugh at me and Missy [Elliott] said, 'Girl, your nipples pop out so much. One day, you need to just come outside with one nipple out.'"
