Chase Stokes Says John B’s Style Is “Dirtier” in 'Outer Banks' Season 3

The leading man opened up about John B's Kurt Cobain-inspired wardrobe and his personal style.

Netflix’s cult-favorite soapy teen drama Outer Banks (somewhere between The Goonies and National Treasure) is finally returning for its highly anticipated third season, chock-full of more outlandish adventures with everyone’s favorite Pogues.

We last left the crew shipwrecked on a deserted island (affectionately named Poguelandia by JJ, of course) without food or water and sans the Cross of Santo Domingo (after a season full of hunting it down). Season 3 opens up right where we left off: the teens are finding unique ways to survive off the land — spear fishing, berry picking, building shelter — all with their usual shenanigans we’ve come to know and love in the show’s three-season (so far) run.

Island life plays a large role in the costuming for the kids. Think “dirtier,” says Chase Stokes — aka John B, a role that has cemented the star as a bona fide Hollywood heartthrob. This statement is met with giggles from his co-stars Rudy Pankow (who plays JJ) and Jonathan Davis (Pope), proving that the cast has as much of a bond off screen as their on-screen chemistry suggests.

“More dirt and blood than usual,” Stokes tells me when asked how the fictional treasure-hunting 17-year-old’s style has evolved over the years. “Emmie Holmes, our wardrobe designer, is the heart and soul of these individual characters and she really talks to us before she even starts [designing the costumes].”

Related:Outer Banks's Madison Bailey, a Gen Z-er, Says It's OK to Wear Skinny Jeans

From the beginning of the series, Holmes and Stokes’s vision for the Hawaiian shirt-wearing teen’s “lackadaisical” fashion sense was inspired by a great late ‘90s rock icon known for his revolutionary music and style.

“We’ve used influence [from] Kurt Cobain in the way that he’s been isolated [and] walked through the last chapter of his life because John B, in this season in particular, is surrounded by so much beauty but his own internal turmoil is what is driving him, and he is trying to figure out what path to go,” he says. “There’s definitely some notes of that, that we’ve layered in the last two seasons in particular.”

Ever since sky-rocketing to fame in 2020 after the release of Outer Banks’s freshman season, Stokes has found himself suited up on the red carpet, attending luxury fashion events, and fronting campaigns for major brands (ahem, Giorgio Armani). Along with that, his personal style has naturally evolved and become more elevated in recent years. The actor says that John B’s signature surfer flair is more similar to that of his childhood in Florida than his current fashion identity.

“I think growing up really close to the beach, it’s always hot, so you want to just feel loose and not as warm as the outside temperature. But I think as time has progressed, I’ve grown into my own and there’s a huge separation between the character and myself,” he explains. “It’s fun to kind of dive into the John B getup. At the beginning of each season you put on the wardrobe and you’re like ‘OK! Hey buddy! Long time no see, John B.’”

Outer Banks season 3 is streaming on Netflix on Feb. 23.

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