The rise of Derrick Lambert continues.
The man behind the viral "I Ain't Fresh?" moment has partnered with LRG on a shirt featuring his name and now famous phrase. The light blue lettering seemingly pays homage to where it all began last month, when he was clowned for his outfit outside of a Whataburger in Arlington, Texas.
Lambert was wearing a light blue and white striped Ralph Lauren polo, blue jeans, and light blue New Balances when he was recorded.
"I ain't fresh?" he asked, to which a woman off-camera responded, "You not fresh, no." Another person can be heard, saying, "Sometimes, you just gotta take your L, bro."
"They were just trying to bash me while I was trying to leave," Lambert tells Michael DeStefano in an interview with Complex. "They edited it to their liking so it feels like I was trying to get their validation saying 'I ain't fresh?' and that wasn't the case."
Lambert followed up by posting a photo of himself in an LRG shirt. The brand not only took notice but put him in an ad and invited him on a shopping spree.
"It's pretty cool, man," he said of the response. "I would never dream of something like this. I just saw that shirt and knew I could rock it because I had some New Balances to go with it. LRG has some pretty good styles."
Now, both sides have connected on what LRG considers to be an "authentic and organic collaboration."
"When we saw Derrick going viral wearing LRG we immediately knew this was a perfect opportunity to do an authentic and organic collaboration," LRG said in a statement to Complex. "LRG stands for ‘Lifted Research Group.’ The ‘group’ has always embodied and included everyone involved with our brand, from the music artists, designers, skaters, and especially the customers buying and wearing our products."
What does the future hold for Lambert? "Whatever the people want to see. I guess I’m going to have to turn into a social media person," he told DeStefano with a laugh.
