yla‘s Met Gala dress was a custom Balmain number made out of sand, crystal studs and a plaster body mold, but it was so unwieldy that she literally had to be carried up the steps and onto the red carpet. Then the entire bottom half had to be cut off so she could move when she got into the event. She looks a lot more comfortable starring in the current campaign for Gap linen.

“I didn’t even need to second guess it,” Tyla told ABC Audio about the offer to star in the campaign, which shows her dancing in linen to the song “Back on ’74” by Jungle.

“Gap, the advertisements have always been iconic,” she continued. “Just the way they involve dance; they involve a lot of things that I enjoy. So I like that they thought of me when thinking of the idea. And also, that it wasn’t like I’m advertising just the brand. I really felt like I was a part of something, which I feel like shows in the video and also in the response.”

Tyla said she also appreciated that she got to style the company’s clothing to make it her own for the campaign.

“They were very collaborative,” she said. “Y’know, I added my little waist belt, my boots, my braids … I really enjoyed that one.” 

Of course, that’s not to say that Tyla didn’t enjoy suffering for fashion at the Met Gala — she did end up on numerous “best dressed” lists, after all. “The idea was crazy, and I loved it,” she told Vogue.

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