Cardi B sugar coats nothing and is one of the realest voices in Hip-Hop culture in 2026. Her truth has turned into success and a new fortune has just be unlocked by ‘Bardi.’ Just days after being unveiled as the frontwoman for Old Navy’s Fall 2026 denim campaign, the Grammy-winning superstar admitted during an Instagram Live session that her connection to the brand runs much deeper than a standard celebrity endorsement deal. When she was struggling financially in high school, Cardi used to shoplift from the retailer to keep up with fashion trends.
She wasn’t trying to make shoplifting cool however. She admits it wasn’t a healthy choice, but the Bronx rapper is just speaking her truths.
Speaking to her millions of followers while wearing layered cardigans, the 33-year-old rapper reflected on her journey from a teenager lifting clothes off store racks in New York to becoming the official face of a major national retail campaign.
Shoplifting Confession
“I just want to say thank you Old Navy for holding me down in high school,” Cardi B shared during the livestream. “I used to steal from you guys all the time. I used to steal all the time and I never got caught. If it wasn’t for you guys, I probably wasn’t the freshest bitch in school.”
Cardi jokingly credited the company’s vibrant, cozy outerwear for keeping her teenage wardrobe top-tier. “I was stealing all the motherfucking cardigans from Old Navy. And then look at God. Look at God,” she continued, before echoing a friend in the background who described the hilarious evolution as a true “full-circle moment.”
The Bronx-born artist stars in Old Navy’s Western-themed “The Most Wanted Denim” campaign, which launched earlier this month as part of the brand’s ongoing “It’s Old Navy” series. Creative directed under the fashion guidance of CCO Zac Posen, the campaign positions Cardi B alongside a diverse cast of creators and models, including digital fashion icon Wisdom Kaye, internet personality Quenlin Blackwell, model Paloma Elsesser, Brooks Nader, and Haley Baylee. Posen lauded Cardi B’s effortless flair, praising her innate ability to make fashion feel “joyful, personal, and entirely her own.”
Beyond the humor of her teenage lawbreaking, Cardi also used her platform to praise Old Navy’s inclusive denim sizing, explaining why the brand’s jeans have stayed in her rotation despite her access to high-end luxury fashion.
“BBL bitches, it is so hard for us to find jeans,” Cardi explained candidly to her audience. “Chanel and the stuff like that, we can’t wear those types of jeans. The only big brand that kind of fit our bodies are Acne Studios. This is the type of body I have: I’m 5’3″ and I’m skinny, I got no waist, but my ass and hips is the size of Uganda. They don’t make jeans for a bitch like me.”
Old Navy Jeans Sell Out After Cardi B Wears Them
Her genuine praise for the brand’s fit—and her mass appeal—seems to be paying off in real-time. Old Navy’s high-waisted cuffed jeans, featured heavily throughout the campaign creative, reportedly sold out across several sizes within 24 hours of the launch.
The successful brand partnership caps off a busy month for the ‘hitmaker’AH HA’ hitmaker. Alongside her new partnership with retail fashion, Cardi’s latest single recently made a splash on the charts, debuting at No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100, while her record-shattering collaboration “WAP” with Megan Thee Stallion officially achieved RIAA Diamond certification.
Yes, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP” song has sold the equivalent of 10 million records.
While stealing cardigans as a teenager isn’t something most corporate brand ambassadors proudly add to their résumé, Cardi B’s unfiltered honesty continuse to positioner her as one of popular culture’s most relatable figures for the underprivileged. She has become such a influential force, after turning to the right path in life, her high school demeanor has morphed into a multimillion-dollar partnership with her in a international ad campaign.