Vetements Referenced A Paris Hilton Meme In Its Spring 2023 Collection

Since taking on the creative director role in 2021, Vetements co-founder Guram Gvasalia (and younger brother to Demna, who stepped down from the brand in 2019 to focus solely on Balenciaga) presented his first in-person runway show on Thursday, July 7, the final day of Paris Couture Week.

“It couldn’t be during men’s, as the collection is much bigger than the men's schedule, and it couldn’t wait until September,” Gvasalia told Vogue Business upon announcing the then-upcoming event back in June. “Considering that my approach to this collection is very artisanal and handmade, couture timing is just perfect for it.”

The Spring 2023 collection was full of the brand’s signature casual-luxury staples, including strong-shouldered tailoring, oversized basics, bomber jackets, distressed denim, and graphic tees emblazoned with tongue-in-cheek phrases. “I’m not doing sh*t today,” noted a few long-sleeve tops. Followed by the kicker, “Mission Accomplished” with a checked box.

But what really caught our attention was a nostalgic slogan tee referencing a meme-fied graphic tank that Paris Hilton “wore” in 2005. Though the heiress-turned-Y2K icon clarified that her original outfit, which hails from her sister Nicky Hilton’s clothing line Chick, really says “STOP BEING DESPERATE,” the internet has been circulating a viral image of the top saying, “STOP BEING POOR.” In typical ironic fashion, Vetements put its own spin on the design that said “STOP BEING RICH,” styled with an extravagant feather robe in bright pink and baggy jeans.

In May 2021, Hilton took to her massive social media platform to debunk the “#STOPBEING POOR myth.”

“So there’s this photo online of me, I’m sure you’ve seen it. I never wore that shirt. This was completely photoshopped. Everyone thinks it’s real, but that’s not the truth. This is what it really said: ‘Stop being desperate,’” she says with a laugh. “Don’t believe everything you read.”