Peso Pluma Gave Us a Ride in His Escalade to the Luar Show

If you have to take an hourlong drive to a show during fashion week, you might as well do it at sunset on the Westside Highway, overlooking the orange-glazed Hudson, blasting “Chan Chan” by Compay Segundo out the window of an Escalade, dripping in diamonds, massive Chanel bag in tow. That’s how Peso Pluma does it, anyway.When I ask the Mexican singer, rapper, and record label CEO–born Hassan Emilio Kabande Laija–to introduce himself for a ride-along video to accompany this interview, he takes the mic with bravado: “Hi GQ, I’m him. The Double P. Peso Pluma in the house.”Double P, who dropped his album DINASTÍA last year, is on his way to the Luar Spring/Summer ‘27 show at the Unisphere, a tremendous 120-foot-wide stainless steel globe in Flushing Meadows, right next to the recently concluded US Open. The choice of location was a homecoming for designer Raul Lopez, who hails from Queens. The show, titled “Christopher Street Columbus,” is a convergence of two Christophers: Christopher Street, the epicenter of the queer nightlife scene where Lopez came of age; and Christopher Columbus, who, for the Dominican-American designer, represents the inextricable haunt of colonization.It’s a bit of a trek from the city, but Peso is excited for the show. “I got invited by Raul to last year's runway, and it was pretty dope,” he says. “It was a different runway from the ones that I've been to, and I just loved it. I just love how the Latino community was supported by Raul.”Hector Rodriguez / Courtesy of Peso PlumaHe’s fully fitted out in Luar, of course, but it’s hot out, so he’s only wearing half the look for the ride (the jacket’s in the trunk until we arrive). For now, he’s sporting light brown pinstripe trousers, black boots, and a ribbed white tank that shows off his many tattoos, at least some of which I think he settled on during a previous GQ interview.Peso, a self-proclaimed “accessories guy,” has topped off the look with a pair of ‘90s-style tiny sunglasses, an armful of diamond bracelets, and a pretty serious watch (for the heads: an AP Royal Oak Flying Tourbillon Operworked). I ask what his most recent big purchase was, and he lights up.“Get me the Chanel bag,” he smiles, hands come-hithering. Here it is: a big-ass bowling bag in brown suede. GQ, by the way, formally endorses bags of this size, so much so that we devoted a whole page to them in our September print issue.)Hector Rodriguez / Courtesy of Peso PlumaWhat is Peso Pluma putting in this fabulous, dare I say, ludicrously capacious bag? “Cash, jewelry, watches, perfume,” he says, grinning.Between the bling, the bag, and the pinstripes, Peso’s going for what his style icon Jay-Z might call “drug dealer chic.” I ask him to name a few of his other fashion lodestars: Yves Saint Laurent, Kanye West, Jacob Elordi. But Peso Pluma isn’t merely looking to replicate.“Always be you,” he advises. “Don't copy. Just go with whatever you love, whatever you like. Don't care about what people are going to say or judge. You just go by your look, by what you like, by what you love, and just be you.”He puts a premium on good hygiene, too: “Take a shower. Brush your teeth. Just be clean. And have your nails on point.”Once we’re finished with our interview, the music swells again. This time, it’s Peso’s own album, and even the driver is feeling it. To our left, what remains of the orange lump of sun melts into the water. There’s a breeze coming through the windows—a pretty cool way to spend a Monday evening. And we’re not even at the show yet.When we do finally arrive, Peso’s jacket emerges, a matching brown pinstripe with a high, asymmetrical collar. The look is complete, and he’s onto the main event. I, meanwhile, make a note to add “Chan Chan” to my playlist.Hector Rodriguez / Courtesy of Peso Pluma