Sam Smith’s Latex Outfit Celebrates Their “Natural Shape”

• Sam Smith’s 2023 Brit Awards ensemble is causing the internet to talk and has left opinion divided.
• The eye-catching latex balloon outfit was made by British design brand Harri.
• The designer says Smith’s look celebrates their “natural shape” after receiving hate online.

Of all the daring celebrity looks at the 2023 Brit Awards, none received as much attention as Sam Smith’s latex balloon outfit.

Smith, 30, arrived at the awards ceremony in London on Saturday in the custom-designed ensemble consisting of an inflatable latex full-body suit with exaggerated balloon-shaped legs and shoulders, platform boots and black gloves.

The look quickly divided opinion online, with some Twitter users comparing it to an overcooked chicken and others wonder if he was inspired by a similar look worn by the late David Bowie in 1973.

But according to the creator of the original ensemble, there’s a reason Smith chose to wear it on the red carpet.

Speaking to WWD, Harikrishnan Keezhathil Surendran Pillai, who founded the Harri label, said Smith’s decision to wear the inflatable design came as the singer recently suffered online abuse over his body. .

“Sam has had a lot of hateful comments recently after ‘Unholy’ about their body image,” Pillai said.

The designer, who graduated from the London College of Fashion, added that Smith’s ensemble celebrates their “natural shape and the beauty of being yourself”.

“I wanted to create an image that people have never seen Sam in,” Pillai continued.

Representatives for Harri did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.

Smith’s look is just one of many similar styles designed by the Pillai brand. The brand’s website offers a variety of inflatables ranging in price from £870, or about $1,050, to £4,000, or about $4,800.

As BuzzFeed reported, Smith faced a barrage of body-shaming online in early February after dropping a music video for their new song, “I’m Not Here To Make Friends.”

The music video showed Smith wearing a range of daring looks, including a corset and nipple tassels.

Smith also pissed off right-wing influencers with the Satan-themed lace and latex outfit they wore to perform “Unholy” at the 2023 Grammys.

Even so, Smith and Kim Petras made history at the awards show as the first openly transgender woman and first openly non-binary artist to win the Grammy for Best Pop Duo for their single “Unholy.”