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Cardi B Reveals the Real Reason She Abruptly Walked Off Balenciaga Runway
What looked like a dramatic fashion moment was actually Cardi B trying very hard not to become the main character in an unexpected medical emergency.
The American rapper has revealed that she abruptly walked off Balenciaga’s Fall 2024 runway in December 2023 because she feared she was about to faint.
Cardi shared the behind-the-scenes story while revisiting some of her most memorable fashion moments in Vogue’s latest Life in Looks video, titled Cardi B Breaks Down 18 Looks, From WAP to the Met Gala.
Looking back on Balenciaga’s Los Angeles show, Cardi explained that she was already feeling unwell before stepping onto the runway. She had developed a fever but initially convinced herself that she could power through it.
According to the rapper, however, the combination of the fever, blazing Los Angeles sunshine and a heavy faux-fur coat quickly turned the runway into something resembling a very glamorous sauna.
“I got a fever but I’m like you know what, I’m good, chilling. I can handle it. I’m strong,” Cardi recalled.
But as she continued walking, things took a turn. Cardi said she began feeling faint and started worrying about what would happen if she actually collapsed in the middle of the show.
There was also another problem. Because it was a Balenciaga presentation, she feared that even passing out could be mistaken for part of the fashion spectacle.
“I kept telling myself, if I faint though, it’s Balenciaga. They gonna think it’s a stunt,” she said.
Faced with the possibility of becoming an accidental runway stunt, Cardi quickly spotted an exit and decided discretion was the better part of fashion.
“Luckily, there was like this weird random exit in the middle of the runway and I just exited,” she explained.
The decision apparently worked. While many people watching the show assumed her sudden disappearance was part of the choreography, Cardi said the reality was far less theatrical.
She was simply trying not to hit the floor.
Shortly after the event, Cardi gave fans a glimpse into how badly she had been feeling through an Instagram Story, saying she felt like she was “dying” and had lost her voice following the show.
Despite feeling unwell, however, the rapper still went on to host Balenciaga’s after-party later that evening. Apparently, the fashion industry waits for no fever.
Cardi’s latest revelation adds an entirely different layer to what initially looked like a carefully planned fashion moment. What audiences interpreted as avant-garde choreography was, in reality, a quick escape from a potential collapse.
Cardi B became a face of Balenciaga in 2020 and made her runway debut at the brand’s Pre-Fall 2024 presentation in Los Angeles on December 2, 2023. The show, staged on a closed-off residential street, marked Balenciaga’s first major presentation in the city.
The event attracted a star-studded crowd that included Kim Kardashian, Nicole Kidman, Kendall Jenner, Salma Hayek and Tracee Ellis Ross.
Cardi herself arrived in dramatic fashion, wearing a striking cobalt-blue faux-fur coat over a black bodysuit and Balenciaga Knife boots.
She certainly looked runway-ready.
Her body, however, clearly had other plans.
