Behind The Scenes of Doja Cat’s Fantastical VMA’s Costume

Aug 31, 20203 min read

Understated fashion has its place, but it’s not at the MTV Video Music Awards. The annual tribute to the best in pop visuals calls for outlandish style and a willingness to embrace all things campy. Since breaking YouTube records with her viral hit “Moo” back in 2018, Doja Cat has proven herself adept at capturing the internet’s attention. Her performance at last night’s VMA ceremony hammered that home. Her extraterrestrial-themed medley of “Say So” and “Like That” medley was a wonderfully weird showcase for her talents and the bold look she and creative director Brett Alan Nelson have made famous. Beamed up to a fictional planet, Doja danced up a storm in a custom Asher Levine catsuit and a wealth of Lorraine Schwartz diamonds. Sci-fi references abound, but the inspiration for the intergalactic finery came from within. “Doja and I both wanted to do something sexy, original, and iconic. The VMAs is a show where you can push all the limits and keep people in Standards and Practice on the edge of their seats,” explained Nelson via email. “She told me she wanted to be a rainbow alien, and I ran with the idea.”

Five weeks before the show, Nelson contacted Levine to discuss the concept. Having worked together previously on projects for Nelson’s clients, the two have built a rapport that makes collaboration seamless. Still, the tech element of the catsuit required trial and error. “The thing that people do not understand about creating a look from the ground up, especially with a heavy amount of details, is that it takes time,” says Nelson. “[Asher] and I have worked together a lot, and he is the genius man behind all this intergalactic space-aged fashion. It took us about five different fittings to make it perfect. There were a lot of wires and battery packs in that suit.”

Once the flashing lights were set, Doja and Nelson had to deal with their nerves. The event marked milestones for both as it was his first major project as creative director and her first time performing at the VMAs. “This performance had a lot riding on it,” says Nelson. “I needed everything to be perfect. I spent weeks with Asher fighting, yelling, and crying to make this perfect!” For her part, Doja took the evening in stride, performing and then picking up the prize for Best New Artist. “Winning was for sure the cherry on top of the night,” he says. “Doja and her team have been working so hard, and it’s very much deserved.”

With their first VMAs now complete and an outlandish outfit for the record books, Doja and Nelson are already looking towards their next big moment, and in Nelson’s view, the best is yet to come. “When I first started working with Doja, she had never worked with a stylist before, so [with] every new job I try to blow her mind,” he says. “She and I get each other so well. We bicker like brother and sister, but I know her, sometimes better than she knows herself. She’s down to have fun, take risks, and she trusts me, which in my industry that is the best thing a creative could ever ask for.