Before Zara clinched the final look, Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime outfit almost told a very different story.
Faraz Zaidi, founder and creative director of Pakistani-American label FOUND, revealed on Instagram that his team had been working against the clock to dress the global superstar for the biggest stage in the world.
“We custom designed sets for Bad Bunny @badbunnypr that almost made it to the Super Bowl stage,” Zaidi wrote.
“Almost, as in we were moving forward in real time, building for the moment, with a press release written an hour before the game, ready to go out to major publications the second the halftime show hit.”
The post showed detailed artisan embroidery underway in Lahore, alongside trapper-style hats and gloves dripping in floral beading and gold-thread work. Dozens of hours of hand embroidery were compressed into days, with DHL rushing a shipment from Pakistan to Santa Clara.
Then – plot twist?
“Somewhere in the final days, the direction shifted. Ultimately, Zara won the bid for the full look. Apparently, they’re fast. Faster than most,” he stated.
A prepared press release has described the moment as “a significant cultural moment – a Puerto Rican artist performing entirely in Spanish on the world’s biggest stage, wearing garments handcrafted by master artisans in Pakistan.”
FOUND, known for blending South Asian heritage with modern silhouettes, said, “We craft luxury collections that blend historical and cultural influences into bold, modern silhouettes.”
The brand added, “Founded by Faraz Zaidi, a first-generation American, FOUND delicately interweaves inspiration from his South Asian heritage and a rural American upbringing.”
Zaidi ended with a line that feels bigger than fashion: “You take every shot you get. Some wins, some misses.”
