Last autumn, I embarked on a road trip with my best mate across the Pacific Northwest. It goes without saying that a cinematic West Coast escape requires a playlist that’s second to none - which I spent hours meticulously curating before jetting out of Heathrow.
Sun-kissed, surfer sounds of the late Sixties Laurel Canyon scene blared from the car speakers, with Joni Mitchell, The Mamas & Papas and The Byrds blending with soft Seventies rock spanning The Eagles, Bread (guilty) and, of course, Fleetwood Mac.
Yet, the album that came to define the trip was Role Model’s Kansas Anymore. We steamrolled that tracklist, becoming fully-fledged Tucker Pillsbury fans by the end of the week.
© Getty ImagesIt seems that we were not alone in our newfound love for the artist. In fact, we were late to the game.
After releasing his aforementioned second studio album, Role Model was catapulted into the limelight. With records including RX and Coachella performances already under his belt, the Maine native had been on the scene for quite sometime - but it wasn’t until his TikTok viral hit Sally, When The Wine Runs Out took the internet by storm, that he found himself front and centre of the pop culture agenda.
The fashion industry took note - swiftly folding the musician into its tightly curated male talent pool, which spans a host of household names including Louis Vuitton star Callum Turner and Prada poster boys Tom Holland and Harris Dickinson.
The designers soon came calling, with Tucker receiving coveted front row tickets to VIP shows and fronting Stella McCartney's ‘Generation Falabella’ campaign in early 2025. He was later lensed for the limited-edition capsule collection and attended the British designer's Met Gala after-party. Spreads in Rolling Stone, People, Paper and Nylon soon followed.
© Getty Images for Christian DiorSaint Laurent remains Tucker’s strongest backer, which, as the chronically online understand, is likely because of his TikTok alter ego, Saint Laurent Cowboy. Saint Laurent Cowboy, AKA Role Model’s biggest troll and so-called impersonator, is rarely seen without his Western-infused designer garb and frequently airs his ongoing obsession with Hermès Birkins - demonstrated most patently on social media and in his music videos.
More recently, Tucker attended the Dior Cruise 2027 show at Los Angeles County Museum of Art, taking his place on the illustrious FROW alongside Miley Cyrus, Sabrina Carpenter, Anya Taylor-Joy and Mikey Madison. He sported a buttery leather bomber jacket in green for the event, which was teamed with mid-wash blue jeans and sand-hued suede loafers.
Armed with a low-key arsenal of cropped tees, baggy jeans, khaki trucker caps and hefty leather outerwear, Role Model continues to fly the flag for aspirational yet attainable menswear. With a growing roster of brands taking interest in the American singer-songwriter, its only time before his fashion arc reaches full It-boy status. Watch this space.
