Derrick Lambert just wanted some Whataburger. What he got was much more than an affordable fast food meal.
A group of women recorded the 40-year-old outside of the establishment in Arlington, Texas. Lambert is originally from Monticello, Arkansas, but has lived in Texas for the past three years. His calm ensemble in the clip featured a blue-striped Ralph Lauren polo, perfectly-creased jeans, and a pair of baby blue New Balance 574s. After reading that breakdown, I’m sure you thought they were hyping him up. Unfortunately, they were clowning him. The exchange made it onto X. And thus, the “I Ain’t Fresh?” meme was born.
“It was just natural, man. It was spur of the moment,” says Lambert in regards to his now-signature catchphrase. “They done made it like a national anthem. I’m also thinking about trademarking it and doing some merch.”
Shortly after the video was posted, thousands of people came to his defense on X. TikTokers provided detailed outfit breakdowns. Joe Freshgoods asked for his contact info. A few days later, Lambert doubled down. Another fire monochromatic fit hit the timeline featuring an olive green LRG T-shirt. On March 26, LRG posted an ad on Instagram starring Lambert in his crouched pose. The brand hosted him for a shopping spree at a Dillard’s in Dallas. On March 28, LRG and Lambert flew to New Orleans for a photoshoot on Bourbon Street. By nightfall, Lambert was sitting courtside at the Pelicans game, jeans still complete with a fresh crease.
It’s been a whirlwind of a week, to say the least, and it all stemmed from that 11 second clip on social media.
“It’s pretty cool, man,” says Lambert. “I would never dream of something like this.”
We caught up with Lambert to discuss his viral moment, working with LRG, starched jeans, and more.
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