Ever since Riccardo Tisci confirmed Erykah Badu as the face of Givenchy’s Spring/Summer 2014 campaign, we knew the two were a match made in fashion heaven. Last month, we got our first look at the ads starring the soulful songstress, but we still couldn’t help but wonder how this seemingly unusual union came to be.
In a new interview with V Magazine, Tisci, a designer who doesn’t care for traditional fashion standards, and Erykah Badu, whom Tisci deemed “the queen of the ’90s,” dish on how quickly their chic and stylish souls connected.
Tisci gushed, “Erykah, once we met on set, we fell in love. Now she is family.”
Sure, their relationship is strictly platonic, but we have to admit that the pair just might be our favorite new fashion couple. Read on to see what else the dynamic duo had to say about the campaign.
On how Badu became the face of Givenchy:
Erykah Badu: I just got a call from him. There’s not a big backstory to it. Unless you want to include that I’m a big fan of his work.
Riccardo Tisci: I knew her as a musician and an artist. And she is a real artist. We had crossed paths before once in New York but never really knew each other. I asked her and she said yes. I was very, very happy. I wanted to represent the collection with style and elegance and I think she is perfect for that.
On the artistic expression of clothes:
EB: It’s all art to me. I just really enjoy expressing myself artistically in any genre. Whether it be music or cooking or hair. Costume, makeup, fashion. It’s just fun exploring all of the little things inside of my head and seeing them manifest. I would liken fashion or styling to putting a lump of clay in the middle of the table and carving away. And there’s something underneath. Layering and silhouettes. A pair of earrings. I think it comes down to my favorite things and how they come together. That’s fun when that happens.
RT: And this is one of the great things that drew me to Erykah. Aside from being quite talented, and the queen of the ’90s. I was thinking of someone who was quite elegant and urban. She’s always been this way. She has a very good sense of style, she’s great with jewelry. Her look can be quite feminine with the turban and a dress but also masculine with flat shoes or trainers. It all works.
How Badu contributed more than just her beautiful face and helped style the shoot:
RT: She put the looks together in such a strong way. I was really very impressed. Some celebrities are in campaigns for money or whatever but it’s forced. But I only want to work with people that I love and respect. With Erykah the energy was already there. This was perfect because in a way we belong to each other, we help each other as artists.
EB: I love this idea of bringing these garments artistically into function. It’s functional art that Riccardo does, basically. That’s what I do as well. We speak each other’s language. We check on each other. He’s taught me a lot about fashion and lines and the way he sees. I really appreciate the way Riccardo sees. He reminds me to be fearless.
Check out what else Badu and Tisci had to say about each other over at V Magazine.
SOURCE: V Magazine | PHOTO CREDIT: V Magazine
