Once again Riccardo Tisci is pushing the envelope by choosing singer-songwriter Erykah Badu for the Givenchy Spring 2014 campaign. No stranger to controversy, Tisci has already featured unconventional women, including albino and transsexual models.
His choice of the black neo-soul singer provides one of the ‘Africa’ faces for an ‘Africa-meets-Japan’ theme. Tisci admires her individualistic fashion sense, and has designed the campaign around her. Erykah is apparently thrilled to be fronting the Givenchy collection this season. Her mother was a make-up artist in the Neiman Marcus store in Dallas, so she has been brought up in a fashion-conscious household.
Already a stylish icon, Erykah is sure to be a popular choice. Her own dress sense is eclectic and individual, and she has the confidence to pull off the most whacky headgear, or go bold with gold accessories. Her on-stage experience enables her to give any outfit credibility and panache, so she is a perfect choice to front this new show of high fashion. Also modelling are Asia Chow, the daughter of Korean-American fashion designer Eva Chun, Angolan Maria Borges, and stunning black model Riley M.
As for the clothes, all we have to go on at the moment are a black and white photo of Erykah in a kind of tribal-print poncho suspended by two wide straps, which gives a nod to the kimono. A color pic shows Riley M in a long skirt with red, green and yellow stripes topped with broad criss-cross bands across the torso. Both suggest that eclectic ethnic style will be the key to the Givenchy collection this spring.
Tisci hopes Givenchy will lead by example. He points out that there are very few black and Latin girls on the catwalks, yet the American President and First Lady are black. The Afro-Asian blend in the Givenchy Spring 2014 Campaign is sure to spread the word big-time.
Photo credit : Givenchy
