British Vogue/2022/Interview

### Interview

“Style is important,” says Grimes. It’s the understatement of the century from the multi-hyphenate musician and artist who has tailored her aesthetics to her musical, philosophical, and digital inclinations over the years. For some fans, the blonde-haired snake-wrangling Grimes from “Genesis” is the ultimate look. For others, the *Dune*-inspired jumpsuit she recently wore while reading *The Communist Manifesto* will be hard to top. My vote for the quintessential Grimes look goes to her 2021 Met Gala look, an ethereal Iris Van Herpen dress paired with a metal mask, sword, and light-up book.

It’s this ability to so deftly transform – and evade easy definition – that makes Grimes such an interesting star to watch. Now she’s adding another transformation to her already transformative 2022, partnering with Dion Lee on the designer’s spring 2022 campaign. With icy hair, elfin make-up, and piercing red eyes, she gives pieces that have a “medieval, sci-fi energy” – her words – a surreal new life. The photos were taken by Bryan Huynh at her home in Austin, Texas, and in classic Grimes fashion, the musician did all of her own hair and make-up.

“*Delete Forever* became my existential anthem during the lockdown,” says Lee, “and it feels full-circle to be releasing this campaign in 2022. I am incredibly inspired by how hands-on Grimes is with everything she creates, from writing and producing her music to directing her videos… It was inspiring to see how the sound translated into visual mythology for the album and the parallels between designing and creating a collection for me each season.”

I talked with Grimes about her current fashion obsessions and her beauty tips, and got a sneak peek about what to expect from her expansive upcoming album, *Book 1.*

 Why did you want to be a part of Dion Lee’s campaign? What do you like about his work?

“I’ve been a big fan of Dion for a long time! His work looks like it exists in *Dune*. Medieval sci-fi energy.”

 Which was your favourite outfit in the shoot?

“The white jacket because it feels very androgynous anime.”

 How has your style changed over the past two years of lockdowns and Covid? Do you think about how you get dressed differently?

“My style was devolved to XL T-shirts for a minute but is in recovery now.”

 How important is fashion to your life and your work? Do you feel it helps platform your ideas?

“Human and animal bodies are the most primal means of expression. In the earliest stages of evolution, physical aesthetics were perfected by the process of natural selection as a means of communication. (TBH even single-celled organisms look good.) Bodies are probably the first canvas for ideas, before creatures could even be self-aware enough to have ideas. So I think style is important.”

 Besides Dion, who are some of your favourite designers or fashion brands right now?

“Gotta shout out my friends at ttswtrs, who’ve been displaced by the Ukrainian war at the moment.  Once they’re back, we really should hype them up.  They’ve been a huge part of my aesthetic for the past year.”

 I love the way you do your make-up: what are your beauty vibes right now? A favourite product? Or favourite look?

“I’m really into all these people who are painting on their make-up with actual paint brushes, like a1jewel0310 or jaydecoxon. Just realised I can do this, def a game changer in terms of creating detail.”

 Tell me about your new, expansive project, *BOOK 1*: what is its mood? When will it come out? And are you creating a new visual identity or trying out a new aesthetic for the project?

“I love old inaccurate, exaggerated historical texts, so *BOOK 1* is my futurist version of this (see: Herodotus, Icelandic sagas for cool references!). *BOOK 1* inaccurately and dramatically details the burgeoning era of technocracy and trans-humanism from within the corpo court. This sounds pretentious on paper…. Haha, I apologise. [For my style] I am de-gothing so the aesthetic is mostly white …. And like the theme it’s mostly Medieval futurism.”

1. ↑ https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/article/grimes-dion-lee-campaign