152 InSTYLE NOVEMBER 2019
occasional sonic gifts like the recent cover of Squeeze’s
“Tempted” (with James Poyser from the Roots). But
creating an album is an all-encompassing endeavor, and
Badu is not up for it. “I can’t relate to none of the shit
that’s going on, so I just kind of have to accept that I’m in
a downloading period,” she says. Besides, she has other
things she wants to do.
In December she is launching her own online shopping
emporium called Badu World Market, inspired in part by
the New York City bootleg parody art store and streetwear
label Chinatown Market. Her shop will feature everything
that interests her, from Native American herbs to Japa-
nese geta sandals to collaborations with artists all over the
globe. Badu also designed her own merchandise replete
with a Badu World Market logo. She shows me a jazzy video
in which her three kids—son Seven, 22, and daughters
Puma, 15, and Mars, 10—model the wares. The goal of the
shop is to “encourage networking among smaller brands
and prestigious art houses,” says Badu. “It’s a hub to share
space with all people.”
Badu knows her power and uses it to help artists who
otherwise might not get seen. In 2016 she helped put Pyer
Moss designer Kerby Jean-Raymond on the map after she
styled his fall show. (He has since said that he wants to be
the Erykah Badu of the fashion world.) Through social
media she has been able to enlist designers to create custom
opal-encrusted grills and weaves made of recycled bottle
caps (she is wearing one of them on the opening spread of
this story). “I love challenging them,” she says. “That’s part
of the joy of having a platform. It’s kind of selfish too. I just
like it. I’m always looking for the new new shit.”
When it comes to shopping for herself, that typically hap-
pens when Badu is “PMS-ing.” She appreciates the zen-like
focus required to home in on the right garment. “It’s kind of
therapeutic,” she says. “I’m very picky.” In those instances
she will head to H. Lorenzo in Los Angeles or, when she’s
in New York, Dover Street Market or East Village vintage
stores. As a self-described thrift-store girl, Badu has
recently purchased pieces by Oscar de la Renta, Valentino,
and Jean Paul Gaultier.
Getting dressed at home is based on whatever character
or mood she is feeling at that moment. “There’s the girl-
who’s-cooking-pancakes look,” she says. What would she
wear? “Oh, she might wear a kimono. A T-shirt. Black
socks. There’s a look for everybody.” Sometimes, she says,
it takes, “like, 20 redos” before she gets it right. “Some
people have this gift where they can see their outfit before
it’s on the body, and that makes a very good stylist. I don’t
have that gift. I’m an artist, so I’m sculpting as I go, elimi-
nating along the way.”
Daughter Mars, meanwhile, is more concerned about
what Badu will wear to school drop-offs. “She says, ‘Mama,
please don’t come up here looking crazy.’ ”
The InStyle team witnessed firsthand the lengths Badu
will go to nail a look. From start to finish our shoot took
about 15 hours, but not because Badu is a diva—far from it.
Wigs, makeup, jewelry, hats, shoes, the works: Each outfit
evolved right before our very eyes. She brought many of the
accessories from home (and they will soon be available on
Badu World Market). Around 1 a.m., after wrapping up her
second-to-last shot, Badu, wearing a full Dior getup, a
hat that resembles a topknot, and face chains hanging
from ears to collarbone, started dancing as if she were in a
trancelike state, jewelry jangling. “When she was finished,
we were so tired that we just clapped and cried a little bit,”
said an exhilarated but weary spectator.
Whether Badu is in front of a crowd or at home in one of
her many closets is of little consequence. Inspiration strikes
wherever and whenever. “I have a good understanding of
my own personal style,” says Badu. “[I know] what looks
good on my body, what colors look good on my skin. I’m not
afraid to take risks. I mean, it’s all creativity. Whether it’s
writing a song or doing a dance or making a film. I feel like
I’m witnessing myself. I’m my own audience.” n
“SOME PEOPLE HAVE THIS GIFT WHERE
THEY CAN SEE THEIR OUTFIT BEFORE
IT’S ON THE BODY, AND THAT MAKES A
VERY GOOD STYLIST. I DON’T HAVE THAT
GIFT. I’M AN ARTIST, SO I’M SCULPTING
AS I GO, ELIMINATING ALONG THE WAY.”