InStyle USA - 11.2019

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.”