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Journalism of Courage
Beyoncé Knowless latest chart-topping album hit stores less than a month ago. But it is not the singers music that has the fashion world buzzing. The fourth album by the artist,titled 4,features a fold-out cover that looks more like a glossy fashion magazine spread than a record sleeve.
As with other leading pop music divas like Lady Gaga,Rihanna and Katy Perry,fashion has always played a big role in Knowless artistic persona. In her music videos,she uses outfits to take on different rolesfrom sexy diva in sky-high heels and a leotard in Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) to joyous bride in a wedding dress for her latest video Best Thing I Never Hadwhile onstage,revealing ensembles spice up her live performances. The difference,this time,is in her choice of designers. The singer has thrown the spotlight on a number of up-and-coming designers whose names are likely to be unfamiliar to all but diehard fashion followers.
Knowless creative director,Jenke-Ahmed Tailly explained: The album is a musical gumbo of everything Beyoncé likes. Each song has a different personality so we decided to do the cover like an editorial for a magazine,with each song having its own style.
The albums cover image illustrates the singers embrace of under-the-radar creators and features Knowles wearing a fox-fur stole by the cult French designer Alexandre Vauthier embellished with Swarovski crystals by the Lesage embroidery house. Vauthiers work also shows up inside the fold-out cover,as does a pair of Daisy Duke shorts by the young French designer Julien Fournié,who founded his brand only three years ago. It was important to Beyoncé that the choice of clothing not be about the brand but about the quality of the work, said Tailly.
Having Knowles wear their creations has already helped these niche designers garner a higher visibility on the global fashion stage.
Vauthier,for example,has seen his collaboration with the singer evolve. For her headlining gig at the Glastonbury Festival in Britain last month,Knowles wore a gold mini-dress by Vauthier,chosen at the last minute at the suggestion of Knowless husband,the rapper Jay Z,the designer said. Worn with a wide belt and a pair of black hot pants,that outfit helped generate a lot of interest in Vauthier.
I dress women who have something to say, said Vauthier,who clothed Rihanna for the cover of her single Hard,and whose designs have been worn by the pop singer Roisin Murphy and the actresses Sophia Loren and Isabelle Huppert.
For Simoens,discovering that his dress had been chosen for the singers deluxe cover was,he said,a beautiful surprise since he had previously been told that his designs had not been selected. It was only when a fan notified him via Facebook that he realised he had made the cut. She is a style innovator and an avant-gardist, he said of Knowless fashion choices.
Tailly,said that the singers quest to collaborate with new artists did not end with the clothing. Alongside renowned photographers like Ellen von Unwerth and Tony Duran,Knowles also tapped the young French photographer Greg Gex to shoot the cover art. I showed her his work, said Tailly,and she decided to give him a chance. JESSICA MICHAULT
