Fashion – Numéro Berlin

IN CONVERSATION WITH SOFIE ROYER

Anna Klusmeier — Fri, 18 Sep 2026 16:03:23 +0000

Sometimes I wonder if we just want to believe there is this clear moment where something changes, where we leave one version of ourselves behind and become someone new, just to move on quicker. Choose someone new. But in reality I don’t think it ever really works like that. I am glad it does not work like that, perhaps growth doesn’t require defeating the person you were before, but accepting and growing together.

We repeat ourselves. We change our minds. We return to things we thought we had most definitely moved on from. The parts of ourselves we so dearly judge and are most critical of and want to escape are also the reason we keep pushing into new territory. It is a space Sofie Royer seems comfortable occupying. There is no great desire to arrive at a final version of herself, nor to completely leave an old one behind.

Simply, pure curiosity: towards the things we repeat, the things we are drawn to without knowing why, and the possibility of finding something new within what already exists. Perhaps becoming isn’t about constantly reinventing ourselves. Thinking it might just be about learning how to keep moving and at the same time keeping an open mind to all the parts of ourselves we have not been able to understand.

Sofie Royer’s new album before/after begins with that conflict: you versus you. The person you were, the person you are becoming, and the patterns that somehow keep following you back and forth between the two.

Having this conversation with Sofie made me understand that the curiosity within her work is simply an extension of the way her mind moves: instinctive, observant and always searching beyond the obvious. Intuition becomes more important than having everything figured out, and creating something can come from joy rather than the pressure to constantly improve yourself.

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Hairband RITTER STUDIO Top MARA WALTHER Pants RITTER STUDIO Socks FALKE

Elisabeth Kiko: On your new album before/after, you become the main target of your own satire and critique. Why do you think you turned that critical gaze towards yourself?

Sofie Royer: I’m most comfortable and entrusted to speak on myself as the subject matter, my own experiences, my perception. This is generally a theme throughout every record I’ve put out. Maybe it’s the most on the nose this time round!

EK: Do you think being hard on yourself has also been part of what has pushed you forward?

SR: Perhaps, but it can just as easily become an obstacle.

EK: Definitely can be an obstacle, what motivates you from a place of joy rather than pressure?

SR: Inspiration! Also the making of something is really fun, the journey rather than the destination. I absolutely love writing and producing music, I love finding new sounds, learning new techniques…

EK: You left Vienna to return to California when you were 19. What were you looking for at that point in your life? And where are you based now?

SR: I only left the US when I was 12, and I’d spent a few summers out of high school back at my cousins in Torrance, so there were elements of my life that I missed. I applied for an internship at Stones Throw Records and when I received it, I originally was only supposed to do a two month stint and come back home when the internship ended. However, I was subsequently offered a full time job, and getting to work for the label played the biggest role in me choosing to make the move permanent. I moved back to Vienna around 2019, after my mother was diagnosed with cancer, and I couldn’t really imagine leaving again; though I’m happy to enjoy and be afforded the ability to travel frequently for work.

EK: Where is home for you?

SR: Places that feel like home and I spend the most time in are Vienna, Paris, Los Angeles!

EK: You went from being a conservatory-trained violinist to DJing, working at Boiler Room and Stones Throw, and now choosing to only create and live as the artist. Did becoming an artist feel inevitable to you or did you have to give yourself permission to take up that space?

SR: I’ve been a musician since as long as I can remember— I’ve played the violin for 31 years now. I don’t really remember a life without playing music. I think if you make art you’re an artist, regardless of what your day job is or where you’re currently working!

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Bralet RITTER STUDIO Corset ZODIAQUE Skirt ZODIAQUE

EK: Most definitely. What is music to you? Does it feel like an extension to your existence, an extra set of vocabulary to be able to vocalise yourself?

SR: You phrased it well in terms of extension! Yes it’s like an inherent part of me that I couldn’t imagine living without.

EK: You’ve often referenced figures like Fassbinder, David Lynch and Falco in relation to your work. They’re very different, but all play with character, artifice and performance in their own ways. Are you interested in the idea that sometimes constructing a character can actually allow you to be more honest?

SR: Though they’re all very different, what I enjoy most about them collectively is their lenson life, how they view things and process them and create art around lived experience.

EK: How would you describe your own lens of life?

SR: I enjoy the surreal, trying to find the horizon of things beyond the imaginable. I think I do enjoy looking for little clues, hidden meanings, and so on.

EK: How much of “Sofie Royer” is a character?

SR: Perhaps unfortunately for myself I’m a hyperpersonal artist, so what you see is what you get, this is really me, and so on.

EK: There’s a real beauty in being able to express yourself that fully. At the same time, you have a very distinct visual identity. How much does clothing allow you to play with different versions of yourself?

SR: I do have a real affinity for how clothing makes me feel, but it’s almost somethingunplaceable why I end up drawn to certain items. I really do end up gravitating to different iterations of things I love over and over again.

Full Look by MIU MIU

EK: You find yourself living and choosing with that intuition through all areas in your life? Also the way you create?

SR: Definitely in terms of creating music, or at least in choosing what to release.

EK: What does pop music mean to you?

SR: I’m not sure. I think good music is good music, regardless of genre.

EK: What do you feel is missing from pop right now?

SR: I don’t know, perhaps I get frustrated by the contemporary landscape of music right now sometimes, both on a musical/ production level and on a lyrical level, but maybe a lot is just not meant for me, which is also OK. I don’t need everything to be imbued with meaning or false depth; but at least your place of creation should be coming from somewhere authentic. And it’s really nice to see artists like Princess Superstar or La Roux getting recognition right now for songs they wrote years ago, for example. I’m not super nostalgic for anything, I am happy to have a wealth of different eras and genres to study about and look back upon— I enjoy leaning into the fact that I am a postmodern artist!

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PRADA

Photographer Emil Dietrich @emildietrich
Styling Elisabeth Kiko @elisabethkiko
Hair Mickael Ambrosino @Mickael_Ambrosino_hair using @davinespro
Make up Hyangsoon Lee @leehyangsoon__
Production Adam Tilicek @adamtilicek
Styling Assistant Hannah Cummins @nahlinns Helena Alge @helena.alge
Talent Sofie Royer @sofieroyer
Management Nico Helbig @nico_helbig @initial.agency
Interview Elisabeth Kiko @elisabethkiko

IN CONVERSATION WITH ANNA RINGSTAD

Anna Klusmeier — Wed, 09 Sep 2026 09:58:25 +0000

As the beautiful chaos of Oslo Runway slowly comes to an end, the crowd gathers for one of the last shows in Café Sara. On arrival, I’m not sure if I’m in the right place: an old-fashioned café on the street corner, “the most democratic café in Oslo,” as I would learn later. People sit outside at the tables, having promising-looking lunch inside and an early beer here and there.

I find a seat in the backyard and wait with the rest of the fashion crowd for what’s to come. Lene3000 enters the stage, a Norwegian artist who has recently gained attention for her dreamlike, mythical vocals, often set amidst Norwegian nature. She climbs the improvised stage on the little balcony of the backyard and slowly lulls the crowd into the creative world of Anna Ringstad.

As waiters are still bringing out fries and drinks to the tables, the first models appear in the yard, blending in so well that I almost missed that we had already started. They carefully maneuver through the tight tables, seeming almost out of this world. On their faces: expressions of great strain, confusion. They pose in completely exaggerated ways, actually asking the audience to take pictures of them as they arch their bodies. They vividly long for our attention, begging the photographers to take their picture, who gladly play along, desperately trying to catch these ever-moving models.

As they rush to bring drinks to the table, they dash through the tables, spilling drinks on the mesmerized crowd. Their smiles are overpitched, lost in absurdity, all underlined by Lene3000’s singing.

The looks presented entail the same romantic bizarreness: a lot of carefully crafted knitwear, lace, braided hair, loudly screaming floral prints, heels, silk and mostly dresses or skirts.

As suddenly as they appeared, the models disappear from the backyard, leaving a fascinated yet slightly confused crowd. After the applause follows a silent anticipation – everyone is curious to see the designer, the mastermind behind a show that turned into such an intricate play.

With a similar whimsicalness as her performers before, Anna Ringstad quickly runs through the tables, hiding between huge sunglasses.

She is, next to WILHELMINA, the winner of the NEXT award, a sponsorship program by Oslo Runway to lift up emerging talent with financial support, creative feedback and industry exposure throughout the year.

Numéro Berlin caught Anna Ringstad right after her show to sit down with her and ask what on earth this was all about.

EDWIN LEYMAN

Leonie Kampen: I don’t know if you had an interpretation with it, or if it was just about creation, but I was really wondering what your vision of that performance was.

Anna Ringstad:

So, the thing with this is that it’s sort of meant to look like it’s improvised, like, “Oh, we’re just doing it on improvisation and seeing what’s happening,” but we’ve been practicing to make it look like improvisation. The whole collection and the whole show is sort of this attempt to be a perfect collage of the casting, the location, the choreography, and the music.

The umbrella theme is about when you try a bit too hard to become this “pretty girl.” You’ve done all the research, you have your list of things you need to check out: you’ve got your hair, you have the floral dress, blah blah blah. But when you have all of these points perfectly checked out, that’s where it sort of falls down. You can really see that you tried too hard, and then it becomes vulnerable. You can see how self-conscious they are.

With the whole location, I find it to be the most democratic bar in Oslo, where everyone can be sitting here: the most famous director and the local guy who drinks beer. For me, it’s important when doing my first runway show to make it into a place that has a connotation that it’s not for the fashion industry or the fashion bubble. I want people outside of this sphere to find it interesting and intriguing.

That’s also why the casting is all non-models, but they’re all performers in a sense: they’re actors, dancers, musicians. They all work with stage presence for a living, which makes them able to create this group dynamic, and they take choreography quite well. We’ve been talking a lot about references and rehearsing and figuring out, like, how does this girl actually walk in heels when she’s so hyper-aware that her walk becomes terribly bad?

With this casting, everyone in the city has a connotation to these girls because they’re kind of local it-girls or celebrities. It’s quite interesting to see those two girls who are usually humorists, or that one dancer girl, now in this context. You become intrigued and want to see what’s happening. That’s sort of my fishing aim: to pull all the people who don’t really care about fashion into this sphere and, in that context, make them interested in fashion.

LK: So all the performers who walked now are well known in Oslo?

AR: Yeah, they’re actors, dancers, humorists. They all work with the stage.

LK: And this idea of overdoing it and still something being off, was that inspired by someone or something?

AR: It started when I was on a residency in North Macedonia, where it became quite interesting. I’m also half Russian, so I was thinking, “Okay, they’re Baltic, I am one of them, we have a lot of things in common.” But they really embodied this kind of trying too hard with the biggest pride. They went to the hairdresser for two hours before every event we went to. At the fashion week we saw there, it was all corsets, lace gowns – everything was so overly done.

I was also catching myself thinking, as a Scandinavian, I consider myself a free feminist. I don’t shave my armpits, I don’t wear a bra, and I was kind of looking at them with pity at some point, thinking, “I feel so bad for them, feeling like they have to wear all these lashes and corsets.”

But then I came to the conclusion that I’m not above them in any way. They’ve decided to dress this way just as much as I’ve decided to dress the way I’m doing. In a way, I can really appreciate that they actually want to look like they put in the effort. For me, that’s kind of where I become too self-conscious. I think it’s a bit embarrassing, or maybe I’m not confident enough to be walking around in a corset in this full-glam look. So it’s kind of an homage almost to that thing.

LK: And who were these other girls?

AR: We were four Scandinavian designers and four Baltic designers. They were my age, up-and-coming designers, and we were supposed to make some kind of cross-cultural references. But it was really like all the Scandinavians were doing some boxy-cut thing, and they were in full corset, push-up bra. So it’s also this admiration that they actually want to show all the effort they’re putting in.

That’s kind of a reference to the title, Maintenance Melancholia, because here in Scandinavia we have this 28-step no-makeup makeup routine where you have to eat this much protein, and it’s a lot of effort put into looking effortless. Whereas there, you do all the steps and it needs to show what you’re doing.

So it’s kind of a clash and collapse of those two things, and that’s the outcome of this collection.

It’s also implemented into the techniques of the garments, because of the way I use craft and all of these lo-fi, handmade techniques. It’s kind of a mix between, “I want a Chanel dress, but we don’t have the money, so we do it ourselves.” It’s this aspirational dream of getting something, becoming something, looking like something, but also using craft in the context of today and the current digital society, instead of working with craft as this heritage-grounded thing.

To me, it’s so important in how I work because it needs to be slow-paced in order for me to consume all these internet references and get all these things. You have this hyper-quick content that keeps running, and then you have this slow handwork. I think those two things need to exist together in order for this whole craft wave to exist in the future. I think in ten years craft won’t be as relevant if we just keep referring to it as heritage – it’s important, it’s history. It needs some kind of recontextualization into the current.

LK: And how is that currently? How do you see it becoming something contemporary?

AR: I think it’s more in the way of – how should I put it? Yeah, I mean, it’s a long stretch of reference, but the way, for instance, pictures circulate through Pinterest and stuff like this. You have the real thing, and then it circulates and circulates and becomes this dupe thing. The dupe of the dupe and the reference of the reference becomes more relevant than the actual thing.

I kind of see craft the same way. You have Loewe making a knitwear sweater on the runway, and then it circulates and circulates and ends up at H&M, and then people are wanting to recreate that as well. Then it becomes this hyper reality, where you don’t know where it starts. It’s kind of like dupe culture in a way.

LK: Do you think it requires confidence to dress in your designs?

AR: I mean, it roots down in being able to wear what you’re wearing with the confidence that you have. The thing I’m trying to show with this collection is that none of the girls are supposed to look like they feel natural and at home in the garments. It’s kind of like trying on a dress that sits a bit wrong at the mall, and you’re like, “I don’t know, the breast doesn’t fit perfectly.”

But when you have this thing that, “I’m wearing this garment instead of this garment wearing me,” then it doesn’t really matter if you wear a corset or a tank top without a bra. That’s also the thing with personal style: you need to know how your body wears your clothes.

STIG BUVARP

EDWIN LEYMAN

BERTINE MONSEN

STIG BUVARP

EDWIN LEYMAN

BERTINE MONSEN

LK: Your designs differ quite a lot from the Scandinavian minimalism that I’ve seen so far. Is that a conscious choice, and do you think Oslo or Norwegian fashion needs a little more maximalism?

AR: Yeah, for sure. In a way, it’s quite – not an obvious choice, but a choice I’ve taken to do a bit of the complete opposite from Scandinavian minimalism. But it’s not like I want to be contrary or anti. I also want to show that you can do something different than the beige stuff.

I think there should be room for the whole spectrum between some crazy, ugly floral prints and a beige cashmere. I think runway and Scandinavian fashion have room for more things than just plain silhouettes.

That’s also why I want to show in a context like this. Oslo isn’t really established as a fashion city, so I think that also gives you some freedom. You can bend and break the rules a bit instead of, for instance, showing in Paris, where you have these religious rules you need to follow, and if not, you’re out.

Here, no one’s going to fire you or kick you out or never work with you again if you do something like this. This also helps bring more people in the cultural industry into fashion.

It’s also such a small city where the fashion industry can fit around one dinner table. But I look at fashion in the same way as music: as a cultural phenomenon. Music is more generally spread out to everyone. We all have a relation to it, but I don’t think everyone in Norway wants to say they have a relationship to fashion. But they do – they’re just not aware of it.

Doing things like this, I think, also helps open it up. It becomes more democratic, less elitist. Putting in some irony and cringy elements makes it easier for the normal guy in the street to have an opinion and talk about it.

I think this white-box, catwalk runway situation becomes too abstract. It must be difficult for your regular neighbor to be able to have an opinion about it. Then it’s not a conversation; it’s just something circulating within a room of four walls in the fashion industry.

LK: What was your inspiration for the looks themselves?

AR: It’s kind of a clash and collapse of this Baltic girl and the Scandinavian she. So I’ve called it “Baltic babe tries to be a Scandinavian chic.”

It’s been this speculative design process where I’ve thought, okay, if I imagine that the character is one of these Baltic girls, and she’s like, “Okay, in Scandinavia they have all these pretty floral gowns, and it’s a lot of knit and crochet,” and you make this list.

But the outcome is that it’s kind of a lost-in-translation thing, where you have the floral prints but they’re digital, and the colors are awful, and it’s incredibly ugly – but on paper, it’s correct.

LK: And do you live here?

AR: I actually live in Paris, but I kind of want to have a relation to the fashion world here. Because of what I said earlier, it’s so – I don’t want to say non-existent, but it’s so fluid that you can really become part of changing what it ends up being.

In a way, I find it way more interesting to show in a context like this instead of striving to fit into the Paris calendar, because then you’re just a tiny dot in an ocean.

It’s also a lot about context. I mean, for you it’s probably not like this, but the casting and probably everyone in the crowd has a relation to the casting and the musician, and it all becomes familiar. It’s also about recontextualization. It’s not just about finding great models that look good in the clothes.

LK: And who is the singer?

AR: Her name is Lene and her artist name is Lene 3000. She performs in the forest, in the middle of nowhere, and she’s become this viral phenomenon where she always sings in either a bridal dress or some kind of ugly ’80s grandma dress. It’s violin and synth, and it’s a bit between quirky, spacey, and fairy-like. Her lyrics are quite – I feel like they fit the vibe of the collection.

She’s amazing, and I feel like her lyrics sound like a stream of consciousness of what the character I want to embody keeps thinking: “Do you like what you see? Focus on my body language.” All of these things that go on repeat.

And since she’s not from Oslo and she’s never really been to Oslo, it makes her kind of the coolest of them all. When she’s here, she doesn’t get any of the references. She’s never been to this bar, but this bar is kind of a place where everyone comes to. You never know if you’ll see all your exes, all your lovers, all your enemies and best friends. But she doesn’t get that context, so she’s kind of glitching the matrix.

Everyone knows her from social media, but she’s not a face you see in the city. So that kind of makes her, I feel like, come in like a hologram avatar.

And I feel like she’s going to become huge, so it’s also such a blessing. Before I even got the whole Oslo runway thing, I was kind of daydreaming since January: “I really want to work with her, but what should the project be?” And then it ended up fitting really great.

LK: About the knitwear in your designs – did you study that?

AR: Yeah, when I did my BA in Clothing and Costume Design, I did a lot of specialization in knitwear. I’ve also interned at a lot of different brands in Paris, where I was a knitwear design assistant and helped out on the knitwear atelier team.

It’s also something I learned from my mom and my aunt. Those are the Russian ones in my family who work with it. The whole thing with craft and knitting was kind of my way of playing.

My aunt from Russia used to come and be like, “I bought so much yarn for you, and now we’re going to knit all summer.” So to me, it’s kind of this thing I do when I’m a bit stressed out or need to think, or when I’m consuming new content and stuff.

EDWIN LEYMAN

BERTINE MONSEN

IN CONVERSATION WITH AARON PIERRE

Anna Klusmeier — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 14:22:09 +0000

There is a certain inevitability to Aaron Pierre’s relationship with BOSS. His career has been shaped by determination and his considered, unwavering approach to his craft that has taken him from the stage into cinema and TV. But yet beneath that momentum is a grounded sense of self, an ambition and authenticity that feel aligned with the BOSS philosophy of defining success on your own terms.

Meeting Pierre at the BOSS store in London, this becomes the thread of our conversation. At a moment when his career moves between increasingly different worlds from BOSS and fashion to Lanterns, Love of Your Life and Star Wars: Starfighter, there is a striking consistency to his approach: curiosity, self-determination and, above all, the responsibility to remain himself.

Elisabeth Kiko: Your relationship with BOSS feels very natural. What originally drew you to the brand? Was there already a personal connection to it?

Aaron Pierre: I would say it’s a combination of the two. When I was younger and I did have a little bit of change, I would always gravitate towards BOSS. I would get something very simple, like a T-shirt or something inexpensive, maybe even a pair of socks. So it does feel like a full-circle moment in a really beautiful way. But I think what gravitated me towards BOSS then is the same thing that gravitates me towards BOSS today, and why our partnership thrives in the way that it does. I think it’s because we share a philosophy. To me, BOSS has always felt like a fashion house that emphasises being true to yourself and being the most authentic version of yourself: the one that is unapologetically you.

EK: There is this idea of a suit almost functioning as armour, something you put on to feel more confident or powerful. But you seem to approach clothing slightly differently.

AP: Everyone’s origin story is different. I come from very humble beginnings, and a philosophy that was instilled in me from a very young age was that confidence and presence is something that you build from inside out. I never had the means to get that from material things when I was a kid. But even if I did, those who raised me would have had the same philosophy anyway. You build that inside out, and material things, like a beautiful suit, a pair of shoes or boots or a jacket, complement what you’ve already worked very hard to develop. I’m very grateful for that perspective because I therefore never rely on clothes to make me feel that way. They only ever complement it. It feels like something that is an extension of me rather than being everything that I am.

EK: When you step in front of the camera for BOSS, how does that differ from stepping in front of a camera as an actor? Are you still inhabiting a character in some way?

AP: I think for me, this year was the year that BOSS and I found our rhythm within this dynamic, within this relationship. The first year we had our rhythm, we had our flow, but naturally in the second year it deepens. You’re more familiar with one another. You understand one another on a deeper level. And I think you can feel it. You can feel it in the imagery. Last year, we definitely did our thing, but this year we did our thing.

EK: It feels like an interesting moment for you: the BOSS campaign, Lanterns, Love of Your Life: very different projects and mediums arriving around the same time. Is there a common thread between them for you?

AP: I think the common thread is what my career is, what my craft is. My craft and my career is to explore my humanity – to explore humanity generally. I love each medium equally. I love stage, that’s where I started. I love film. I love series. What I love is taking on different characters, embodying different characters and exploring and excavating the different psychologies and personality traits and characteristics and physicalities that all of these characters have, or that I believe they have in my interpretation of them. So I think the common thread is just the exploration of humanity.

EK: And has fashion become another part of that exploration for you?

AP: In my opinion, fashion is most enjoyable when it’s an inclusive space, when it’s a space that celebrates unique qualities, individuality, lack of limitation and self-expression. Before my partnership with BOSS, I didn’t really know much about the fashion space. I also didn’t really imagine myself in the fashion space. And what this partnership has done that is so special is I’ve learned that there is a space for me in it. I’m someone who loves being a student. I love being a student of life. I love being a forever student. Something that’s been really thrilling is now having the vocabulary to articulate what I enjoy and what I don’t enjoy so much, what I want to achieve with a look and why. Why I think this Chelsea boot will do it more than this loafer. Why I think this tie is more appropriate than that. Why I feel I need a pocket square or I don’t. It’s really fun. I didn’t know the space existed for me, and it’s been so empowering to now have the vocabulary to articulate what I want to explore in this space.

EK: Your work requires you to continually inhabit other people: different characters, psychologies and entirely different worlds. How do you hold on to your own voice through all of that?

AP: I feel like I have a responsibility to be myself in every space that I’m in. And that can be the hardest thing to do sometimes. Because just the nature of what it is to be human is sometimes you want to blend in. Especially with this partnership and being in the public eye, I feel a responsibility to be the most authentic version of myself, and to allow people who have blessed me with their support to enjoy that journey with me – me navigating these different beautiful moments within my truth. Being yourself is something that can take years to learn how to do and can sometimes be the hardest thing to do. But I’ve been at a point now for some years where anything other than just being myself feels exhausting. Anything other than being true to myself and being unapologetically authentic, it feels exhausting. And I can immediately sort of catch it. Providing you’re not hurting anybody, I think that’s the path, isn’t it? To just be you. It’s that age-old saying: everyone else is taken.

EK: With Lanterns, you’re entering the enormous world and fanbase surrounding DC. Does a project of that scale bring a different kind of pressure or responsibility?

AP: I definitely recognise the enormity of the responsibility and all that comes with that. But I also feel just an immense joy. I’m having so much fun sharing this work with the world, and experiencing people engaging with it is really beautiful. I’m also really excited about Star Wars: Starfighter. All of these worlds, worlds that I dreamt of being part of and never imagined I would be fortunate enough to be part of, to be part of those worlds in such a real way. I’m just immensely grateful. And I’m so thankful to those who are joining me on this journey and experiencing it alongside me.

IN CONVERSATION WITH JULEZ SMITH

Anna Klusmeier — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 11:32:08 +0000

Julez Smith – despite coming from a truly musical family, the 21-year-old tried his hand at several different mediums before making his modelling debut two years ago.

Growing up in New Orleans, he aspired to become an NBA player for the longest time, then tried out music, and finally found his love for fashion – which led him to study Design at Parsons. From there he kickstarted his modelling career and has since walked for LUAR, Versace and, most recently, GmbH during Berlin Fashion Week.

He is the new face of UGG’s winter campaign, alongside Tyson Beckford – known as the first male supermodel of the 90s – beautifully uniting two generations of models in a single campaign.

In conversation with Numéro Berlin, he talked about creative pursuit, his impression of Berlin, and his favourite memory with UGG.

Leonie Kampen: You grew up in an incredibly creative family, in a very strong female household, and you’ve spoken about how close you are with your mum. When you think back to growing up, could you actually feel that creativity and ambition in the room? Was there a sense that making things was simply part of your daily life?

Julez Smith: There was always a lot of creativity around me growing up. My family was full of strong ideas,
unique perspectives, and big visions, and I feel really blessed that I was able to absorb so much of that from an early age. At the time, I didn’t fully understand how much it was shaping me. It wasn’t until I got out of high school and started finding my own path that I realized I had all these same ideas and creative instincts within me. I just had to learn how to trust them, develop them, and apply them to my own life.

LK: Did you always know you would take a creative path? And with that, do you feel a certain pressure because of the ambition around you, or more a sense of being uplifted by it?

JS: Not always. I grew up following in my dad’s footsteps as an athlete and was on a basketball court almost every day from sixth grade through my senior year. There was definitely pressure to be the best, especially with my dad being an elite athlete. When I found fashion, I had nothing but support from my family, but I knew I still had to work hard and earn my place. The discipline I learned through sports has definitely carried over into my career.

LK: You’ve explored music too, but fashion seems to be where you have really found your own voice. What made fashion feel like the right medium for you?

JS: The thing with me and music is that I actually always loved being behind the scenes—production, management, and bringing ideas to life. Growing up, I was also exposed to fashion from all over the world. As I developed my own sense of style, it felt natural to take that interest and explore fashion on a larger scale.

LK: You’re not only forming your own voice in front of the camera and on the runway, but you’re also a designer yourself. Having studied design at Parsons, and now experiencing these very different fashion worlds, from Luar and Versace to GmbH, do you find yourself observing how the designers work and how the garments feel? What do you take from those experiences into your own design practice?

JS: Yes. I’ve really taken the time to sit back and learn the details and meticulous work that goes into running a brand. I’ve learned that everything in fashion takes time, effort, and patience. Clothes are important, but a brand is ultimately a business, and you have to treat it like one. I’m
always in a constant state of learning, absorbing, and evolving.

LK: We last saw you here in Berlin closing the beautifully staged GmbH show. What was that experience like from your side?

JS: It was amazing! I loved the venue they chose for the show—it was beautiful. I also loved the looks, my favorite part of my fit was my UGG’s. I was genuinely excited and honored to walk for GmbH.

LK: Was this your first time in Berlin, and how did the city feel to you? Especially the electronic music, art and creative scene?

JS: No, it wasn’t my first time there. I’ve always loved the architecture in Berlin and how different it feels from back home. There’s something really inspiring about being in a place that feels so
different.

LK: GmbH partnered with UGG for their show, and now you’re the face of the new UGG campaign alongside Tyson Beckford. What does it mean to you to be representing the new generation next to someone with his legacy?

JS: It’s truly an honor. Having two incredible experiences like this means a lot to me, especially because Tyson has always been one of the OGs I’ve looked up to. One of my biggest inspirations is knowing that there are young men like me who can see what I’m doing and realize there are no limits to what they can become. I want to show that you don’t have to follow
one path or let barriers define you—you can go out, chase your goals, and create your own way.

LK: UGG is one of those shoes that people often have a very specific memory attached to. Do you have a specific memory of them? Were they around in your house growing up?

JS: Yes! I remember the black UGG high tops from when I was a kid. I have such vivid memories of running outside to help my mom with groceries or move things around, and whenever I was in a hurry, I’d just slip those UGGs on and get the job done. It’s funny how those little moments stick
with you.

LK: Growing up in New Orleans and spending a good amount of time in Houston, would you say those places have a clear influence on your personal style today?

JS: Yes, majorly. The South has shaped so much of who I am today. I’ve always loved how differently everyone dresses, and where I’m from, people don’t really follow trends— we just wear what feels right to us that day, that’s when I think real freedom and creativity meet.

ON OUR RADAR

Anna Klusmeier — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 13:24:36 +0000

THE WORLD WAS ON FIRE AND NO ONE COULD SAVE ME BUT YOU

The House unveils the Gucci Primavera campaign, celebrating the sense of rebirth and transformation that comes through the power of love. Directed by Johan Renck, the short film stars Kate Moss lip-syncing to Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game” as a room of strangers awakens, pairs off, and falls in love on the dance floor. Photographed by Michal Chelbin, the campaign also features intimate portraits inspired by modern Renaissance imagery, bringing together 10 talents from music, film, fashion, and sport, including Xiao Zhan, Jin, NINGNING, Tom Brady, Alex Consani, EsDeeKid, Lee Young Ae, Shawn Mendes, Rico Nasty, and Tarzzan.

The campaign showcases the collection from Demna’s debut fashion show for Gucci, introducing a new vocabulary of silhouettes and textures centred on lightness and ease. Balancing contemporary dressing with the House’s heritage, the collection reflects Demna’s evolving vision for Gucci and its identity.

ULTRA VIOLET FW26: KEEPING YOUR HEAD LEVEL AT HIGHER GROUNDS

At the dizzying altitude of the Austrian Alps, Ultra Violet remains reliable: The premium line of Alpha Industries carries through the Fall/Winter season with various designs.

The collection is anchored by the CWU-45/P, building on Alpha’s established flight jacket language while introducing new materials, finishes, and camouflage treatments. Alongside it, iconic styles such as the MA-1, N-2B, and B-15 return in refined interpretations, spanning high-end flight nylon, leather, quilting, and shearling. Overall, the range balances Alpha’s aviation heritage with a more contemporary, elevated approach.

The Ultra Violet Fall/Winter 2026 collection will be available from 27.08.2026 at alphaindustries.eu, the Alpha Industries Store Frankfurt and selected retailers across Europe.

LOEWE PRESENTS THE FALL WINTER 2026 CAMPAIGN

LOEWE heads to Mont Blanc for its Fall Winter 2026 campaign, photographed by Talia Chetrit at Pointe Helbronner. Against an otherworldly landscape of snow, ice and granite, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez’s collection brings together bold colour, innovative materials and reimagined silhouettes, from vibrant knitwear and shearling to the new Amazona 180 in suede.

The campaign also spotlights a capsule of bags inspired by artist Cosima von Bonin, including special editions of the Amazona 180, Puzzle and Flamenco. With a dynamic cast and Chetrit’s surreal imagery, LOEWE captures the season’s spirit of adventure, movement and fearless craftsmanship.

AESOP INTRODUCES: ANTITHESIS INTENSE BODY CLEANSER

A new addition to the body cleansing range, Antithesis Intense Body Cleanser combines contrasting notes of intense warmth and crisp freshness. Black pepper and crushed coriander seeds create an unconventional citrusy, woody and herbal aroma that awakens the senses.

Despite its intensity, the gentle, softly foaming gel effectively cleanses the skin, leaving it feeling refreshed and the mind invigorated.

THIS WINTER’S UNIFORM: GREY ON GREY

Grey is having a moment this winter, appearing across collections from Carven, Max Mara, Bottega Veneta and TEURN Studios – from silver and soft melange to deep anthracite and warm taupe.

Different shades are worn effortlessly together, through tailoring, knitwear, long coats and fluid trousers. Tonal dressing makes grey feel softer and less severe – less like a trend, more like a new everyday uniform.

One to wear all winter.

SEXY ISSUE VOL ABC

Anna Klusmeier — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 13:09:14 +0000

PHOTOGRAPHY ALICE ROSATI INTERVIEW & WORDS BY ALEXANDRA SCHMIDT

Photography ALICE ROSATI Styling TOMER ALMOZNINO Hair RYOJI IMAIZUMI Makeup GIANLUCA VENERDINI Production RAPHAEL ROUMANTEAU & HORTENSE DUCHEMIN Creative Direction & Set Design TOAR AVNI Photo Assistants VALENTINO BIANCHI & CHIARA KURTOVIC Styling Assistant LIZA AGAFONOVA Set Design Assistant NOA MELLOUL Dop Bts CAMELIA ARDESTANI 3D Print Design NEXTHYPE.CH 3D Design Supervisor MUSTAFA MILJKOVIC 3D Modeling Design TIMOFEI PERVOUCHINE Talent NOGA EREZ Jacket GAL NELL DAHAN Shoes BOTH X JEANNE FRIOT

Look JACQUEMUS Shoes LE CHAMEAU

Jacket HED MAYNER Shoes BOTH X JEANNE FRIOT

Suit HED MAYNER Shirt COMME IL FAUT Tie DRIES VAN NOTEN Shoes RONI ARBEL

Look CREOLE

Jacket GAL NELL DAHAN Hoodie JACQUEMUS Shirt COMME DES GARÇONS Shoes RONI ARBEL

Look STELLA MCCARTNEY

Suit HED MAYNER Shirt COMME IL FAUT Tie DRIES VAN NOTEN Shoes BALENCIAGA

PHOTOGRAPHY ALICE ROSATI INTERVIEW & WORDS BY ALEXANDRA SCHMIDT

Look JACQUEMUS Shoes LE CHAMEAU

Jacket HED MAYNER Shoes BOTH X JEANNE FRIOT

Suit HED MAYNER Shirt COMME IL FAUT Tie DRIES VAN NOTEN Shoes RONI ARBEL

Look CREOLE

Jacket GAL NELL DAHAN Hoodie JACQUEMUS Shirt COMME DES GARÇONS Shoes RONI ARBEL

Look STELLA MCCARTNEY

Suit HED MAYNER Shirt COMME IL FAUT Tie DRIES VAN NOTEN Shoes BALENCIAGA

Noga Erez doesn’t move like most artists. She speaks up. Not to fill the silence, but to hold up a mirror to herself and to the people listening. For the musician, songwriter, and producer, it has never been about being liked by everyone. She’s mad, and you can hear it. That restlessness follows her into the studio, pushing her to explore sound without limits. Together with her partner and producer Ori, the Tel Aviv-born artist moves across genres, following her curiosity wherever it takes her. No matter what others expect from her or her music. And still, she’s one of us. With doubts, expectations, and insecurities. She has simply learned to work with them instead of against them.

ALEXANDRA SCHMIDT: What was your “this could be it” moment — the point when you realized you could actually make a career out of music?

NOGA EREZ:

There wasn’t a single cinematic moment. It was more like a quiet accumulation. Suddenly, people I didn’t know were singing words I wrote alone in the room with Ori. From a practical standpoint, I began earning real money when my music was used in a major Apple ad campaign.

AS: AS: When did you first realize that your words have an impact on other people?

NE:

The first time someone told me a lyric helped them name a feeling they were kinda weirded out by. Music did that for me. Made me feel less awkward about myself and the things I feel.

AS: What’s special about your creative process?

NE: I don’t think there’s anything special about it. I’ve been meeting a lot of creatives recently. In some of these rooms, I felt like I was different just because of my perspective, and in some because of how I look for a different way to express something.

But in my head, the creative process is like an argument between different sides of the self. What comes out is a compromise (in the best way) found after debating. I kinda feel like it’s not uniquely my experience.

AS: Do you have any specific rituals when making music or being on tour?

NE: I don’t. I probably should have. I used to think rituals are whack. Now I really understand that they are ways to unlock your brain so it’s more in sync with where you’re going. I want something like that in my life.

AS: Is there a subject that occupies you personally but hasn’t found its way into your music yet?

NE: Motherhood. It’s too raw, too close. I don’t want to aestheticize it before I understand it. Right now, the song I can write about it would be the stupidest, shallowest love song for the perfect creature that I’m staring at for hours every day. But we don’t need songs like that!

AS: In your songs, you often talk about being someone you are not. In which moments of your life have you felt the need to perform or pretend?

NE: Nowadays, it’s mainly in rooms where confidence and conviction are mistaken for aggression. I learned early on how to soften myself to let other people know they are safe around me.

It’s not performative. We all have to tweak ourselves to be more understood.

AS: And what did you learn from those moments?

NE: That pretending protects you short-term, but it gets to you later on. So, it’s also about being surrounded by people who get the way I am.

AS: Why do you think we perform identity?

NE: Good one. Because identity is shaky as fuck, and performance gives us the illusion of control.

AS: How does your private self differ from your public persona as Noga Erez?

NE: I’ve recently learned that I don’t quite understand Noga Erez the public persona as other people do. But I think most people might think I’m more serious than I actually am.

AS: In songs like “The Vandalist” or “Cash Out,” you deal a lot with systems like money and power. Do you feel like pop music can still be naive today?

NE: Yes! Let some pop continue to be naive and some be woke and full of confrontation. We can’t afford to lose the basic, pure joy of music just being a fun thing.

AS: How much risk does art need for you?

NE: Just enough to keep everyone from the creator to the audience engaged, on their toes, interested, and open for change.

AS: The theme of this issue is sexy. What does sexiness mean to you?

NE: It’s knowing what you want and going for it without apologizing, it’s being difficult but so comfortable in your own skin, it’s about being vulnerable and open.

AS: In which moments do you feel most connected to your own sexiness?

NE: When I’m fully present.

AS: When does music feel sexy to you?

NE: When it doesn’t try to be sexy. When it’s skillful but restrained. When it’s self-aware and funny.

AS: Do you consider your own music sexy?

NE: Some of it, yeah. But not in a gross way. Also, I make music with the man I make love with. It’s in there.

AS: Do you find the sexiness in your music after it’s done and you perform it, or is it something you intentionally create from the start?

NE: The voice and sexuality are very connected. I can feel whether a song has that flavor when I record vocals. But then, it doesn’t necessarily manifest itself every time I perform it. I have a very “sexy” song called AYAYAY. Very rarely do I feel sexy while performing it, because of the expectation.

AS: How does performing make you feel?

NE: Exposed, vulnerable and powerful at the same time. Sometimes it’s lit, sometimes it’s nerve-wracking. If I don’t burn myself out touring, it continues to be a world full of so much emotion. A metaphor of life. A capsule of my existence. When I get very psychological about it, it all feels like a big lab to try out how life would feel on speed.

AS: How has your sense of sensuality in your music evolved over time?

NE: Well, I am a female artist, and I don’t use sex to sell my music. I think that is becoming somewhat rare. I see artists start like, “Hey I’m a human,” and then after a few years be like, “I sell sex, too.”

Sex is a very important part of life and also a tool that can be used in playful ways. It can make you feel empowered and vulnerable. But why do only us girls get naked?

It’s hard to imagine being brought up in a world that’s different from the one we have now, where sexuality is utilized mainly by women for men.

When it’s just so unequal, I can’t help but wonder, is it a power that we have and choose to use, or is it a disadvantage?

Back to the question, my sense of sensuality has remained quite the same throughout my 11 years of career. It’s only used when it is actually there, never fake. It’s never there to help me sell my music.

AS: Are there things you can only say when they are wrapped in a song?

NE: Yes. Songs allow contradictions. Real life doesn’t.

All of my opinions, thoughts, vibes are in my song. None of them are there on social media.

AS: Your lyrics are very direct, sometimes almost confrontational. Have you ever thought about censoring yourself to be liked faster by more people?

NE: For sure. But I always found that the people I’m trying to be liked by, hence they don’t naturally like me, will never be a true audience for my type of shit, so it’s all good, and I just keep writing mad stuff that some people like.

AS: How do you deal with expectations from the audience, from the industry, and from yourself?

NE: I think I listen. And then some days I’d be chasing something that someone told me, and some days I’d be on my “stronger” side and more like, “It’s good to hear that, but imma stay right here.”

The expectations of myself are when it gets complicated. And that’s one thing I can say about having my one-year-old, Tony. I don’t have the same privilege to overthink, so I rarely get so in my head. And it’s good because it keeps me moving, and I sweat out the bullshit as I go.

AS: What role does doubt play in your creative process today?

NE: Doubt on a day-to-day basis is a quality control system. Yes. But then the real doubt that comes in every now and then is more like, why am I doing this? Does it make a difference? Is it worth the effort? It’s sometimes so big that it creates real crisis. I want out of music a lot. I continue to question whether using my biggest love in life as my breadwinner is a smart move. But I just keep coming back. So here we are.

AS: Many of your lyrics sound almost like internal arguments. How do you calm your mind when it starts overthinking?

NE: It’s exactly what they are sometimes. But sometimes my lyrics are just a load of crap that sounds cool.

I do it all.

I recently started doing this exercise: whenever I overthink, I write about overthinking, and then I get bored, and I move the fuck on.

AS: Is fame something you genuinely enjoy, or does it just come with artistic success?

NE: I think I enjoy a very perfect amount of fame at the moment, where I mostly get the good stuff but not the bad stuff that comes with it. It also has a lot to do with how much I engage and most of it is still within my control.

AS: How has creativity helped you grow into an identity you feel comfortable with?

NE: Being an artist is the most privileged life, and I am insanely lucky to be able to do it.

I am ‘forced’ by my own job to continue to keep in check with myself and things around me, analyze situations to the bone. Because I analyze and overanalyze for a living, I have, by this point, a perspective on things, and on the very act of analyzing itself. The zoom in and out motion itself is being looked at. Being made into sound and words. Being laughed at and ridiculed.

It helps to give the side of me that thinks it’s not all that serious a bigger space in my life.

I don’t think my thinking brain would have done very well in any other place. I get to be many versions of myself. I am free.

ON HUMAN CONNECTION: DOLCE & GABBANA´S F/W CAMPAIGN BY STEVEN MEISEL

Anna Klusmeier — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 11:25:14 +0000

D&G’s newest Fall/Winter campaign beautifully explores the chemistry of human connection: with all the passions and emotions intertwining when meeting each other.

And who would be better to capture these remarkable studies of body language than Steven Meisel? The American photographer has been VOGUE Italia’s trusted cover photographer for nearly three decades and has been actively involved in carving out D&G’s visual identity since 1989. He has given the Italian house that certain glamour, sensuality and, most importantly, personality.

For this F/W collection, the women’s looks are clearly defined by black, lace and tailoring, including a distinguished sensuality and devotion.

There is an undeniable Mediterranean spirit within the designs, preserving the warm memories of a Sicilian vacation to carry us through the winter ahead.

For menswear, this is expressed through sartoriality, knitwear and the reliability of denim.

The resulting campaign images are autonomous, yet complementary to each other, due to the emotional charge between difference, affinity and attraction.

With campaigns that intensify the articulation of the collection, rather than overshadowing it, D&G successfully reaffirms its unmistakable identity – not only for the season.