VULKAN
Luckissue
Photographed by F&G Shirley Manson
V ULKAN Vulkan
Letter From The Editor
Lettre D'Amour
Dear Julia Fox 84
LITERARY PAUSE
SHORTcut by Milo Openshaw 90
Designer's Profile
Taylor Hertz XIVI
Luck
Welcome to the latest issue of VULKAN, titled "Luck."
Luck may appear as an easy word with a simple definition: the occurrence of events by chance rather than through one's own actions or deliberate planning. It encompasses life experiences and opportunities that do not align directly with personal effort or merit, highlighting the role of unpredictability and external factors in shaping outcomes.
Luck, often perceived as mere randomness, is far more nuanced in its manifestation. While it appears to be the simple occurrence of events by chance, its essence delves into the deeper realms of human consciousness and perception. Luck is not just an arbitrary force but a phenomenon we can, to some extent, cultivate within our lives.
By aligning our actions with our deepest desires and maintaining an open, receptive mindset, we can create our own luck. This process involves synchronizing our internal state with the external world, thus fostering circumstances that seem serendipitous but are, in fact, a result of our attunement to life's possibilities.
Perception plays a pivotal role in how we interpret events as lucky or unlucky. An occurrence that one person views as a misfortune may be seen as an opportunity by another. This variance in perception is rooted in our individual psyche and mindset. When we approach life with a positive, growth-oriented attitude, we transform potential setbacks into fortuitous opportunities.
Moreover, the essence of luck transcends material gains or personal achievements. It often lies in the profound human connections we form. These connections can be seen as lucky moments that possess the power to transform all individuals involved. When we share meaningful experiences with others, we create a collective sense of fortune that enriches our lives and deepens our understanding of interconnectedness.
In this issue, we are feeling particularly lucky to have collaborated with such amazing artists. From talents of all horizons—singers, stylists, writers, and hair and makeup artists to photographers—the synergy of our collective efforts has created a tapestry of creativity. These collaborations are not merely professional engagements but lucky moments of human connection that have enriched our journey.
Stéphane Marquet Editor In Chief
SheirleyManson
Shirley Manson @garbage
Photography Glen Vergara @fgpix
Art Direction Set Design Francis Ocon @fgpix
Styling Candice Lambert @cdicelove13
MakeUp Artist Anthony Nguyen @anthonyhnguyenmakeup
Hair Stylist Jon Lieckfelt @jonlieckfelt
Producer + Creative Direction Isabela Costa @isa.chromatic Interview Anna Dória @annadoria._
Location + Production Maison Privée BELLO Media Group Studios LA
Dress BATSHEVA @batshevadress Cape HA LINH THU @halinhthu
Cross piece SPACE DISCO WARRIOR @spacediscowarrior
Crown JIMMY GARCIA
Dress BATSHEVA @batshevadress Cape HA LINH THU @halinhthu
Cross piece SPACE DISCO WARRIOR @spacediscowarrior
Crown JIMMY GARCIA
"Theconnectionwithanaudience iswhatI'mseeking. I'mnotonstagetobefawnedoverorclappedat; I'mtheretotryandreachoutandconnect withanotherhumanbeing sothatIfeellesslonely."
Dress BUERLANGMA @buerlangma
Earrings THE ARCHIVES & SHOWROOM PRIVATE COLLECTION
Ring ON AURA TOUT VU @onauratoutvu
Shoes FENDI @fendi
@asanchezfashion
An Unfiltered Dialogue with
Echoes of Rebellion Shirley Manson
In this candid, deep-dive conversation, the legendary rock icon discusses her rocky road through art, fame, and life for the past three decades while spilling her tea about all the sweet and bitter flavors in today's music and fashion industries
Rebellion
It’s a bright late spring morning and we’re all agitated and full of expectations about the photoshoot taking place in a few moments at the VULKAN studio. As the beauty and photography team members start arriving, I can’t help but notice how excited everyone is to be there. People seemed to share a sense of confidence that it was natural for everything to turn out amazingly. They all had worked with this talent before and were so right about them. In that room, there was something bigger than a workday going on. Far from me romanticizing the concept of work but there's no denying that love and admiration were almost tangible in the air. When Shirley Manson arrives at the studio in all her breathtaking presence, we understand that the overall vibes are no coincidence. She is the tenderest, most humble, and most punctual rockstar I could ever think of witnessing.'
As the singer/songwriter arrives looking so fresh and ready, we're greeted one by one with a warm smile, a firm handshake, or even a playful cuddle for the intimate ones. Shirley makes no demands except for someone to play Billie Eilish's freshly launched album on the speakers while she gets her hair and makeup ready. We briefly talk about the young women in the industry as she speaks with vivid eyes about their artistry. Manson listens to every conversation in the room with a genuine stare of interest. Sometimes she will just observe and make dramatic facial expressions, other times she will strike us with sharp commentary about the largest variety of topics. Between her Cheshire smiles, unguarded curiosity, and pungent wisdom, I understand all things are worth being analyzed in the eyes of Shirley Manson. She is in a permanent state of engagement with the world and there's nothing to be cynical about. Isn't that what Iggy Pop meant when he sang about having a Lust For Life?
Posing with a kind-of-unpractical facemask, impossible heels, and heavy wigs seem allso-easy when you watch as Shirley does it so gracefully, without a single complaint. During the photoshoot, Garbage's lead singer is the most delightful presence to stay around. We're surrounded by her care for every professional in the room, on-spot jokes, and effusive celebrations of the latest political updates on Donald Trump
(who had been convicted of 34 Class E felonies as we were carrying this very photoshoot). Shirley generously shared her excitement with the whole room by gifting us a spirited acapella rendition of the absolute classic Let It Be, inviting everyone to join her in a choir.
Shirley’s glimpse of relief should never be mistaken for a lack of sensitivity or awareness about all the greater concerns of the political moment. The artist will never refrain from taking a stand for the causes they believe in. She is long known for being emphatic about human rights, far beyond the Global North issues. But this freedom to speak her voice was never lightly handed to them. As we discussed in this interview, there were consistent attempts to silence her potency through the decades (no success was achieved with any of those, fortunately).
In this edition, VULKAN magazine had the lifetime honor, privilege, and joy to photograph and interview 90s icon, (completely) out-of-theordinary singer-songwriter, and unapologetically outspoken Shirley Manson. Three decades ago, after leaving the Scottish musical group Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie, Manson joined the Alt rock band Garbage as frontwoman. Together, they would become an incandescent, worldwide smash hit in the '90s. This led Shirley and her bandmates to a global level of mediatic visibility.
In this conversation, the legendary artist reflects on constructing her stage persona and wardrobe, Garbage's far-from-instant fame (and 2000s hiatus), the importance of using her platform as a voice for the voiceless, and their journey of resistance and rock-n’-roll within a complicated, misogynistic industry. We also chatted about the changes in how female-identifying artists are treated by the industry and the media (Or even the long way we still have to pavement so these changes will be honestly substantial).
Paraphrasing one of my favorite songs by Garbage, you’re about to experience fractions of the wisdom of a woman who has an opinion, a mind of her own; Who’s unquestionably special (and we think you all should know).
RESILIENCE
From the earliest days, your incendiary stage persona has always mesmerized fans, media & music critics. What was the process for constructing such a unique stage presence?
So, Big John Duncan, who played guitar in Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie, the first band I was in, was a former member of The Exploited, a very influential and famous punk band out of Scotland in the 80s. And he was super fierce, they all were very fierce performers. The lead singer to Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie was a very dramatic kind of performer himself. And I had to match my energy to there, you know, I was very, very young. They approached every audience fiercely. And I guess I just learned that was a way of performing that I connected to and enjoyed. It was also when I understood what forming a deep connection with an audience felt like. There was no fear and there was no shyness. The connection with an audience is what I'm seeking. I'm not on stage, to be fond over or clapped at, I'm there to try and reach out and connect with another human being so that I feel less lonely. I think, ultimately, that's my drive if that makes any sense.
The band's debut album, self-titled Garbage, was a phenomenon that received acclamation from specialized critics and the general audience. Tell us how conquering almost immediate success affected you, in particular, and also your fellow group members.
Well, from the outside looking in, it looked as though we became successful overnight, but all of us in the band had paid our dues. You know, I had been in a band for a decade before Garbage. I had participated in a Scottish band that enjoyed some minor success both locally and nationally. Because of this, I had played and toured a lot before joining Garbage so I didn't feel success was an overnight thing at all. Far from it, actually. 10 years is a long time to be working as a musician, so nothing really felt overnight. In a similar way, my bandmates had all been in bands, and also in Butch's case, he'd been producing for a long time. So none of that came very easily to any of us. So, by the time we did enjoy that insane success that came with our first record, we were already pretty well versed in how the system of the music industry worked; We knew that the attention we were getting wouldn't be around forever. We also knew everybody wasn't going to love us the same way they were loving us on that first record because no artist possibly enjoys constant success. Even the giants have times when things are not going very well; Bob Dylan had times of complete, like rejection by the general public, Madonna has had ups and downs. You know, even the Beatles, so, the words precedent in the back of our minds were always that we had to just get on the pony, ride the pony, have an amazing time, and keep our sort of noses to the ground and not get too full of ourselves and not to take anything for granted.
And we worked so hard. Like... When I think about what we did, and how we did it. One of the biggest things in my life that I'm most proud of is just how hard we worked. And we took advantage of every opportunity that came our way. And we never, we never ever took it for granted. It was all intense. Yes, in many ways. And mind-blowing, I mean, we have been struggling musicians, and then all of a sudden to have you know, thousands of people come and see us and buy our records. It was surreal, really surreal. Thrilling. I mean, I, it was fucking thrilling. But it also comes with a price, you know, that kind of attention comes with a price that we weren't particularly happy about paying. Because at that time, you know, in the 90s, the mid-90s onwards, that it was like the height of tabloid culture and so, all of a sudden, we'd have cameras in our faces at airports or walking down the street or in restaurants and, and it all began to feel quite intrusive. Yes. And we, as human beings, just didn't buy it. I can only speak for myself, I personally did not enjoy that amount of attention. It felt it was all a little crass, you know, that kind of attention. I didn't enjoy people sort of picking over my appearance and printing my picture in magazines and newspapers, I found it a little uncomfortable. I mean, don't get me wrong. I love all the photos, the glamorous photoshoots, and being creative and creating imagery. I love that. But I didn't enjoy being in newspapers or having tabloid photographers follow me down the street, I find that really, really horrible. And I think those stars, these big stars in our culture, they sort of love the feeling of that kind of attention. They feed into it, you know, and they feed off it. And that's why they become such big stars; Because they get turned on by that kind of attention. And they can handle it. They're maybe just better human beings than I am. I don't know, but I just didn't like it. So, I've never thought really to be famous and I've never thought to be popular; I've never really been interested in mainstream culture. Even though we accidentally became mainstream, mainstream culture just doesn't really hold much fascination for me. I've always loved subcultures and the underground that's just what I'm turned on by, I'm turned on by the avant-garde. I'm turned on by experimental art and music, and so on. That's what excites me. So, yeah, I didn't enjoy the kind of insane attention we got, not just for our first record, but our second record, too. I just sort of when I look at these really famous people, yes, I often wonder how they don't get bored of themselves. You know what I mean? I just got sick of seeing myself in magazines, to be quite frank. I got sick of seeing myself in newspapers. I just felt embarrassed by the amount of coverage. And I'm sort of amazed by popular culture where all these big stars can't seem to get enough attention. It's just never enough for them, they want more, they need more. And I'm fascinated by that. And I, you know, I respect it. I'm just not wired that way.
Garbage went through a hiatus during the early
2000s, a gap when you experimented with writing solo material. How was this moment in your intimate feelings?
Oh, well, my God, the band's hiatus was really painful. Because we basically took a break from the music industry. We were beginning to feel that it was fucking with our minds and our mental health. And we felt under all this pressure from our record label to basically do anything at all to ensure our popularity. We disagreed with that approach, we felt like we really should be true to ourselves, you know, and whether that was sort of the popular direction or not, we wanted to make the kind of music that felt authentic to us, but our record company had other ideas for our future. And it was so frustrating to us, and so disappointing, that we basically, we were just sort of like "Let's just go home and forget about this for a while and reconvene when we're all feeling ready to deal with this industry.", which is a brutal, unforgiving, capitalist-driven industry. And so we took a break. That's when my mother got very sick. And she was basically dying, to be brutally frank. And so the hiatus went on a little longer, as a result of the fact that my mother was really ill, and I genuinely didn't feel like making music very much. So it was this intensely difficult period for me, and the record label was sort of trying to encourage me to make a solo record. And I thought, I, you know, a bit naively that would allow me the creative freedom that I wasn't able to enjoy with the band. But I was completely wrong about that. As it turns out they had equally strident desires. For me as a solo artist, they had a very fixed idea of who I should be, and how I should be signed. I worked on a record with Greg Kurstin, an amazingly incredible musician and producer in his own right. And we presented this record to the record label and they just thought it was too alternative sounding so they didn't want that for me. They wanted the pop record, so I just told them to go fuck themselves. And I went... I essentially went home. I got a job on a TV series, quite a big TV series that was part of the Terminator franchise, and I busied myself for a year with the TV series. Then, the band got back together again because we just felt like it was time. And we were all determined to just stick to our guns and do things our way. And that's exactly what we did.
You have always been courageously vocal about your political and social sentiments. Do you feel this has ever created some sort of resentment about your figure within the music industry?
Yes. You ask really, really big questions. Look, as a human being, I'm very opinionated. And I'm pretty straightforward. And I'm very outspoken. And I've been like that since I was a child, you know, it's just the way that I interface with the world. So, naturally, that comes out in my role as a lead singer of a popular band. I'm not going to lie, that has caused me some issues, both within
the band and outside of the band. I feel a lot of people would prefer that I keep my mouth shut. But I have fought against that opinion from other people my whole life. As an outspoken woman, I've spent my entire career being told to keep my mouth shut. Needless to say, I've never listened to one of them. I have no interest in being told what to do, what to say, or how to behave by another person. And so I, generally speaking, stick to my guns. As an artist who has a relatively large platform, I have the luxury of using that platform as an attempt to fight for those who don't have a platform or certainly don't have as big of a platform. And I have particular things that I feel very passionately about. Human Rights, in particular, are of great interest to me. I do perceive there is so much injustice in the world that, when I die, I want to believe that I've helped somebody. It doesn't have to be a million people or 500,000 people. It can just be one person. If I've saved one person from misery then I will have done my job as a human being. And that is of the utmost importance to me is that I don't go to my grave feeling like I haven't tried to make something better for someone to make their existence easier, to make their existence happier, to make their existence safer. I feel this electricity as a wire that runs through my body at all times. Because I realize how unbelievably privileged I've been as a human being not just with my career, because obviously I've had a fabulous career for which I'm eternally grateful but also because I grew up in an incredibly gentle country. I grew up in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was a very gentle city. There was very little violence and very little social conflict. Now, that's an enormous privilege and I realized that very few people enjoy that in their life. I also grew up in a household with two parents who loved each other. And that, again, is an enormous privilege. And so I try and carry that gratitude with me and I am determined to make sure that I pay back that privilege before I die. I guess that's why I choose to be outspoken. To be perfectly blunt, I do not consider myself courageous in any way, shape, or form. I do what I consider to be a decent thing, which is seeing unbelievable suffering and speaking on behalf of the people under enormous duress.
In the mid-90s, alongside the larger exposure, you encountered many facets of public scrutiny towards your personal/public image (which were never intended for the male gaze). Do you see any significant differences in the treatment offered to women by the media ever since?
I do not. It's frustrating and disappointing, although I do believe it's slowly changing. What I think is encouraging and makes me feel good is that, as a result of social media, young women are way more equipped on the new generations that have followed me. So I'm kind of contradicting myself in some regards, because I think it's a complicated question that requires a complicated answer. Of course, we're seeing the enormous success of female artists who are dominating the charts, but,
unfortunately, they make up such a small percentage of most working musicians, which I think the general public has a problem seeing. Because they see these big stars, and they're female, and they're dominant. I think they mistake that as a general representation of the industry when it is the actual real statistics that speak. Gender inequality in the music industry still lingers to this day; I don't believe that female artists are talked about in our society with the same reverence as, perhaps, their male counterparts. It's so much harder for women to be admired. And, often, they are admired simply because of their economic power, which is based on mainstream success. People grudgingly give Taylor Swift respect. Why? Because Taylor Swift made everybody get down on their fucking knees as she just grew hard on the agenda without listening to anybody. I mean, it's kind of stunning when you think about it. But, unfortunately, most female artists are still struggling against this idea that we're meant to be seen and not heard, that we can be really cute dancers and really amazing sexy bodies. We're not seen as artists with philosophies, ideologies, and artistry behind us. It's just something that's not truly acknowledged in our society. I guess the positive I would take from that though is that I think the younger generations that have followed in the wake of my own generation are way more switched on and way more powerful in how they choose to present themselves. And I was reading an amazing article yesterday, about the sudden and overwhelming phenomenon of women talking about their sexuality in music, whether it's girly, whether it's Billie Eilish, whether it is St. Vincent, you know, talking about sexual satisfaction outside of the male gaze and outside of mainstream culture. It's fascinating. It's brilliant. That would never have happened, in my view. So, I've got to assume we're progressing; That women's voices and all our different varieties and gender expressions and sexual identities are all getting expressed in different ways. And that's brand new and it's enormously exciting.
Are there any strategies you have developed to stay true to your essential beliefs within the music industry context?
Oh... Also a great question, Anna! You thought into this. It's very refreshing to be asked different kinds of questions; I've never been asked these kinds of questions in my career, ever.
Well, I don't have anything specific other than I was born in Scotland, a bass small island. As a community, our identities are formed by a somewhat socialistic mindset. And the Scottish are very plain speakers. I'm generalizing, of course. But in general, the Scots are kind of, they'll say what they mean, and they're not afraid about being straightforward. Honesty in Scotland is very apparent. I notice a real difference living in America where people are much more careful about self-expression. When it comes to Scotland, we all sort
of take pride in being who we say we are. For the better and bad, we are a very blunt sort of culture. There's not a lot of bullshit. And there's not a lot of posing in Scotland simply because we don't have a Hollywood, we don't have a massive, you know, entertainment industry in Scotland, we don't have a record industry in Scotland. We're just kind of a strange little unknown anomaly. And that has helped me very, very much with sticking to who I am. I think we talked about this earlier about celebrity culture, I never really bought into all that, partly because of how I am sculpted, you know, just inherently who I am as a person. I just am not fascinated by wealth, I'm not fascinated by the flaunting of wealth and I'm not fascinated by those who seek power; I'm not interested in power. It is quite the opposite. The things that I'm interested in, the things that I am passionate about, are in direct opposition, most of the time, to mainstream culture. And that has allowed me to be very true to who I am in my job as a musician.
Was the introduction to the industry from a young age and progressing to wider visibility in your adult years a more self-preserving experience as an artist?
Definitely. I mean, I got an education long before I joined Garbage. You know, I was in the band Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie in Scotland for a decade, an entire decade. And it taught me everything I needed to know when I eventually found myself in Garbage. I was a fully developed adult with a consistent experience as a working musician. That undoubtedly helped me keep my shit together. When I had a lot of pressure and attention on me, I already knew the game, the chessboard. I understood exactly what I was up against as a woman. And as an artist. And as someone enjoying sudden, global attention. I was definitely more prepared than a lot of people, you know, in my situation, because of my experience for 10 years in my first band. There's absolutely no argument there.
This whole conversation felt like a free pass to another dimension... With a sorrowed heart, I must head to our final question. So, what do you think is the role of constructing a wardrobe in personal and artistic spheres?
You cracked me up! (laughs). In my perception, how you choose to present yourself to the world is something vital as an artist. And I think it's also vitally important, in my view, to be sure that you have created an identity for yourself that makes you different from everyone else. I have no interest in looking like everybody else. I mean, obviously, I won't at this point so it's easier for me because I'm older. So, you know, there are not a lot of older women doing what I do. It is kind of already right there, I already have my own individual identity by the mere fact that I survived this long in the music industry. This whole scenario which is very unkind to women and even more unkind to older women. As I gained visibility in the American media throughout the 90s, I looked so different
from everybody else that it captured people's attention at the time. Because it was at the height of MTV and we had unbelievable MTV exposure. We got played I think 16 times a day on American television, let alone anywhere else in the world. And the video was a powerful tool to promote music back then, even though, you know, it's almost irrelevant now. But back then, it was as good as if not better than getting on the radio. So it was everything. And every time I've ever gone to be dressed for a video, there's been a lot like opinions that I've hailed, things I've wanted to avoid. I refused to be presented as a Sex Kitten, you know what I mean? Like, I was not part of that kind of presentation, I was uninterested in appealing to the male gaze, and I still have no interest in the male gaze at all. And, yeah, so I guess identity is everything. I think when you're a musician, you're speaking to your people saying "Look, this is this is kind of where I'm coming from.", and then it allows people to decide whether you're worth them spending a few minutes of their time to see if they like your sound. Back in the 90s, fashion was sort of at the height of its power. Designers often weren't these huge, mega-brand names, they were a lot of these incredible designers that I love, like Helmut Lang. I'm just trying to think of all the people we felt excited by and wanted to wear because they weren't fashion houses, they were designers in their flats in London or, you know, Madrid or wherever in the world, making clothes with a philosophy behind them. They, too, had a message to send to the world, they didn't just want to be designing a world of clothes. Those artists had a very strong sense of the world and how they wanted to work within it. Now, it just seems like "How can we possibly get Kim Kardashian to wear our clothes?". It doesn't seem, to me, like a specific view of the world. Instead, it just feels to me a lot of the time that the industry functions like "We're just trying to sell, sell, sell. We don't care about the destination of our clothes, we just want to sell them. We want to be popular, we want to be mainstream, we want to be huge. And we want Kim Kardashian to wear our dress.", that's all it seems to me currently. And I find that really depressing. It all comes down to what is both successful and what is biggest. And that, as we all know, is such a crock of shit. Don't get me wrong, I've always been excited, by far ahead the concept of fashion excites me. But only when it's done brilliantly. I'm also concerned, obviously, about sustainability and nurturing and protecting our globe, our planet, and our climate. There are some horrific statistics that state there are enough secondhand clothes in the world to last eight generations of people ahead of us. And it is just really frightening. The same research said that the average person currently in America buys 53 articles of clothing every year, and, essentially, the planet simply cannot absorb this amount of waste. So yeah, I don't know what's going to happen. But the world is changing. And we're in the middle of a massive shift in human thinking. It's all kind of wild.
Dress BUERLANGMA @buerlangma
Large ring KYLE CHAN @kylechandesign
Pink & green ring HOUSE OF EMMANUELE @houseofemmanuele
Neck piece RINALDY A. YUNARDI @rinaldy_chiu
Gloves VEX LATEX @vexclothing
Shoes ARIEL OF JERSEY
VINCINT
VINCINT @vincint
Photography Jen Rosenstein @jenrosenstein
Styling Michael Fusco @mikeystyles
Grooming Dee Daly at Opus Beauty using M.A.C @deedaly1
Interview Anna Dória @annadoria._
Production + Location Isabela Costa @isa.chromatic @bellomediagroup x @maisonpriveepr_la
Skirt HASSIDRIS @hassidrissofficial
Jacket VEGAN TIGER @vegan_tiger
Earrings AUSTIN JAMES @austin.james.smith
Sunglasses
left page: Suit CHARLES & RON @charlesandron Tank Top and Corset WEISHENG @weishengparis
Earrings AUSTIN JAMES @austin.james.smith Necklace Talent’s Own
Beyond the Stage VINCINT’s Journey Through Artistry, Identity, and Ambition
Interview Anna Dória @annadoria._
VINCINT is a multi-layered representation of our time and age. While displaying their luxurious yet sensible presence, the artist’s platforms are clearly meant to comport bold statements. From fashion to personal and political convictions, VINCENT is not afraid to portray exactly what feels the most genuine and honest to their sentiments. After an avant-garde photoshoot for VULKAN magazine, the unique performer and I talked about their first steps in music, the experience as a Berkeley School Of Music alumni, their 2024 music project (an ongoing act divided into two parts), and ambitions for the future in terms of artistic career, personal growth, and also (and why not?), for their love life.
You’ve been a singer since you were 5 years old, having your first contact with this art form through gospel music. How was your process of becoming interested in pop musicality?
Well, my dad was a gospel singer. So that was my first intro into music. I learned so much from gospel because it’s based on rhythm. And it kind of branched out from there because pretty much every form of music kind of stems from a gospel background. I love pop music. I love listening to pop divas. Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Beyoncé, Robyn. And it really, it made everything make sense in my mind of what I wanted to sound like, because it wasn’t what my parents listened to, which I loved but it didn’t feel right for my voice, but it felt like I had a home in pop music; It felt like that was a place that I was supposed to be.
As a Berkley School of Music alumni, how did the art school experience change how you perceive yourself as a musician/ performer?
I think going to Berkeley was transformative because when I arrived, I only thought about being a singer and not about being a pop star. Or being a star in general. It was more so about learning the music and learning how to become a very in-tune musician. But being at Berkeley, I was introduced to so many different artists who had such knowledge about how they wanted the world to perceive them, and how they wanted the world to hear them. And it really set a precedent for me of what I could do with my own art and my own music. It made me think bigger. And so Berkeley was one of the best experiences that I could have had when it came to becoming an artist.
You display bold, nonconformist fashion statements in your public appearances. Can you name some of your style influences?
I am a big Thrifter, if that makes sense. I like to just pull from different fashion looks that I’ve seen in magazines. I’m really inspired by just New Age artists who make fashion feel like it should be fun. Tanner Fletcher is a duel who makes incredible pieces of art. I’m an Alexander McQueen fan and I love what he and his entire company have done. And, obviously, he’s gone but I just love them so much. I make sure that whatever I wear it feels honest to how I’m feeling at the moment. And in my life and so I like to feel otherworldly when I put on clothes, it should feel like you’re having an experience all the time.
What’s the biggest difference between Vincint, the stage persona and the everyday you?
Oh, okay. That’s an easy one! Everyday me is very, very, very lazy. And if I could, I would sit around all day eating doughnuts and watching television and being just the most boring person in the world. But when I’m on stage, I become someone else. Someone I think, is very much inside of my mind, but doesn’t live in my everyday life. Like I’m not walking around performing full out all the time. But when I step on stage, it’s like an electric being takes over my body and it’s where I’m supposed to be for the next hour or so. And everything makes sense.
You’ve been openly gay from the age of 16 and also publicly came out as a non-binary person last year. What do you think
are the biggest changes in how queer people are received by the industry now and then?
I think, well, obviously just being accepted at all, being even spoken about is a huge turn in history for our community. And also what it looks like for us, because we weren’t even allowed in some rooms; The acknowledgement of our existence wasn’t even happening when it came to being non binary or being trans or being gender nonconforming. So, that is a huge change. I also think it’s because we have more platforms now to really speak our own truth and, therefore, we don’t have to wait for the platform to be given to us. Like there are TikToks, there are Instagrams here and YouTubes. There’s just so many different platforms and vehicles to get your story out there. And so it’s wildly different because now is the age of the reveal and who we are and how we can say it is in our hands. And I think that’s a powerful tool.
This has been an intense year for you artistically since you’re coming from a sequence of three singles, including features with Adam Lambert and Betty Who, which will be launched this very week. Is there even more to come for the second semester of 2024?
Yeah, it’s been a crazy year. And it’s going to be a lot crazier. This is only the first half of a two part project that I’m releasing. And I wanted intentionally for the summer to be fun and to be light and to be easy. The second half of this project is more heartfelt, still rhythmic, still alive and very, very bright, but I guess that’s the wrong word. Not bright… The second half of this album is very free and open. And so it’s gonna be a busy year for sure. There’s a lot more songs coming, a lot more content and a lot more stories to be told.
What are some of the personal and artistic goals you’re still yet to achieve?
I want to play! I played some of the big festivals. I’ve played Governors Ball, and I’ve played Coachella. I think, for me, I’d like to do it on a bigger scale. I was there as a pop up artist in different ways. But I want to be there and play a show and see a massive crowd and have them sing my songs back to me. I want to play Glastonbury, I want to get nominated for some things. I don’t even have to win, I just want to be in the running, you know? And so, artistically, my goals are to broaden my fan base and to have more people kind of fall into the fold of what we’re doing over here and how we have dedicated ourselves to being open and honest with ourselves. And I hope that my music reaches more people. These are kind of my artistic goals.
I think personally, I’d like to fall in love. That’d be nice. Personally, I’d like to keep going to therapy because it’s been really really great for me and it’s helping me a lot. And so I think, personally, more important than anything I’d like to keep liking myself because I think, in my life, at this current juncture I’m very happy with who I am and how I feel about my body and my mind and my soul. And so I hope to stay here or even excel into a better place where I can be even happier with who I am.
Jacket H&M Shorts : Stylist’s Own Shirt : Indigo Boy (Confessional Showroom)
Tie : Stylist’s Own (DIY) Shoes : Stylist’s Own
BRIGETTE LUNDY-PAINE Raw and Real on Authenticity, Art, and Identity
Brigette Lundy-Paine @briiiiiiiiiig
Photography Bao Ngô @baohngo
Styling Swanetta Hunt @swandion_ Assited by Luke Stage
MakeUp Cassandra Lee @cvsee
Hair Hiro + Mari @hiromarihair
Video Aaron Zimmerman @vacation_aaron
Interview Anna Dória @annadoria._
Production Isabela Costa @isa.chromatic @maisonpriveepr_la + @bellomediagroup
In a world where authenticity and creativity often collide, Brigette Lundy-Paine stands out as a beacon of both. Known for their nuanced performances and compelling onscreen presence, Brigette has carved a niche in the entertainment industry, captivating audiences with their unique blend of talent and charm. From their breakout role in Atypical to their recent venture in I Saw The TV Glow, Brigette’s journey is a testament to their versatility and dedication to their craft.
In this exclusive interview with VULKAN Magazine, Brigette talks about their latest project, the intricacies of embodying a character through a transformative decade, and the deep bond shared with their co-star, actor Justice Smith. They also reflect on the evolution of media representation for gender nonconforming individuals and the invaluable role of close friendships in understanding one’s identity. The multi-talented performer offers an exclusive glimpse into her music project, a collaborative endeavor with an avant-garde fashion magazine, and her innovative film production company. Join us as we delve into the world of Brigette Lundy-Paine, exploring their artistic journey, personal growth, and idealizations for the future.
In the feature I Saw The TV Glow, your character forms a bond with the character Owen through their attraction to a 90s-coded late-night TV Show. Do you have any special memoirs from this decade’s television and movies?
I started a little bit later, but the first show I really loved was the OC. I was very attached to Seth and Ryan and Summer and Marissa. And so heartbroken when Marissa died. That was the first really emotional reaction I had to TV; I was just not able to believe that they would kill her, especially so soon. I also realized recently, I remembered that I watched Heroes, and that was another big TV show for me. And then Monk, starring Tony Shalhoub was a family staple.
Since the movie starts in 1996 and goes up to 2006, you interpret the transformation of Maddy throughout the whole decade. How was the process of embodying each phase of this turbulent journey from adolescence to young adulthood?
I wanted the three Maddys to feel very different. And so the youngest Maddy, I took a lot of inspiration from many of my friends, just kids in general, and sort of skater streetstyle from the late 90s. And young Maddy, I also listened to Cat Power a lot while preparing for her. So she was very emotionally vulnerable. And her movements were loose, almost like a puppy. And she knew she was protecting herself from something but she didn’t quite know what so there’s, there’s this sort of general defensiveness, but complete naivete and childlike wonder comes out when she talks about the Pink Opaque, and when she finds someone in young Owen who she can share this sacred love with. And then a second Maddie was very much inspired by Courtney Love and lesbian punk of the late 90s. And the reclamation of femininity is an attitude of “Fuck you. Stay away from me.” Rachel Dainer-Best was the costume designer. We worked to find this kind of rough, feminine wardrobe that’s like these little tank tops and long skirts. And yeah, she’s just, she’s comfortable in herself, but only at the expense of despising everyone else. And then for the final Maddy, she’s not really from any specific period in time. I kind of imagined a Maddy that was the one I was most excited about. Originally, I imagined the oldest Maddie to be like, a creature that had emerged from the gutter almost like she’d crawled from another dimension. She was also very inspired by Matt Dillon in Rumble Fish and Harry Dean
Stanton in Paris, Texas. These almost inaccessible cowboys with a story to tell. That style came again from Rachel. There are leather waist-up pants and white tank tops. Yes, it’s messy. It’s hard to touch the fashion from 2006 I can’t remember any real statements. It’s maybe… A lost decade? I mean, I was in sixth grade. But I think like that Maddie she’s not quite from 2006. She’s in the Pink Opaque, she’s Tara. So, she doesn’t exist in the time that the movie is set in any longer. She’s a creature from another dimension.
We experience a strong, beautiful bond between Owen and Maddy despite the timid presence of dialogues between them. Can you tell us any specific strategies you and actor Justice Smith created to develop such intimacy?
Yeah, Justice and I were pretty immediately connected. He has a very open and warm spirit. And so I felt genuinely comfortable around him right away. We’re both Leos we have a birthday one day apart. So, we got each other. And I think in one of the earliest scenes we did together, we ended up just singing songs from Dear Evan Hanson, at the top of our lungs, much to everyone else’s annoyance. But yeah, we brought out the theater kid inside of each other. But the relationship between Owen and Maddy on screen, I think, was more from Jane’s direction. She asked us to take a lot of time between our lines to each other. Especially in that bleachers scene, the first time you see them together. Jane asked that we almost not expect the other actor to respond. So we would say our line as if it was like, into the void. And then I would take a long time, then Justice would say his line. And so it was almost like we weren’t communicating on the same plane. There’s skepticism about each other’s existence. But ultimately it’s just trust, I think, in the dialogue as an independent entity. It’s like the first time Maddie smiles at him. She sees herself. Yes. Yes.
As someone who went through their teenage years in the 2000s, what are the differences you feel about how Gender nonconforming people are perceived and portrayed by the media these days?
I think it was just different. Now we have more language for what it means to be gender nonconforming. And when I was growing up, I remember, it was like a character on Degrassi who was trans-masc. Of course, cartoons were always a safe place for genderless or gender non-conforming
Jacket H&M
Shorts : Stylist’s Own
Shirt : Indigo Boy (Confessional Showroom)
Tie : Stylist’s Own (DIY)
Shoes : Stylist’s Own
characters, because you don’t have to follow the same standards. I’m thinking of Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, I loved that show growing up. And now I see it was because all those characters didn’t seem very gendered. Same with Sponge Bob. Now, there’s almost like a branding of genderless characterization on TV, which is problematic in its own way, because it’s often, exploitive of certain… Certain identities without knowing much about them, or without actors being able to bring their own knowledge to characters. So I don’t know what it’s like to grow up now, but I think there are definitely more examples of how to be non-binary, I don’t know, ultimately, I think it’s just something that you might not ever be able to find in media because media is so binary, that you’ll just like, have to find in yourself. Like, in nature, I guess.
Getting a little back to the importance of friendship in the film, as a non-binary person, what do you think was the importance of your close friends in understanding your gender identity?
Well, all my close friends are people who have always understood me, probably better than I still understand myself. And people who have let me talk out how I’m feeling to them, even if they didn’t feel the same way. But most of my friends are artists. And I think a lot of my understanding of my identity comes through the work that we’ve done together. My closest friends, we had a band called Subtle Pride, for instance, and we would do these performances as hyper-feminized, Swedish popstars. And I would wear a long wig and be dressed with pieces entirely from Forever 21. And being able to perform femininity in that way, made me understand what it felt like to come home to my body a little more. And that was because of the environment that my friends and I created for each other to explore as artists. But I think also a lot of my friends are trans or queer. And there’s just, there’s an openness and a silliness, and a fearlessness in those communities. Because we’ve let go of a lot of the rigid thinking that defines straight or cis culture of friends, friendships in which certain people have to play certain roles. It just becomes a fluid expression of creativity or admiration for one another, which allows friendship, in my perception, to be a lot more free, and then you get to feel a lot more free.
Are there any characteristics of your Atypical character Casey you preserved for yourself from all those years of giving life to her?
Not so much. I mean, I think characters are always pieces of you. And I think you get to try on their
personalities. So, the answer is probably not that I’m aware… I guess the only thing would be, I like to run a lot more because of Casey; I had to run a lot for that show. So now, when I run, I think about her.
You were born in an environment where your parents are actors and directors. Did this background ever function as an influence on your decision to become an actor yourself?
Oh, yeah, 100%, like, I wouldn’t be an actor if my parents weren’t actors. I was put in their place from the time I was literally like an infant. So yeah, I’m totally influenced by my parents. This is true to a point that I never thought really seriously about doing anything else. And I’m following in their footsteps in many ways, not just as an actor, but in a holistic sense. They had a theatre company when I was growing up. And I’ve got a magazine, a band, and now a Film Production company. And I see myself emulating their structures of community. You know, pouring all your money into your own projects in the ways that I learned from them. But yeah, definitely I think it was the family business.
How would you describe your own style changes from adolescence to young adulthood?
To be honest, I wore whatever was around. Like, I always had this obsession with graphic T-shirts, and hoodies because it felt like something I could never have. Like, I borrowed my friend’s softball hoodie at one point. It was an Alameda Girls Softball Association red hoodie, and I would wear it all the time. Just because I felt like it was so cool to wear a hoodie. And, then, one time somebody stopped me in the grocery store and was like “Oh, my God, you play softball!”, and I was like “No, I don’t…” I felt like such a poser. But then when I was older and I got to college, I think I was like trying out the boho chic. You know, long skirts, I worked at Urban Outfitters when I first moved to New York. And so I always shopped the sales section and be wearing the ugliest, like, yeah, like maxi skirts, which I fear are coming back. And like tube tops. And in that, I just started wearing baggy or more comfortable clothes. As for now, I’m still kind of coming out of a phase where all of my clothes I’ve found on the streets, or they were passed down from my roommate. So it’s sort of like, I guess, this old 20s clown. Like, I basically wear whatever I can find. But I really like blazers and trousers, and just like looking dapper, you know?
What would be your ideal artistic scenarios for the long term and near future?
Well, I’d like to produce and direct two films that we have. My friend, Alex McVicker, and I have a production company. We made a film called October Crowe, which we shot completely improvised. We’re going to take that on tour and then we’re going to produce two more films, Looking for Brookey, which is set in the West 1930s in New York, and then The Jalapeño Popper, which is a tap dance movie. And, we want to make those with some money, so we have to get some money. And then I want Wave magazine, I want people to find Wave. And I want people to understand themselves as Wave. The project of Wave magazine, we’ve run for six years. It’s an absurdist fashion magazine. And we’ve printed the last four issues, but it’s mainly online, you can follow us at Wave Magazine. And, Wave is… The earliest definition we could find is anything found without an owner. So it’s sort of this ideology where you play the piano even though you don’t know how; You make something without the intention of being bought or owned. And it’s completely self-made and collaborative and ridiculousmentality. I’d like for waves to find us and for us to find waves.
Dress NAZARENE @the_confessional_showroom_nyc Hat Stylist’s Own
Shirt : Indigo Boy (Confessional Showroom)
Pants SELARA CASUALS @the_confessional_showroom_nyc
Pants
Shoes H&M CoatHalston
Jacket H&M Shorts : Stylist’s Own Shirt : Indigo Boy (Confessional Showroom) Tie : Stylist’s Own (DIY) Shoes : Stylist’s Own
Shirt
ALENKIE @alenkie__ @the_confessional_showroom_nyc
Pants
AKOBI @the_confessional_showroom_nyc
Shoes H&M
DJOULIET AMARA
In this delightful chat, we delve into the multifaceted world of Djouliet Amara, a rising star whose unique aesthetics and distinctive artistic path have captivated audiences. Known for her roles in “Fitting In” and “The Big Door Prize”, Djouliet shares insights into her career, the fluidity between different art practices, and the cultural experiences that have shaped her perspectives on life. From a spontaneous approach towards creativity to reflections on empathy and personal growth, Amara opens up about her evolving creative processes and the life-changing habits she has been incorporating in her routine.
Your aesthetics are so carefully crafted it is almost impossible to dissociate your persona from them. When did the construction of a personal style become a conscious journey for you?
It never really became too conscious. I just know what I like. I wake up every day and I am just very true to myself in how I express my aesthetics, style, and fashion. And it can really shift depending on the day. But then there’s probably a through line, which is how you might see some consistency. And that’s, I guess, just me.
You’re not afraid to change your appearance, from adopting avant-garde hairstyles to progressing to even bolder fashion choices. How do these futuristic and courageous decisions represent your personality?
I think I’m just very playful. Especially once you get to know me, I’m just kind of a weirdo. You know, a strange, weird egg. Maybe it’s just that weirdness that probably shines through in different ways. But I can’t help to feel, at the same time, like I am incredibly boring, even though I’m not. I don’t know, it’s so funny to even hear, um, this question. Yeah.
You are an accomplished dancer. How does the artistry you acquired throughout this path influence your work as an actress?
I really, really feel like dancing taught me how to act in a big way because we’re on stage giving these performances and telling stories to the people in the back row of the audience. And so I may have even said this before in different interviews, but acting is an experience of giving a voice to that, just in a different language.
Djouliet Amara @djouliet
Do you have a daily routine to cultivate your physical and creative discipline?
No. I probably should. But right now I’ve been bad at having a routine. I mean, I’m a very creative person, but recently I’ve been terrible at cultivating routine in my life. I’m very spontaneous and, honestly, One thing is that I always make sure that I get a daily walk around listening to music and I get genuinely inspired that way.
In the series Fitting In, your character Vivian is always there to offer love and solidarity to her best friend Lindy, a young lady with an MRKH diagnosis. What do you think is the role of empathy in the world we are experiencing right now?
I’ve always had the traits that Vivian has within me. When we filmed that movie, it was important to the director, Molly McGlynn, to create a process of building her personal story with authenticity. Also, she’s a friend of mine, and her journey means a lot to me. So getting to play her best friend on screen with Maddie, who played her, was enormously important and healing to me and healing to her and healing to all involved. The world surely needs more empathy in general right now. A lot is going on, and we need more love and thoughtfulness. As friends, we should be there for each other. And, in a broader sense, we need to be there for everyone, for the universe.
Photography + Creative Direction Isabela Costa @isa.chromatic
Photo and Creative Assitant Anna Dória @_______elcosmosyanna
Styling Alexia Salgado @alexiavibes
MakeUp Joanna Faivre
Hair Taka Jackson @chatwakaj_
Interview Anna Dória @_______elcosmosyanna
Production + Location Isabela Costa @bellomediagroup x @maisonpriveepr_la
Also, you landed a role in Fitting In almost simultaneously with your work at The Big Door Prize. How was transitioning from the character Trina to Fitting In Vivian?
I mean, that was an interesting transition because they’re two very different characters. I met Molly on the set of The Big Door Prize. She was directing two episodes. That’s how she kind of found me and then asked me to be in her film. It was an easy transition, in a way, because both of those girls are such a big part of me, there’s a little bit of me in them and a little bit of them in me. Trina, she’s like a grieving teenager. She’s going through a lot. And I feel like in my life, I’ve been through a lot, too. And it’s almost healing to play her because it’s giving me a chance to heal in that way while playing a child that I’m like, doing now for myself in adulthood. It’s beautiful. And with Vivian… With Vivian. It was really cool to play a character who was there for someone healing and learning about a serious diagnosis. It is a rare opportunity.
You have lived in 3 different countries since you were born. Can you name your favorite traits of Russian, Canadian, and American culture?
About Russia, I don’t remember the place because I left when I was so, so young. But I grew up with a lot of Russian food around which I love! My mom makes some of the best food ever. My favorite thing about Canada is everyone is so kind. Well, not everyone, but there’s an overwhelming kindness. There’s an earnestness and wholesomeness you can feel and tell when you’re there; A sense of, you know, people don’t take stuff too seriously. And in the US, I love being here for the level of art that can be created and made. I love New York City. I love living in New York. It’s my favorite place on earth, I think… It surely is right now. I just love the hustle and bustle. I love how everything seems to exist there. I can wake up in the morning and think about anything I want to do and everything is possible within 30 minutes. That’s really what. Yeah. Mhm.
What are the joys and struggles of experiencing changes in your cultural environment from an early age?
Where do I start with that? There were a lot of struggles that I went through from an early age, and art was a bigtime healer and teacher for me; Dancing was a big healer and teacher for me. It’s hard to move as an immigrant to a new country. My parents were kids when they had me and when we moved and I was a kid, we were all learning what felt like growing up together and learning about a new country with different ways of processing that. People have different ways of existing. So it was difficult for me to grow up as a kid who wasn’t Canadian despite its very
multicultural nature. There’s a big difference between my dad growing up in Sierra Leone, my mom growing up in Russia, really harsh countries, and me growing up in Canada where it isn’t that harsh. We all learned and grew a lot through that. But there was a lot of joy in it, too. And, I’m sure for them too, like, a lot of joy and discovering this new place where there’s so many more opportunities for things to do in your life. And, I mean, I don’t know if I’d be where I am today if we didn’t move to Canada where there were just so many opportunities for me as well. Even, you know, as a kid, not having much at all to create something for myself. It all came through the hard work I learned from my parents.
Besides dancing and acting (which you are tremendously talented at), do other creative practices take place as part of your life?
I was studying piano as an adult, starting a few months back. I met my piano teacher on a dating app, and then I was studying piano three times a week. I wanted to give myself to do that. It was something I never got the opportunity to do, really, as a child. Yes. Just taking part in a lot of activities and hobbies that I wasn’t allowed to do when I was little or didn’t have time to do or, you know, didn’t have the money to do. It’s like reraising I don’t want to say reraising myself in a way, but kind of like, making little Juliet happy by letting her have all the time in the day to do anything she wants. I also want to start doing pole dance. I think that that could be a great way to move my body again and get some upper-body strength. Another endeavor that makes me happy at the moment is diving into making music again. It isn’t something I’ve come out about, but I’ve been feeling really creative lately. Can you name some decisions from the present you think can benefit Djouliet ten years ahead?
Oh, yeah. Therapy. But also going through the experiences of being in the industry during difficult times, like really coming up in the industry through a pandemic and a strike, having that experience taught me a lot and also allowed me to feel grateful for the fact that I had opportunities during those times and was working. All of this makes me sure I can push through any challenges and be more successful in the future. I know in the future I’ll still be doing this at a higher level too. I just know.
Cardigan KAFTAN STUDIO @kaftanstudio
Necklace WEISHENG @weishengparis
Dress ALBERTO MAKALI @albertomakali Skirt CHARLES & RON @charlesandron
Cardigan KAFTAN STUDIO @kaftanstudio Necklace WEISHENG @weishengparis
Dress ALBERTO MAKALI @albertomakali
Skirt CHARLES & RON @charlesandron
Shoes JONAK @jonak
Harrison
Model Harrison Davis @harrisondavis_ @wilhelminamodels
Photography Isabela Costa @isa.chromatic
Assited by Anna Dória @_______elcosmosyanna
STyling Kassandra Bialkowski @kasandrawithak
Grooming Heather Weppler @heatherlurk for Exclusive Artists using ILIA and Camille Rose
Production + Location @bellomediagroup x @maisonpriveepr_la
Full Look CHARLES & RON @charlesandron
Shoes JEAN BAPTISTE RAUTUREAU @jb_rautureau
Necklace ATRANOVA BY SHEILA B. @atranova_by_sheilab
Shirt OTT @ottdubai
Shirt BARABAS @barabasmen
Pants CHARLES & RON @charlesandron
Shoes JEAN BAPTISTE RAUTUREAU @jb_rautureau
Necklace ATRANOVA BY SHEILA B. @atranova_by_sheilab Belt @coletteonsunset
Full Look ATELIER CILLIAN @ateliercillian Necklace ATRANOVA BY SHEILA B. @atranova_by_sheilab
Model Pablo Kaestli @pablo_kaestli Photography Corey Myers @cmyers1105
Styling In House Maison privée @maisonpriveepr_la Groomer Joanna Faivre
Production + Creative Direction Isabela Costa @isa.chromatic
Production + Location @bellomediagroup x @maisonpriveepr_la
Pablo
Vest EBRU GURLEK @ebrugurlekapparel
Shorts MORFIUM @morfiumfashion
Shoes JEAN BAPTISTE RAUTUREAU @jb_rautureau
Rings ATRANOVA BY SHEILA B. @atranova_by_sheilab
Full Look ATELIER CILLIAN @ateliercillian
Out BreathOf
The world spins faster, a dizzying race, I grasp for breath, yet find no space. My mind, a whirlwind, whirls so swift, Can the world align with this rapid drift?
Shall I wander through fields of gold, Where the wind's secrets gently unfold?
In the whispering breeze, I’ll seek my fate, And find my luck before it’s too late.
Among the grains, beneath the sky so vast, I’ll uncover dreams from my past.
In the dance of the wind, so wild and free, I’ll find the luck that’s meant for me.
A fashion tale by Stéphane Marquet
Haley Dahl
Haley Dahl, the visionary behind Sloppy Jane, has redefined chamber pop/rock with her critically acclaimed 2021 album Madison, recorded in a West Virginia cave and released on Saddest Factory Records. Known for her dynamic live performances with an up-to-10piece band, Dahl’s shows are a captivating blend of frenetic energy and orchestral brilliance. Sharing stages with acts like boygenius and Phoebe Bridgers, Sloppy Jane continues to push artistic boundaries, drawing inspiration from Dahl’s deep connection to the color blue, her performative journey, and her commitment to ever-evolving musical expression. Her latest track “Claw Machine” is a highlight in the latest A24 film “I Saw The TV Glow.”
From all the spectrum of colors, is there a reason you’re so passionate about the color blue especially?
I appreciate the depth of the color blue as it contains an infinite quality. The sky is blue, and on the opposite side, the ocean is blue. It means the most depth, and it’s beautiful. Also, my hair is red and blue tones create a good contrast to it. My grandpa immigrated to the United States from Iraq when the Jews were being persecuted. He was an abstract painter who only painted with the color blue. He died when I was very young but I always wondered if he had the same feelings as I do about it or if he had other reasons for liking it so much.
During all your presentations and while shooting for Vulkan, you have been a powerhouse of a performer. Was there a formal process to acquire such a level of bodily knowledge?
Thank you for saying that! I have been a total character and had a performative vein since I was a little kid. When I was younger I thought I wanted to do acting so I took acting classes for most of my upbringing. There was a point where I decided I didn’t want to do it because I didn’t enjoy doing other people’s characters. I didn’t like the idea of having a career I would only perform if I got a role. When I got into music, I felt free to create whatever character I wanted and perform whatever I wanted. I have been performing for most of my life and how I developed my onstage character has been a process of discovering things that were true about me physically; Taking something I am self-conscious about and amplifying it. For instance, I have bad posture and I’m always trying to correct it as my onstage character has a lot of shoulder movements. This performative dynamic ends up helping me make corrections to my posture. It led me to giant adjustments but was also more of a character choice.
What differentiates your stage persona from daily Haley Dahl?
I think that me onstage is the biggest, most invested brightest, and truest version of myself. Who I am onstage is somebody trying to serve another person. Most of my life out of the stage is trying to get back onstage. I’m consistently practicing, choreographing, singing at home, or writing songs and thinking about how I will incorporate all of this into my stage performance. Of course, I am not eating chips and lying in bed as I am in real life when I’m onstage. I have previously tried eating onstage but I’m just not hungry there. There’s too much adrenaline going on. It just didn’t feel right.
Sloppy Jane has been through intense changes in style since its first days, incorporating elements ranging from punk rock to something more theatrical. Were you ever afraid it would affect your fanbase’s affection? Did the pressure for consistency ever turn into a burden to you as an artist?
All of my favorite artists were people who metamorphosed a lot throughout their records. Each work would be completely different from the previous one. So, that ever-changing quality is always what I truly strive for, trusting my voice and vision enough to believe that anything I make will sound like something I made. With such fluidity, my music can embody the forms of punk music, orchestral music, pop music, or heavy metal. There’s a strong enough undercurrent in how I develop lyrics in whatever genre I’m writing. It will not alienate the fans who enjoy my projects for the right reasons. I’m just too excited about every artistic expression. This makes me enjoy many different concepts. It also prevents me from feeling limited to other’s expectations about my work.
Do you feel like you and your audience share a sense of trust in each other?
There’s a lot of trust between me and my audience. I’m not a celebrity or something and there’s not necessarily a specific type of person who is a fan of mine. During our tours, we had “black tie” dress codes and stuff and it was nice seeing everyone’s interpretations of it. Becoming more and more committed to participating in a communal sense is genuinely fulfilling.
There is consistent religious imagery in Madison. I was wondering if they came from a religious background and what is their position in your art?
I wasn’t raised in religion at all so I have no trauma with it. What I have is this sort of voyeuristic perception which almost makes me a fetishist of religion. I love the concept of God, I think it’s great. It is the horrible things that people did with the weaponization of this concept that are not great. Still, I love the imagery, I like equating the mundane to the religious. In Madison, as I wrote the song Jesus on your living room floor, I envisioned a reality that I’m so in love with God that even linoleum, the kitchen floor, or anything they touch becomes God. My vision of religion consists in finding drama within the mundane.
When it comes to creating for cinema, how do the restrictions of the story influence your process compared to a song you start alone from scratch, without any attachments to a second reader’s creative expectations?
I like writing songs for films, it’s nice to have an assignment because when I’m writing for myself there can be some confusion about what I’m trying to create sometimes. This feeling of unsureness is one of my biggest roadblocks. I love all music so much that it is a blessing but can also become a curse. Sometimes I’m writing what I think will become a real rock song and I’m proud of it. Then I go for a walk, put on my headphones, and listen to it again and the same work will turn more into an opera style. I get like “This is a great thing! This is
what I should be writing”. Right after this, I end up working on something else. My attention span can get difficult with something like that. With other people, they’ll be like “Give me something like this.” then become a supervisor to check in about it all and how it’s doing. Then I will send this other person a draft and they’ll say “This part is good about the song.” or Change this part of the song.” It means less pressure on me to have all the answers, which is nice.
How was the journey to find your particular style and aesthetic? Are there any personalities that have inspired you in this process?
I love cartoons, I love Las Vegas, and I have been goth my whole life. I was an intensely goth teenager. Adolescent I would walk around without eyebrows, wear corsets every day, and display a long black hair down to my waist. That style still influences me. I love chains, any kind of hardware, and pieces with spikes. At the same time, I acquire lots of inspiration from Liberace and classic Las Vegas showgirl imagery. It is all so heightened yet incredibly funny. I’d like to offer an honorous mention to Cruella Devil, with all her exaggerated cartoonish aesthetics.
The theme for this issue is Luck. We would love to know the meaning it has for you and how you encountered it on your journey. Also, I’m curious if you’re drawn to any esoteric practices.
I believe in luck and I want it! A lot of this idea comes from your imagination. It all returns to our earlier conversation about finding God in the mundane. I think about times in my life when I considered myself the luckiest… These would be the moments when I was connected with a higher power, feeling in tune with the universe’s rhythm. In my life, I will see a piece of trash on the streets and understand it as a sign, as if it speaks to XYZ. When I meet people I feel open like “Wow! I just met this person and they could change my life”. A lot of times they don’t, but walking around with the attitude that every little thing has meaning creates the experience of being lucky much more than not doing that. To assume everyone you meet and everything you find on the road have meaning instead of acting mechanically towards life. You can assign yourself as a lucky person and decide that. Of course, it can be difficult considering how scary is the world we are experiencing at this time and age. One can easily get poisoned by the internet and the people around them living through bad times. Still, trying to find magic in little things is the most powerful weapon for me to see beyond it all.
Dear Julia Fox,
lettre d'amour
I could start this letter by pointing out Charli XCX's latest pop anthem 360 and how everyone wants to be "SoOooO Julia-a-a-ahhh" these days - To be honest, wanting to be like you is no news for anyone who ever had a glimpse of your history, thoughts, and unique personality. Another possible way to begin this love letter would be to praise you for the avant-garde video clip you just launched to illustrate your club scene smash-hit Down the Drain. A captivating electro-manifesto that claims our rights to be bitches, girls, women, mothers, and whores.
Maybe I'm too self-absorbed to use any of these references as a starting point. When I first think of you my strongest memory is from December last year. I had moved from Brazil 4-months before to pursue my MFA in the Creative Writing program at the California Institute of the Arts This led me to an unexpected depressive episode. Feelings of confusion, homesickness, loneliness, and reemerging of past trauma had started to crush my soul. The carefullycrafted queer community I had built in Rio, my beloved homeland, felt like a distant, fading memory. "I am the most wrecked-up girl in the city of L.A.", I selfishly thought. Then there was this random Thursday night when my girlfriend and I decided to watch Ziwe's TV series. And then there was you. Talking relationships, life's struggles, politics. Strong yet so playful, glamorous yet so relatable. I was mesmerized. It was like I had found my first real peer in the United States of America.
Right after the show ended, I ran to the website with the fastest delivery time to get a copy of your New York Times best-seller, the memoir Down the Drain. When it got to my house, I would spend every free minute devouring your every word. Child immigrant pushed into early independence; Survivor of a complicated adolescence; Professional dominatrix; Independent artist exhibited in galleries throughout New York; Fashion icon; Actress; Affectionate mother. I feel resentful to use the word "survivor" in a letter directed to you. Because your journey goes way beyond a path of survival. You're living. Even though you've seen way more than anyone should, you've managed to preserve the idea that you deserve to live your best life. Most people would be satisfied with this alone. But you're different. You've always been.
From the earliest years, you've naturally worked for the collective wellness. Even when you didn't have enough for yourself. Sharing your house, food, money, and clothes with friends who were in need was part of a routine; To a point when people started abusing your generosity and openness. Even though you became a woman who knows her boundaries, there is still a great sense of care to extend your good fortune to others. When you write, talk, or sing, there are always bold messages towards marginalized groups. Sex labor, queerness, and social injustice are always bought to your platforms in unapologetic, fearlessly real statements. Some of them even come from your personal experiences with those topics. This might be where I nurture the most admiration for you, my dear Julia: How courageously you speak of all the places you have been in life. You choose not to leave even the darkest, most controversial ones hidden under a rug.
When the VULKAN team decided that the theme for this month's issue would be Luck, my partner promptly screamed "You should write the letter section to Julia Fox!" I didn't know how those two topics could be related. After all, your history is the one of a person who went through genuinely unfortunate situations yet never gave up pushing their own self up the drain. As you sing in Down the Drain lyrics, Destiny is yours to choose. In a deeper thought, I came to a crucial conclusion. I am the lucky one; I was fortunate to encounter your revigorating presence in the face of a challenging moment. Anyone who has read your book knows that to cross paths with you is, for itself, a sign of luck. After all, it is a privilege to share even a little life with all the wisdom, acid sense of humor, and general tenderness you possess and offer. The world would be enormously benefited if we all could be more Julia.
PS: I quarreled my middle name, Julya until it became a thing we both had in common. Love and admiration, Anna Dória
Anna Dória is a Brazilian writer, filmmaker, and performer. She likes to define her artistic practice as unapologetically hyperfeminine, holistically transmediatic, and community-oriented. Her works as a filmmaker and/or performer have been selected to festivals in Brazil, Mexico, France, Germany, Italy, Scotland, and the United States of America. Currently, Anna is pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing at the California Institute of the Arts.
SHORTCUT
written by Milo Openshaw
Viusals by Stéphane Marquet
In the passenger seat, Ariel is dancing and singing along to a loud pop song on the radio. His gyrating jostles the map out of his lap.
"Hey," Peter says loudly, his hands refusing to leave the steering wheel.
"Oh, relax." Ariel picks it up and spreads it across his thighs again, upside-down. "We're going the right way. There haven't even been any other roads for like ten minutes."
Whether or not this really is a "shortcut", like Ariel claimed at the beginning of the trip, Peter has no idea. The trees form solid walls on either side of the winding road, which started out as wrinkled concrete but faded into two thin tire tracks in the dirt as they drove farther.
In six months, they're getting married. They made it official a couple of weeks ago, when Peter Karstendiek took his boyfriend out to where they had their first date-- the aquarium-- and proposed in front of the jellyfish. He almost couldn't believe Ariel said yes. They had only been together for a year before the proposal, but Peter couldn't let him slip through his fingers. Ariel is far, far out of his league, and everyone knows it. He has thick black hair that bounces with each movement and a permanent pearly-toothed smile. Not a fake smile, a genuine one, an open invitation for the world to take him in its embrace. He’s always laughing about something, or someone. Peter likes to make him laugh.
Although there are still some times Peter wishes his fiancé would take things a little more seriously. Ariel was the one who suggested a trip in the first place, to celebrate the engagement, yet it was Peter who booked the hotel on the beach, Peter who packed their bags, and Peter who has been driving for the last five hours. The least he could do is make sure they're going in the right direction.
Peter turns the radio down. "I feel like we should have passed a landmark by now."
Ariel reaches into the backseat, stuffed with bags and junk, and pulls a chocolate bar seemingly out of thin air. "Like what?"
"I don't know. Anything besides… more trees. It's getting dark, too. God, I hate driving at night."
"That's what headlights are for."
"Can you check the map again, please?"
Ariel holds the map up, squints, turns it right side up, and traces the veiny highways with his finger. The other hand precariously holds the chocolate and pins the map against the dashboard. "Ah... what way are we going right now?"
"It should be north."
"Okay. That's right."
"So we're heading north?"
"Yeah, we're heading north." Ariel puts the map down so he can unwrap his chocolate. "I can't imagine how long it would've taken if we took the highway around the woods. Why don't more people just cut straight up?"
"The dirt road probably scared them," Peter says, because it definitely scares him. If he had known he'd have to trundle along at a snail's pace down an unlit forest road, he would have insisted on taking the highway. At least Ariel seems to be having a good time.
Or, at least he does until the radio fizzes into static. After trying the old-fashioned method of repair and whacking it a few times, he gives up and turns it off, listening to the car rumble and crackle over stones and fallen twigs. Peter's fingers are stuck to the leather of the steering wheel.
He wonders vaguely how many trees there are in this forest. As each trunk passes, Peter is more and more convinced that the forest is a single entity, and that their car is a clot traveling down a vein that was supposed to be clear. Browns and greens blend together in one muddy blur. When Peter is forced to switch the headlights on, he is horrified by the darkness pressed in on his car from all sides. Even with the brightest beams, the night swallows the light before it can go more than a few feet, casting everything visible in those thin circles in ghostly grey.
Ariel sinks down into his seat, closing his eyes and feigning sleep. He's breathing too quickly to really be napping. Tiny crumbs of chocolate have fallen and melted onto his purple sweater.
"Do you think we should camp out here?" Peter asks, after almost a half hour of silence.
Ariel jolts out of whatever anxious stupor he has fallen into. "What? Camp?"
"Yeah. I mean, pull over to the side and sleep in the car. I'm just trying to think practically. I don't like not being able to see where I'm going."
"We could be almost there," Ariel argues.
"Or we could be in the middle of nowhere." "Oh my god, Peter."
"Ariel, we should have been there by sunset. It's half past midnight."
"That was a guess! You always worry so much. Just keep fucking driving, we'll get there. It's not like this forest is endless."
"That's easy for you to say. You're not the one who’s actually driving."
"You--" Ariel falters, eyes wide. He points toward the right side of the windshield. "Look! See that?"
"What?"
"Lights! Come on, pull over!"
Sure enough, through the trees, neon pink and blue lights twinkle. Peter slows the car to a bewildered crawl and turns into the driveway of a glimmering two-story building, lit up like a birthday cake with flashing colors. The exterior is painted rich, luxurious red. Cars and bikes are parked in front and along the sides. Music thumps through the ground, some kind of mid-tempo lounge mix that Peter can't quite describe.
While Ariel gets out of the car, Peter fumbles for the map, squinting to make out the miniscule details. Nowhere inside the forest is there anything marked, except for a lake to the east. No civilization whatsoever.
Ariel calls his name. Puzzled, he steps out of the car. If it weren't so rich a red, he would assume it was some kind of Greek-style temple, the kind with columns and intricate carvings over the door, although the flashing lights combined with the swirling darkness make it impossible to determine just what those carvings are. The windows on each floor are lit with golden light muffled behind red curtains. Laughter and music and sweet smoke spill out into the clearing.
"I think it's a bar," Ariel says.
"I don't see a sign."
"It's probably too dark." He takes Peter's hand, but Peter doesn't move. Ariel smiles. "Don’t be nervous. We'll just get a drink and ask for directions."
"This wasn't on the map."
"Okay, well, this place was probably built after the map got printed. One drink, baby, please? We’re supposed to be having fun."
Peter allows himself to be towed inside.
Immediately, Peter feels out of place. His bluish flannel is woefully inadequate next to the costumes draped over the rest of the patrons. This is more of Ariel's scene, back when they first met at a drag club. Everyone is clad in long silky dresses, glitzy pinkish jackets feathered in sequins, furry jackets with dead tails drooping down to the floor, white shirts so crisp they might be made of snow, harnesses of leather and golden chains, shoes so shiny you could do your makeup in them, and everyone, everyone is dripping with excess. The guests lounge around the room in hues of scarlet and smoke. Nobody is
alone. Everybody sips from the same sort of martini glass.
He plants himself in an open stool at the bar, next to his fiancé. The bartender glides over as though they're on roller skates. They're improbably tall, with a long, narrow face and even longer blonde hair. Peter wouldn't be surprised if he saw them on the cover of a fashion magazine. Not that he reads fashion magazines.
"Passing through?" they ask smoothly.
"We're on our way to Harbor," Ariel says. "We're going the right way, right?"
The bartender nods.
"See?" Ariel teases, elbowing Peter's arm. Peter cracks a smile. His shoulders loosen, if only by a fraction.
The bartender catches his eye. "Will you be having the house special?"
"Oh, not me. One for my fiancé, please. If that's alright...?"
"More than alright," Ariel says.
"Your fiancé?" The bartender reaches behind for an unmarked bottle and begins to pour the contents into a glass. The liquid comes out mostly clear, with an uncanny pearlescent sheen that might just be a trick of the light. "Congratulations."
"He just proposed," Ariel brags. "Seventeen days ago."
Peter can't help but chuckle. "Was it really seventeen?"
"I've been counting."
A glass is placed in front of Ariel, then Peter, who starts to protest, but the bartender holds up a thin-fingered hand. "It's on the house. To your union."
One drink won’t hurt, Peter thinks. He "cheers" with Ariel and drinks.
It's nothing he's ever tasted before. Whatever the liquid is, it's most definitely alcoholic judging by the burn in the back of his throat and the tingling on his tongue. But it's thicker than water, almost the consistency of warm honey. The flavor is smoky, sour, musky, like drinking an incense tray if it were dipped in sugar.
When he takes another sip of his drink, the glass is still full. “How long will you be staying in Harbor?” the bartender asks. Their face has grown blurred around the edges.
Peter tilts his head towards them, to hear better over the music, which has grown louder. “Just a couple days. To see the beach, do some souvenir shopping, order room service, you know. Are you from there?”
“No, I’m local.”
“You don’t commute to work here? I mean–” Peter waves his hand around in the air. “You live around here?”
“There’s more life in these woods than you might think.”
“I guess. I didn’t even know there was a road through here until–”
He turns to look at Ariel, but the stool next to him is empty. He blinks. “He was just here.”
The bartender raises their pale eyebrows. “Was he?”
“Yeah. Sorry, um–” Peter climbs down from his own stool, drink in hand. This isn’t the first time he has lost Ariel at a club and it won’t be the last. His fiance always gravitates towards the center of the action, no matter where they are. Peter’s anxiety never lessens whenever it inevitably happens.
Time trips, falls, falls forever. Light and shadow blend like watercolors. There's a hot sensation, pins and needles at the back of Peter's skull, spreading like fungus to his forehead. The patrons of the bar swim around each other like fish in a tropical aquarium. Their clothes float weightlessly, and bubbles ooze out of their nostrils and lips. The bar is a cathedral window, a kaleidoscope, a single spinning plate in space.
He doesn’t recognize any of the people here. Their heads have morphed into animalistic masks. Even shouting Ariel’s name, nobody pays him any mind. Peter staggers around the bar, around leather booths, a small dance floor populated by swaying figures, an endless obstacle course of tables. His heart climbs into his throat. Ariel isn’t here. Maybe he went outside, back to the car. Maybe he’s feeling the effects of the drink more than Peter is.
As his panic sets in, he has to sit back down in his original stool. His gaze flicks from person to person, hoping to find Ariel by accident. A couple has become entangled in the window curtains like flies in a web. Some kind of drinking game is being played at one of the booths. One woman is spread out on a table, belly-up, arms outstretched, so two people can press their mouths to her biceps. If Peter focuses, he can see something dripping down her forearms and collecting on her fingertips.
The bartender leans into his ear out of thin air. “Hey. What’s the matter?”
“Ariel… Ariel is…”
“Peter!” Ariel lays his hand on his partner’s forearm. A wave of relief crashes around his ears. “Where have you been? Come meet some friends.”
Before Peter can protest, he’s being pulled along across the floor, up a set of stairs he somehow hadn’t discovered. The
second level is much the same as the first. More partiers sprawl around booths and tables and cushions. Something sticky has recently spilled on the floorboards.
Peter is pulled into a red leather booth next to his fiancé, almost onto his lap. He is introduced to three strangers sitting across from them and promptly forgets each of their names. Ariel halfdances along to the music, half-drinks.
The worry of the trip slips softly away. Peter realizes that he's smiling. He's on a trip with his fiancé, his sweet, handsome fiancé, who is smiling right back at him. They link hands. Peter toys with the ring on Ariel's finger.
He's lucky to be here.
Someone urges Peter to drink. He takes another sip. Then another. And another. He screws his eyes shut. The glass slips from his hand and crashes on the floor, and everyone roars with laughter at how funny it sounds. Ariel kisses him until he draws blood. Draws with blood.
They end up horizontal, somehow, somewhere. Ariel is drinking a neverending martini of house special and taking off his clothes.
Ariel was never wearing any clothes, because he looks too good naked.
Ariel borrows a cigarette from a stranger and brings it to his lips. The orange glow is supposed to be there, forming a halo around his mouth and lighting up freckles as though they're stars.
Someone is kissing Peter, although he can't tell who, and right now, it doesn't matter. Someone slides their hands under his shirt. He smells Ariel’s cologne through the stench of the bar. Music pounds in time with his heart. Nobody has any drinks to spare, and he doesn't want to get up now and ask for a fresh glass.
They were going somewhere. Peter was going somewhere. He can't remember. There are fingers in his mouth. No, there's something else in his mouth. Something is dripping with excess.
Sight has been rendered obsolete, until–
The red. Sharp, nasty, hangover red.
The red light grows brighter, harsher by the minute. At first it was nice ambience, but now it gnaws on Peter's nerves.
And someone is sliding their ring across his back. That isn’t right. He came with someone. He extracts himself from the arms of a beautiful stranger and hobbles across the floor, down the stairs, in the direction he hopes is the exit. The bartender's voice rings in his ears. He needs to find his car. He needs to leave. He was searching for something earlier and he can’t help
but feel like he lost it again.
His hands fumble across the wall. His palm snags on a nail, ripping a small cut into the heel of his hand, snapping him from unknowing pleasure to unwitting pain. Peter swears. The corners of his eyes fill with tears. At last, with greater speed, he finds the door and stumbles outside.
The night air fills his lungs like it's the first time he's breathed oxygen. He gasps, shuddering in the frigid cold, clutching his wounded hand. His tongue lolls out as though he could capture the scent of the woods on his taste buds and drink it all down. What he doesn't know is how he lost his shirt. He turns around. His car, headlights still blazing strong, is parked in front of a dilapidated old ruin. Moss and climbing vines attempt to tear the rotting wood down to the earth. The windows have long been removed of glass, black gaping holes where life used to be. A breeze rustles through the trees. The only noise for miles around.
Peter clambers through what used to be a door. A wave of nauseating stink smacks him back. A single beam from the headlight falls weakly through the threshold of the front door, illuminating a slice of the room. Blood has slicked the floor. Peter knows it's blood, because of the half-obscured bodies scattered like a fallen house of cards. At least two dozen silhouettes are frozen in time. Bites have been taken out of their flesh. Tooth marks are apparent, littering their arms, legs, torsos, necks. The wounds ooze, congealing and turning black. A severed manicured finger lies innocently at Peter's feet.
Grinning, blood smeared across his lips, Ariel is sprawled across the couch, eyes popping out of his skull.
“Hey,” he slurs.
Peter can’t get his tongue to move.
Ariel brings his bloody fingers to his lips to slowly lick. “What’s… the matter?”
Shakily, Peter takes a step back. “I’m– going– going to get help,” he says in clipped tones, because if he opens his mouth too wide, he’ll vomit. It’s burning in the back of his throat already, like alcohol. “I’m– stay here. I’ll find– I’ll–”
“It’s… on the house…”
Peter sprints back outside and tries the ignition in his car after several attempts of slamming the key against the slot. The battery is far from dead. He buckles his seatbelt, pulls out of the driveway, and continues north down the road. His hands grip the steering wheel, his jaw wired shut, to keep from crying out as blood rolls down the leather.
Milo Openshaw (he/him) - Bio
Milo Openshaw is a second-year student in the Creative Writing MFA at CalArts.
When he isn’t writing, he’s playing video games or taking a really, really long walk. Also, he may or may not be made out of seafoam. You can find more of his work online https://ihateoranges. substack.com/ or follow him on instagram @miloohno.
Viusals by Stéphane Marquet
Designer's Profile
INTERVIEW AND PHOTOGRAPHY: Isabela Costa @isa.chromatic
Taylor Hertz
XIVI seamlessly blends luxury with sustainability, standing out in the fast-paced world of fashion. The brand's philosophy, "Wear Whatever's Comfortable," appeals to those who value both elegance and ecoconsciousness. XIVI’s ideal customer embodies a refined lifestyle while maintaining a strong commitment to sustainability, seeking versatile pieces that transition effortlessly from casual to formal. The brand is a reflection of its creator's personal style, merging menswear and womenswear to create a fluid, cohesive collection. The designer's journey from bamboo to eucalyptus fabrics highlights XIVI's dedication to eco-friendly practices, emphasizing materials that save water and are naturally antibacterial. Locally produced in small batches, XIVI supports ethical labor practices and minimizes waste. The creative process is a meticulous blend of research, inspiration, and execution, resulting in custom fabrics and unique designs. Innovation is key, with features like the ‘Shades Loop’ showcasing XIVI’s commitment to functionality and style. Inspiration is drawn from everyday life, with the designer and her assistant constantly sharing ideas to keep creativity flowing. Public figures like Leonardo DiCaprio, Zendaya, and Billie Eilish embody XIVI’s ethos, combining style with environmental responsibility. Since its inception during quarantine, XIVI has evolved from a focus on remote work attire to offering a broader range of styles, including a successful womenswear line. Featured in Vogue and continually growing, XIVI remains true to its core values, blending luxury with conscious living. The brand is a movement towards a sustainable and stylish future, redefining what it means to live luxuriously and responsibly.
Read the full interview on www.vulkanmagazine.com
V Luck
Viusals by Stéphane Marquet
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