The SS22 Trend Report, Starring Joy Crookes
South London-based neo-soul singer-songwriter JOY CROOKES has cemented her place as one of the most exciting breakthrough music talents, giving voice to a new generation. Here, she talks to SHANNON MAHANTY about her distinctive take on SS22’s biggest trends, the magic of storytelling through style and song, and the catharsis of penning an album
Joy Crookes is musing on heartbreak. “When I cry, it’s not because I need that person, it’s anger at love itself. I’m pissed at love! I’ve known since I was a teenager that I am so prepared to love unconditionally, and I’m pissed that what I give out isn’t necessarily something I always receive.”
But then, she says, something kind of magic happens. “You get to the viewpoint where… you see everything for what it really is. That viewpoint is probably the most powerful place to be – as much as I might feel physically and mentally heartbroken, it’s often when my self-worth is at its strongest.” Many of Crookes’ songs are penned from the clarity of the mountain top, but just as many are written from what she describes as a “subconscious flow state”. She wrote To Lose Someone, a heartstring-severing ballad, “before I’d ever lost someone. I’ve had songs that have dictated breakups before I even knew they were going to happen; it’s like a tarot reading coming out of your own subconscious.”
While sharp lyrics on love, loss and redemption litter her debut album, Skin, released last October, to describe it as a heartbreak album does the record a disservice. Crookes grew up watching videos of activist artists Etta James and Nina Simone on YouTube, and their influence is noticeable. Beyond relationships, Crookes tackles everything from gentrification to performative allyship. Power was written when she was 18, about the inauguration of former US president Donald Trump. It’s a rousing anthem of empowerment; her voice soulful and urgent as she sings piercing lines like, “You’re a man on a mission but you seem to forget, you came here through a woman, show some fucking respect.”
With a top-five charting debut album under her belt (no mean feat considering it came out the same week as Coldplay, Adele and The Beatles records), Crookes is now making huge strides in the world of fashion. She’s landed campaigns for Stella McCartney and performed at the official FW22 London Fashion Week opening party in February, but what makes the Bangladeshi-Irish musician’s style so unique is the way she uses fashion as a love letter to both her south London and South Asian roots. Her Brit Awards look – a custom two-piece and hooded cape designed by her stylist Natalie Roar and ex-Alexander McQueen designer Kate Walker – was inspired by old Bollywood films and a contemporary interpretation of traditional dupattas and saris. “Natalie is my big sister,” says Crookes of her stylist. “She only ever wants for me to be able to tell my narrative in the best way possible, and she’ll make everything work for that.”
Bringing her own unique vision to SS22’s key trends, the pioneering musician and dexterous dresser shows how she’ll be styling them this season…
MODERN TAILORING
“I like experimenting with traditionally masculine and feminine shapes in unexpected ways, like wearing this corset bustier top over a shirt and tie. I wear a lot of tailoring; I really love a tailored suit. I think my whole fashion sense comes down to wanting to be a brown Audrey Hepburn – feminine, powerful and sophisticated.”
THE RETURN OF THE MINI SKIRT
“I was born in the 1990s and that’s where the essence of Y2K came from. This look made me feel nostalgic, feminine and powerful. I have a very British style; I’m really interested in mod fashion, and my dad was a bit punk. If you think about multicultural Britain, British people have always known how to dress up. It’s in the way we put ourselves together and I think that’s often informed by Caribbean and Asian culture, too – that idea of your ‘Sunday best’. Wearing crisp white socks with leather shoes and a pleated skirt feels quintessentially British meets ‘Sunday best’ – it’s the best of both worlds.”
BOLD BRIGHTS
“I don’t often wear bright colors – the brightness tends to come from my gold jewelry instead. I usually prefer earthy tones; I wear a lot of browns and greens, but yellow is my one exception. You really can’t go wrong with bright yellow on brown skin. This Proenza Schouler dress made me feel so powerful and womanly in the way the cutout shows my skin. My album is called Skin and I like to show some! This look would be perfect for an event or a dinner. It’s playful, and my stylist has definitely inspired me to become much more adventurous with my style.”
“You really can’t go wrong with bright yellow on brown skin. This Proenza Schouler dress made me feel so powerful and womanly in the way the cutout shows my skin
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GLOBAL CITIZEN
“A global citizen is exactly what I am. My natural instinct has always been to lean towards different cultures in fashion. This white dress made me picture myself on a beach in Tulum. I felt beautiful. I paired it with some of my favorite jewelry; gold is a powerful metal across the world, in Europe, in Africa, in Asia. I love brown skin in gold.”
CLICKBAIT ACCESSORIES
“I always use bold accessories to add color to neutral tones in a look. To me, shoes, bags and accessories are the cherry on the cake; you can use them to complement an outfit and they tend to be easier to style than clothes.”
MODERN-DAY Y2K
“I love this top by Indian-British designer Supriya Lele – it’s great to see her doing so well right now; her pieces are beautiful. There’s something quite sci-fi about the shape of the top. When you get a cutout right and it really complements a body, it’s quite empowering. Yes, it’s sexy, but it’s also beautiful. I’d wear it on a night out; the color is amazing and the orange leather on my body looks beautiful.”