The FW20 trend report, starring Griff

Prodigious might be a loaded word, but it’s a reasonable one to invoke when it comes to London-born singer-songwriter Sarah Griffiths, otherwise known as Griff. At 10 years old she wrote her first song, although she admits this innate ability lead her to shun grades and “the more disciplined side” of music in order to cultivate her own sound. “My earliest memories of music are from going to church each week – that was when I first fell in love with it and also where I discovered that music can be so much more than just a song on the radio; people can use it in a really powerful way.”

As an artist, the auto-biographical nature of Griff’s lyrics is one of the aspects that makes her work so compelling. “The message changes based on what I’m going through, but I always aim to make my music feel honest and uplifting,” she says. Clearly, it’s a winning formula: this year Griff earned a nomination for the illustrious Ivor Novello Rising Star Award – no mean feat for an artist yet to release her debut album. Of course, to guarantee success in the industry, performing is an integral part of the puzzle, and something Griff relishes: “It’s a different level of adrenaline.” It’s been almost a year since she celebrated a career milestone of epic proportions: her first headline show at London’s Hoxton Hall. “When you look out at the audience and hear them singing your songs back to you, there’s a tangible sense that people are actually listening to your music,” she says.

Like the rest of us, Griff’s day-to-day is looking more than a little different this year, with performances at festivals and a European tour being cancelled as a result of the pandemic. Griff admits she struggled at the start of lockdown. “I put loads of pressure on myself to be super productive. I was like, ‘I need to write my next five albums’. Needless to say, that didn’t happen.” However, she says this year has been eye-opening in ways that extend far beyond work. Growing up in the quiet village of Kings Langley, just north of London, Griff felt “completely disconnected” from her Jamaican and Chinese heritage as a teenager – “I was the only person of color in my friendship group, and often in my entire school year” – and she’s determined to make up for lost time. “With the Black Lives Matter movement erupting recently, it led me to reflect and see how much I have disregarded my roots in order to fit in. Now I’m at a point in my life where I’m ready to embark on a journey of self-discovery, which is exciting.”

Fresh off the release of her latest single, Say It Again, the soon-to-be sensation – and discerning dresser – chatted to PORTER about FW20’s biggest fashion trends and how she’ll be styling them this season…

Discover SS21's best trends and how to wear them now

“The thing I love most about this outfit is that the top is sexy but in a totally unpredictable way. It’s interesting to expose unexpected parts of the body; the side cut-outs are super interesting and atypical. I wouldn’t limit this look to a night out – I don’t really like to categorize clothes. Why not wear the most fabulous thing you own on a trip to the corner shop? It’s because I’m so experimental with my style that my signature ponytail actually came about. I knew when I was starting out that I wanted to make something about my personal style consistent to help establish me as an artist.”

“I’ve always been interested in fashion, but I downplayed it for quite a long time because I just thought it was something every teenage girl had an interest in. I’ve always had a strong sense of myself. When it came to defining my aesthetic, I was adamant that I didn’t want to look like every other pop girl. It was really important to me that my style was different; essentially, I didn’t want to wear a crop top, camo pants and fish-net tights. I like to indulge in more ladylike pieces from time to time. They can be extremely formal but if you pair them with edgy accessories or go for a less pristine beauty look you can put an entirely different spin on them.”

The season's most covetable pieces

SS21’s best trends and how to wear them