Beyoncé is about to change fashion... again.

The power of the relationship between stylist and talent.

Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter album cover via beyoncé.com

Introduction

 

Good Friday, 2024. Beyoncé releases Act II of Renaissance; Cowboy Carter. She officially crosses the border from Disco to Country. Borders of music, of course, but also the borders of fashion. The bond between fashion and the entertainment industry has always been there, but the 2020s are becoming the decade in which we, the audience, have been transfixed by fashion choices off of the runway. Fashion is being used as a tool more than ever to guide audiences along a carefully planned story – with the intention of finishing their journey at the cinema or a concert. Intentionally or not, when the link is showcased successfully, the audience is led towards a new perception of the world. Fashion is so powerful it can make or break the attention on the moment, either solidifying it in our memory of pop-culture or letting it slip by in ever-faster social media trends. It has quantitative impact too. According to Data, But Make it Fashion, popularity of cowboy hats increased by 19% following the announcement of Cowboy Carter with 2 singles in February 2024.

Arguably, the love of the audience is more impactful than critical appraise. Barbie should have won more Oscars, but didn’t need to in order to have its desired influence and place cemented in feminism. Beyoncé should have won Album of the Year with Renaissance Act I at the Grammy’s, but didn’t need to in order for it to be remembered as Album of the Year by her fans or the wider general public.

 

What is the magic behind this method of using fashion to propel entertainment marketing? In short, it’s the relationship between stylist and talent. Whether purely professional or otherwise, the stylist is so in tune with both the character of the talent’s era and the personality of the talent themselves, that they are able create and showcase this balance through their outfits flawlessly.

 

In this article, I analyse three stylist-talent collaborations and their impact, including Margot Robbie and Andrew Mukamal, Zendaya and Law Roach, and Beyoncé and KJ Moody. Finally, I use what I’ve learnt, along with recent runway trends to consider the potential for Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter style era.

Margot Robbie and Andrew Mukamal for Barbie

Barbie: The World Tour Book by Margot Robbie and Andrew Mukamal (immediate add to cart) via rizzoliusa.com

When a project like Barbie is to be released, just the memory of forcing my own Barbie to wear specific outfits only to change them five minutes later, is enough to know that the costumes in the movie are going to be something to look forward to. Before the promotional events for the movie started, Robbie had worked extensively with stylist Kate Young. Although Young developed many great looks of Robbie as a Chanel brand ambassador, Robbie fans remained divided between whether Young was really styling her to perfection or falling short of expectation.

 

For the Barbie movie, Robbie worked with Andrew Mukamal. The costumes in the movie itself were of course an impeccable tool for the story-telling but Mukamal and Robbie used each stop on their whirlwind “Barbie the World Tour” to generate immense intrigue for the next fashion choice. Yes, they mostly reimagined vintage Barbie outfits throughout the decades, but the impact of their choices to ask talent and creativity of certain designers to recreate Barbie outfits were second to none. For the LA premiere of the movie, Robbie in Schiaparelli mirroring the Solo in the Spotlight Barbie, generated over $2 million in Media Impact Value® for the brand in twenty-four hours according to Launchmetrics. That’s over twice the amount Schiaparelli earned after their Autumn Winter 2023 show.

 

Due to the SAG AFTRA 2023 strike, many related promotional events were postponed or cancelled. Mukamal and Robbie took the down-time as an opportunity to document the collaboration through a coffee table book, photographed by Craig McDean and with the forward written by ex-British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful.

 

I sincerely hope Robbie and Mukamal continue working together for her press tours, because their ability to whisk people away on a fashion fantasy, is something we all need from time-to-time. Both the movie and the press tour have been a nostalgic pleasure to witness.

Zendaya and Law Roach

Zendaya styled by Law Roach in Loewe for the Australia Challengers Premiere via wwd.com

Zendaya has worked with Law Roach for most of her career and in this instance, I think both of them being able to watch the other become masters in their profession, is probably what makes the visible, fashion relationship between the two convey such a consistent synergy. Zendaya’s recent films such as the Dune franchise have really given the two a chance to build anticipation and chatter for not only her acting performances but also her ability to demonstrate her own belief in the projects. In this decade so far, we have seen Roach style Zendaya through her Valentino and Bulgari ambassadorships all the way through to her current Louis Vuitton partnership. I think it’s obvious now – any brand with Zendaya as the face, is a brand that has a lot of attention on it. Through her career with Roach, she is no longer just an actress or singer. Her multi-hyphenate title will forever include Style Icon.

As for Roach, who has had a wildly successful career dressing celebrities and has appeared on many reality shows related to fashion, he now only styles Zendaya. Promotion for her upcoming movie Challengers, in which Zendaya plays a tennis star, has started and already the looks are probably earning the participating brands hefty amounts of attention. Is it a coincidence then that tennis-style is on the rise? I don’t think so. Data, But Make It Fashion, has reported that tennis style has increased in popularity by 80% in March alone.

 

This example of a symbiotic professional relationship is something I aspire to build in my own professional life and so I will always be looking to it for inspiration.

Beyoncé & KJ Moody for the Renaissance World Tour

Beyonce (from top left to bottom right, in Loewe, Mugler, MiuMiu, Tiffany & Co, then Balmain, Telfar, Pucci, Alexander McQueen), via fastcompany.com

This styling method is of course also trending in the music industry. Each album is a new opportunity to match the self-expression in the body of work, to the artist’s style; to flourish in their current version. Beyoncé’s hallmark in her music is to feature the world’s best talent either at the moment of her album releases or legendary artists that have influenced her work – examples on Cowboy Carter range from Miley Cyrus, who won her first Grammy only in February 2024, to the first commercially successful Black female country artist, Linda Martell.

 

The same can be seen in Beyoncé’s recent fashion choices. With her Renaissance Tour, Moody and Beyoncé created a fantasy in the same way as was achieved during “Barbie The World Tour”. Tour looks are an integral part of the story created for audiences to lose themselves in music. Moody and Beyoncé crafted their Disco-Universe seamlessly through collaborations with both legendary fashion houses and by spotlighting upcoming designers at the dawn of their mainstream success. My personal favourite looks ranged from the PatBo look to match her Renaissance horse to the Loewe bodysuits with the gloved hands. The Renaissance Tour amassed $187 million in MIV® with $10.5 million of that being earned for Loewe. Not insignificant.

Cowboy Carter

Beyoncé in Louis Vuitton by Pharrell for the Grammy's 2024 via luxferity.com

As Beyoncé enters her Cowboy Carter era, we are already seeing Western style pick up momentum. Those both interested in Beyoncé and in fashion are waiting with baited breath to see which designers she will launch into further stardom. So far, we have seen Beyoncé sport Louis Vuitton by Pharrell at the Grammy’s– his recent collection was a nod to the original cowboys of America and he produces on the album.

 

Beyoncé has never been a stranger to country style, from her Destiny’s Child days to hinting at this new era during the Renaissance Tour. Western looks have always had a foot in the industry door, so Moody has plenty of moments to pin to the mood board.

 

Here is what I humbly predict:

 

In terms of new fashion, I see Beyoncé collaborating ever-closer with designers who themselves have a deep connection to Western culture. I am referencing Daniel Roseberry of Schiaparelli, who is from Plano, Texas. Schiaparelli is known for dressing celebrities during poignant moments in recent history, for example Lady Gaga at the inauguration of Biden. Additionally, with the change in creative director at Chloé, the fashion industry is looking towards one of the only female creative directors working for a brand other than her namesake - Chemena Kamali. Her recent collection was extremely bohemian and free, and Beyoncé is no stranger to uplifting other women. She has most recently already worn Kamali’s Chloé for W Magazine.

 

Moody and Beyoncé will certainly also look to the past for inspiration. Think Cher’s Western looks of the seventies, Dolly’s pink power suits and big hair. But like Pharrell, Beyoncé will also turn her mind to the original cowboys. The Black population of the South and the indigenous people of America. It’s fair to expect to see Beyoncé spotlighting underrated or unknown designers in these communities too.