With style credentials in her DNA as the daughter of pioneering musical force Neneh Cherry (who, early in her career, memorably appeared on the cover of Paper magazine in a Kangol hat), and her own impeccable ’90s-inspired glam streetwear look honed over a successful nascent music career, it made sense for Mabel to try her hand at fashion. In line with her own playful vision, a slip dress and joggers with the Kangol logo look like something she would wear every day. The campaign, meanwhile, comes with a range of Instagram filters that transport the user to a retro-futuristic world. Here, the singer exclusively walks Vogue through the process of designing, and reveals her streetwear styling secrets.
What did you want from your designs?
I wanted to make something comfy but still wearable; you could dress them up or down. That’s always really important to me, being busy, and quite often having to go from day-to-night, and [always being] on-the-go.
Did you ever have performing in mind?
Both those pieces could be worn on stage depending on how you accessorise them. If I was going to wear the dress on stage, I’d wear it with a chunky shoe and loads of gold, just to make it pop.
Were there any surprises?
At first, with the joggers, I was like, maybe I’ll just have a small logo on the front and put the Kangol on the back. I was not thinking about putting the logo huge on the front. I was like, “Is that too much?” but it actually ended up being the way it looked the best.
Has it given you a taste for more design?
Definitely! It’s been a great opportunity because H&M and Kangol are both big brands that really know what they’re doing. It’s my first venture into this world and having support from them has been incredible. I love collaborating – when I make music, I collaborate a lot of the time; I like having somebody to bounce ideas back and forth with.
Tell us about the filters that have been developed for this project.
I wanted people to step into a different world. It gives people an opportunity to create their own music video. You have all these different settings that you can try, and I love the idea of people really feeling the mood of the collection that we’ve created. The clothes are a throwback, but the feel of the whole campaign is actually quite futuristic and sci-fi. My favourite filter is the game where you where you catch the hats. I’m literally obsessed with it, it’s so much fun.
Is a love for Kangol something you’ve inherited from your mother?
Definitely! I remember my mum wearing Kangol when I was growing up and, you know, thinking in general that she was not just a great mum but also such an inspiration – such an icon to have in the house. I was very conscious that she wasn’t a regular mum, she was a cool mum!
Have you inherited any pieces from her wardrobe?
I have a couple of pieces that she wore when was my age, which is such an honour. She still has amazing style, but, back then, her wardrobe in like, the ’90s to the early 2000s was unreal. I got this ’90s Alaïa bodysuit that I literally live for; it looks so perfectly tailored and still so fresh. No streetwear yet because she still wears and looks amazing in all that stuff – I’m sure that at some point I will [inherit it].
What makes streetwear look fresh for you?
I always like a cute bumbag. There are a few in the collection that are really, really cute. It’s my favourite way to wear a bag. And jewellery – I only wear gold, but lots of it every day.
What type of jewellery do you collect?
I have a lot of name plates, I have my name, and my dog’s name. I have loads of fun, kind of tacky, oversized hoops, some of them real and then some of them just plastic. I like to wear lots of rings. I have overly long nails and just stack my rings.
Have you been buying more in lockdown or refining your wardrobe?
I’ve been editing more. I did a big wardrobe clear-out in lockdown which felt really good. I felt like I was just wearing the same sort of comfy outfits and realised how little of my wardrobe I actually needed.
Any style resolutions that have been sparked by the editing process?
I’m dressing simpler. I’ve been wearing some oversized items, like in the Kangol collection, there’s really good oversized knits, and leggings and slides. I’ve just been wearing slides and keeping it very chilled.
Who gives you style advice?
A lot of the time, I will just get up and dress according to my mood. My best friend Simone Beyene is also my stylist. Our styling relationship is so fun and easy because I’ve known her since I was 10. We’re not afraid to try things and she’s also not afraid to tell me if something’s terrible, and vice versa, I’m not afraid to say this doesn’t feel like me. But that happens very rarely because we know each other so well.
Where do you usually get your inspiration from?
Definitely the ’90s – which is why this Kangol collaboration has felt particularly fun for me. That is definitely the decade that has always felt like such an inspiration musically, and in terms of my fashion sense, too. Women like Aaliyah, and when Destiny’s Child first dropped The Writing’s on the Wall, all those kind of visuals and that styling for me has always felt so fun and fresh. I definitely try to wear something that feels playful. I think sometimes people take things too seriously.
I wanted to make something comfy but still wearable; you could dress them up or down. That’s always really important to me, being busy, and quite often having to go from day-to-night, and [always being] on-the-go.
Did you ever have performing in mind?
Both those pieces could be worn on stage depending on how you accessorise them. If I was going to wear the dress on stage, I’d wear it with a chunky shoe and loads of gold, just to make it pop.
Were there any surprises?
At first, with the joggers, I was like, maybe I’ll just have a small logo on the front and put the Kangol on the back. I was not thinking about putting the logo huge on the front. I was like, “Is that too much?” but it actually ended up being the way it looked the best.
Has it given you a taste for more design?
Definitely! It’s been a great opportunity because H&M and Kangol are both big brands that really know what they’re doing. It’s my first venture into this world and having support from them has been incredible. I love collaborating – when I make music, I collaborate a lot of the time; I like having somebody to bounce ideas back and forth with.
Tell us about the filters that have been developed for this project.
I wanted people to step into a different world. It gives people an opportunity to create their own music video. You have all these different settings that you can try, and I love the idea of people really feeling the mood of the collection that we’ve created. The clothes are a throwback, but the feel of the whole campaign is actually quite futuristic and sci-fi. My favourite filter is the game where you where you catch the hats. I’m literally obsessed with it, it’s so much fun.
Is a love for Kangol something you’ve inherited from your mother?
Definitely! I remember my mum wearing Kangol when I was growing up and, you know, thinking in general that she was not just a great mum but also such an inspiration – such an icon to have in the house. I was very conscious that she wasn’t a regular mum, she was a cool mum!
Have you inherited any pieces from her wardrobe?
I have a couple of pieces that she wore when was my age, which is such an honour. She still has amazing style, but, back then, her wardrobe in like, the ’90s to the early 2000s was unreal. I got this ’90s Alaïa bodysuit that I literally live for; it looks so perfectly tailored and still so fresh. No streetwear yet because she still wears and looks amazing in all that stuff – I’m sure that at some point I will [inherit it].
What makes streetwear look fresh for you?
I always like a cute bumbag. There are a few in the collection that are really, really cute. It’s my favourite way to wear a bag. And jewellery – I only wear gold, but lots of it every day.
What type of jewellery do you collect?
I have a lot of name plates, I have my name, and my dog’s name. I have loads of fun, kind of tacky, oversized hoops, some of them real and then some of them just plastic. I like to wear lots of rings. I have overly long nails and just stack my rings.
Have you been buying more in lockdown or refining your wardrobe?
I’ve been editing more. I did a big wardrobe clear-out in lockdown which felt really good. I felt like I was just wearing the same sort of comfy outfits and realised how little of my wardrobe I actually needed.
Any style resolutions that have been sparked by the editing process?
I’m dressing simpler. I’ve been wearing some oversized items, like in the Kangol collection, there’s really good oversized knits, and leggings and slides. I’ve just been wearing slides and keeping it very chilled.
Who gives you style advice?
A lot of the time, I will just get up and dress according to my mood. My best friend Simone Beyene is also my stylist. Our styling relationship is so fun and easy because I’ve known her since I was 10. We’re not afraid to try things and she’s also not afraid to tell me if something’s terrible, and vice versa, I’m not afraid to say this doesn’t feel like me. But that happens very rarely because we know each other so well.
Where do you usually get your inspiration from?
Definitely the ’90s – which is why this Kangol collaboration has felt particularly fun for me. That is definitely the decade that has always felt like such an inspiration musically, and in terms of my fashion sense, too. Women like Aaliyah, and when Destiny’s Child first dropped The Writing’s on the Wall, all those kind of visuals and that styling for me has always felt so fun and fresh. I definitely try to wear something that feels playful. I think sometimes people take things too seriously.
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