b. åkerlund x erykah badu

dress + hat. Pipenco
shoes. Marc Jacobs
headpiece + necklace. Talent’s own
rings. Jovana Djuric

In the 25 years since Badu’s sophomore album ‘Mama’s Gun’, the multi-hyphenate Erykah Badu has achieved a rare but sweet taste of timelessness. The album brought an innovative zest to neo-soul that continues to bridge generations. Badu says she never doubted its potential. “You don’t have to be some special, brilliant person. You just have to be willing to do it and explore,” she says for her Schön! 49 digital cover story. “The role of an artist is to immerse themselves in the process because the thing itself is actually not the art. The art is the doing: it’s the taking part and the figuring it out.”

The award-winner’s warm greeting and gentle tone reveal an endearing softness behind the enigma of the legendary Badu – also known as Lo Down Loretta Brown, Badulla Oblongata and Analog Girl in a Digital World. These are just a few of her signature monikers, which she uses as a canvas to create. “Names are like clothing to me,” she explains. “It’s just an aesthetic that goes along with whatever piece of art I’m making. To come up with a name, with an imaginative description, is as creative as making a song.” Badu lives her life like a painter without lines and a poet without limits. Every aspect of her lifestyle is a manifestation of her art. “I have a very strong relationship with source, nature and technology, which are all the same to me. My strength comes from my practice,” she tells us. 

Read Erykah Badu‘s digital cover story now in Schön! 49.

top. Marc Jacobs
hat. Lorenzo Seghezzi
opposite
top. Marc Jacobs
skirt. Shriya Myneni
headpiece. Talent’s own

coat. KidSuper
shirt. Proenza Schouler
hat. New York Vintage

Get your print copy of Schön! 49 at Amazon Globally, Amazon Germany, Amazon France, Amazon Italy, Amazon Spain, Amazon Netherlands, Amazon Poland, Amazon Belgium, Amazon Sweden and the UK Schön! store.

Download your favourite cover now at the Schön! store.

This Schön! 49 digital cover story is produced by

photography. Tyler Patrick Kenny
creative direction, fashion + talent. Erykah Badu
co-styling. Ayumi Perry @ Opus Beauty
hair. Yasmin Amira Davis
make up. Amanda Wilson @ A-Frame Agency
nails. Juan Alvear @ Opus Beauty
videography. Simone Holland
first fashion assistsant. Franceleslia Millien
fashion assistants. Angelina Khyan, Christelle Sylvain, Dayshawn Bolling + Mark Mankarious
executive production. Danielle Hawkins + Arielle Stevenson
production. Tunnel Media Group
location. Contra Studios
words. Shama Nasinde

corset + pearls. Contessa Miseria Archivio
skirt. Roberto Cavalli
gloves. Giorgio Armani

Refine, reframed, reimagined in this Schön! editorial featuring photography by Cristiano Temporin with fashion by Ekin Ulusoy who styles model Franka Charlotte Braun in looks by Contessa Miseria Archivio, Roberto Cavalli, Giorgio Armani, and others, with hair and make up by Francesca Foti.

dress. Hyperempty
shoes. Prada
opposite
shirt. Gucci

bra, headpiece + gloves. Contessa Miseria Archivio
skirt. Prada
opposite
dress, knitwear + underwear. Yoana Dimitrova
gloves. Contessa Miseria Archivio

corset, bolero, shoes + pearls. Random Styling Archive
skirt. Uniqlo
opposite
corset + dress. Paula La Croix

corset, bolero + pearls. Random Styling Archive
skirt. Uniqlo
opposite
dress. Hyperempty

photography. Cristiano Temporin
fashion. Ekin Ulusoy
model. Franka Charlotte Braun @ ABC Models Milan
hair + make up. Francesca Foti
photography assistant. Evgenii Kovtun

dress. RVNG Couture

For Vivian Jenna Wilson, ‘activist’ isn’t a label she’s looking to try on per se. Yet, as a young trans woman coming to terms with Trump America 2.0, staying silent isn’t an option. While she’s set her sights on a modelling career as she made her Paris Fashion Week debut this season at Vivienne Westwood and Ottolinger, it’s her unwavering commitment to advocating for trans rights, access to free healthcare and more equal wealth distribution that’s turning heads. “I don’t really care if people call me an activist or not,” she says for her Schön! 49 digital cover story. “I advocate for trans rights, because that’s something I need to do… You have to be political as a trans person.”

Read the full interview in Schön! 49.

full look. Erik Charlotte
opposite
dress. Melitta Baumeister
shoes. Jeffrey Campbell

top. Posse
necklace. Mondo Mondo

Get your print copy of Schön! 49 at Amazon Globally, Amazon Germany, Amazon France, Amazon Italy, Amazon Spain, Amazon Netherlands, Amazon Poland, Amazon Belgium, Amazon Sweden and the UK Schön! store.

Download your favourite cover now at the Schön! store.

photography. Alex Justice
fashion. Daisy Stackpole @ Artists Collective Management
talent. Vivian Jenna Wilson
casting. Emma Fleming
hair. Kelly Peach @ Walter Schupfer Management using Oribe
make up. Pircilla Pae @ A-Frame Agency using Byredo
photography assistant. Sadie Pezzano
fashion assistant. Julia Poersch
production. Clara La Rosa
production assistant. Cassidy Cocke
words. Katie Shuff