Moroccan singer Abir has been climbing the charts for almost a decade. She looks back on how vintage pieces, closet finds, and outré accessories helped formulate her independent artist style.
“This was my first time shooting a full production music video, for Young & Rude. It was all the things I dreamt of as a kid, like getting my hair and makeup done and having a team focused on making my song come to life. It was extremely hot but I felt like a desert queen on the way to her throne in a dress and Chanel belt – both vintage – and Naked Wolfe thigh high boots.”
“This was late 2016 and at that point I was performing all over NYC. I finally began to feel comfortable on stage. I was still an independent artist, I had released two songs of my own, I was growing, learning, and things started to feel real. I’m dressed in a Mandalynn swim top and American Apparel high-rise pants.”
“This is on the set of my music video for a song called Yacht. We filmed it in late 2020, but released it in early 2021. It makes me think about the resiliency of creatives during the pandemic. We were inspired even in the darkest of days and able to make art to guide us through. On top of that, dressed in a custom latex corset, my favorite Ben Taverni leather pants from my closet, and Gianvito Rossi heels was hands down the most sexy and feminine I’ve ever felt in my life.”
“The cover for my second project, Heat, shot in Marrakech. I never in a million years would’ve imagined I would get to go to Morocco with a huge am to create art. This was a pinch-me moment. I was dressed in the most epic vintage archive Versace set and Moroccan bangles. I still cry to this day that I got to wear it.”
“I had just released a record called Finest Hour with Cash Cash and had the chance to perform it in front of 15,000 people at Coachella. It was an unforgettable experience immortalized in a full Adam Selman look, Opening Ceremony sunglasses, and iridescent Air Max 1’s.”
“This image reminds me of the hustle an independent artist embarks on to make dreams a reality. It’s the earliest photo project I can remember. I was 20 years old, studying at George Mason University, and using my free time to travel to New York City to work on my music career. My manager had just purchased a camera earlier that month and we thought of doing a shoot to figure out what my visual identity would be as an artist. We had zero idea what we were doing and zero budget for any type of glam team or stylist. I roamed his wife’s incredible closet, did my own hair and makeup, and took to the streets of Brooklyn in a Baja East sweater, a dress from India, and Stuart Weitzman loafers.”
Originally published in the December 2022 issue of Vogue Arabia
Compiled by Caterina Minthe
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