Long Interview Jada Simone for Print
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Transcript of Long Interview Jada Simone for Print
8/7/2019 Long Interview Jada Simone for Print
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/long-interview-jada-simone-for-print 1/8
J A D A
SIMONE
Interview ALFIE JAMES GARDNER
FASHION’S FASTEST RISING STAR ON LIFE, MUSIC AND STYLE - WATCH
HER SOAR
Jada Simone is someone you cannot help but
be inspired by. She’s a character of elegance
on the murky streets of South London. Jutting
out above the ‘regular people’ of Brixton and
sauntering along indiscreetly in her eight
inch black patent heels, laced to the mid-calf.
I’ll never forget what Jada was wearing the
rst time I met her. (She changed her name
recently from Jade Simone-Li to Jada Simone
which “sounded less militant Chinese”)
A vision of gargantuan and Amazon-like
beauty, and character strength of an almost
overbearing scale in a pair of high-waisted,
black and white graphic printed leggings, a
black and gold Queens guard army jacketand patent black heeled Dr. Martens.
A wild forest of long mahogany hair
with natural auburn highlights sat upon her
head and her artfully painted eyes obscured
by offbeat black glasses in true Lennon style.
She stuck out like a sore thumb, but she
was the life and soul of the party. Attracting
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people to her cool ame and itting to and
fro in conversation, paper cup of quadruple
whiskey and coke in hand.
She’s well versed enough to make any
interviewer, even a friend, panic at the speed
of their shorthand skills; and sincere enough to
push the person asking the questions to tears.
She could make even a ‘social buttery’want to retreat back into their cocoon.
A freelance fashion stylist, iconography
obsessive and fashion personality on the up
rise, Jada Simone is constantly pushed by her
passion for the perfect world and the perfect
wardrobe. Amassing a small fan club across
the globe -Twitter users from as far aeld as
Japan, Mexico and Alaska are all eager to
read her thoughts- and with a plethora of new
projects coming up she is eager to let world
domination begin one giant leap at a time.
Jada’s heritage is a tough subject “I’ve
heard absolutely everything!” she shouts
“from Moroccan, to Russian, to Iranian. The
truth is I’m half Chinese; quarter English
and a quarter German”. Whilst Jada is a mix
of various heritages, her family life has not
“IT’S SAYING, THIS IS WHO I AM,AND I DON’T GIVE A FUCK WHAT
YOU THINK ABOUT IT”
always been so mixed. “My entire life, I’ve
felt completely detached from my family”
she admits “I never had a close relationship
with my three siblings, or even my mother.
It was hard to know that your house was not
your home.” She was never part of the typical
family structure, “I was the black sheep. They
labelled me as a freak.”
But Jada remains strong, and refuses to
let it get her down and be bitter about it. If
anything, it made her stronger “I thank them
for it. It fuelled me to be independent in my
thoughts” and the time soon came that she
learn to embrace her individuality in a family
that doesn’t truly appreciate it, she says “Then
that liberating day comes when you learn to
celebrate your indifference in this world.”
I have always appreciated Jada’s ability
to make the negative into the purely positive, but her talents lie much further than that. Her
work as a stylist is ignited by her fervour for
fashion, as well as her passion for all things
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creative and beautiful, Styling photographic
fashion spreads for magazines such as youth-
run LIVE Magazine. Jada’s work is edgy,
current, and creative.
She knows that in order to be unlike any other
stylist, she needs to channel her own unique
presence into her work, “My image is the
core of my soul” she says “but I’ve alwayswondered why the most creative geniuses in
the industry lack in a sense of personal style.”
She goes on to explain, “At the end of a
runway show, when the designer pops out to
bow to their applause wearing a t-shirt and
jeans it kills me a little inside. They present
themselves as so monotone” she says. “But
I guess with such an innovative mind your
work speaks for itself. You can hold your
crown high, no matter how raggedy your
armour may be.”
Jada’s own style, however, is what’s setting
her apart from the rest; slowly but surely
pulling her up the ladder of renown across
London. “Having a personal sense of style
is an extremely brave virtue in a person.
It’s wearing your heart on your sleeve, and
bearing yourself open for criticism”. In a
“THE WORLD IS TOO BIG ANDBEAUTIFUL TO NOT EXPLORE.”
world where people who express themselves
are stigmatised, it can be difcult, and she
faces criticism from everybody who explicitly
criticises her look “I have never let it get to
me though, It is somewhat heart-rendering
when being yourself is frowned upon by the
world but conformity is the jailer of freedom,
and the enemy of growth. So many peopleconne themselves to live within limits” her
thoughts are free spirited and powerful, she
says “I’ve found my freedom, so I know I’m
safe.”
If she had the opportunity she’d tell those
who would try to pass judgment on her: “you
laugh at me because I’m different, I laugh at
you because you’re all the same. The body is
simply a blank canvas for you to turn yourself
into a work of art. Hath no judgment on meuntil you have walked the miles I have in my
nine inch heels.” Powerful words indeed.
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Jada’s stylistic elements are a direct relation
to her love of music. Whether it’s her blacked-
out Lennon style glasses denoting her love for
the great man himself, or the black bandanas
tied round her wrists expressing her worship
of 90’s Hip-Hop artists like Lauryn Hill and
Snoop Dogg, music plays a massive part as
inspiration for her image.“I always say that music raised me” the 6ft
tall South-East Londoner says, elevated by
a pair of eight inch heels “A life without
music, is a life not lived. I have always felt
stuck in a past time, whether I listen to 70s
Rock n Roll, 90s Hip-Hop or 20s Jazz, I
have always felt a strong sense of nostalgia.”
Jada admits, “Music is love, compassion
and self-expression. Fashion and Music
allow us to express our individuality, and the
link between the two is not accidental; it is
inevitable”
Forgive the ‘cliché’ for a minute; for Jada’s
true source of inspiration lies in Stefani
Joanne Angelina Germanotta, also known as
arguably the biggest star of the 21st century,
pop sensation and stylist’s dream, Lady Gaga.
“Never in my life have I been more besotted
with a person. I found a sense of escape in
her art form.” Her family has a lot to do with
her love for Gaga, “I never had a role modelto look up to while I was growing, but I never
blended in with the traditional status quo. But
then I found a woman with so much courage,
beauty and gumption who helped me to erase
all of my insecurities”.
To say that the iconography of Lady Gaga has
been a source of inspiration to Jada Simone
is an understatement. “To her I am forever
indebted.”
She’s also inspired deeply by the work of Alexander McQueen, “In my eyes Lee
Alexander McQueen was the greatest
designer that ever lived. His style was a
mantra of couture inspired construction
and shape; It’s the perfect blend of dark
and light. Both romantic and ethereal, with
erce tailoring and beautiful gowns. The
greatest always die young.” she also loves
the strength and power of Thierry Mugler
and the almost ethereal and abstract stylings
of milliner Piers Atkinson. Jada’s inspiration
almost always stems from the concept of
power and gender.
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Growing up in the heady mix of London
nightlife, she frequents old school Hip-Hop
nights in Dalston, East London; as well as
throwing shapes in popular gay clubs across
Central London. Anything to appreciate the
true mix of different people in the capital.
To Jada Simone, hedonism, vices and
guilty pleasures are all part of the mix. “Themost peculiar characters who just so happen
to be on the borderline of insanity are the
most interesting people in the world” she
admits eagerly “I’ve always been fascinated
by these eccentric yet beautifully minded
people…sometimes delving into the deepest
and darkest parts of your mind is fun” and in
a city like London, where the guilty pleasures
of the world unite, it is hard to ignore.
So, what does the future hold for Jada
Simone? Only time can really tell. At
present, she is working on a project that will
unite young talent in the fashion industry
“It’s an empire that I’m starting to build. But
I shan’t go into too much detail about it. I
would rather my actions speak louder thanmy words.” She wholeheartedly admits that
she won’t truly be able to recognise that she’s
succeeded to her full capacity until she has
transformed the way people are, “It will be at
the pinnacle of my career as a creator, when I
have changed lives and made a difference in
the fashion world and our society.”
Jada Simone is relatively unknown to
those who live in London (aside from thosesnapping pictures of her on their camera-
phones) and only known to those who dare
to delve into the lesser-known, but highly
commended individuals in the underground
art and fashion world. All we know is she’s
set on taking over the world. One Thierry
Mugler weaponised heel at a time.
“I FOUND WHAT MOST PEOPLE SPEND
THEIR ENTIRE LIVES SEARCHING FOR,
THE VERY ESSENCE OF WHO I AM.”
Follow Jada Simone on Twitter at twitter.com/
Jada_Simone
All Photographs by JADA SIMONE
All Clothing MODELS OWN