Yomi Adegoke is living her dream life. Inside a luxurious hotel room decorated in 50 shades of mink, surrounded by a rail of beautiful gowns and rows of glittering heels, she’s being art directed by designer Christopher Kane himself.
The journalist and author of Slay In Your Lane: The Black Girl Bible is getting ready to host ELLE UK’s coverage at this year’s Fashion Awards, interviewing guests backstage in the bespoke Gold Studio by Moët & Chandon, a glamorous gilded space complete with Mini Moët vending machine. And she’s being dressed for the occasion by Kane, fashion luminary and four-time awards winner.
‘This is the crème de la crème of red carpets – the ’fits are always incredible,’ says Adegoke. ‘And getting to host backstage for ELLE UK and Moët is an intersection of all my favourite things.’
We gatecrashed the fitting to chat to Adegoke and Kane about getting red-carpet ready, and the importance of creating an inclusive space for young creatives.
‘I think of my style as cosplay’
Adegoke subscribes to the school of thought that everything in your wardrobe should spark joy. ‘I don’t really do staples,’ she admits. ‘I like everything to make a statement, to have a touch of camp and playfulness.’ A scroll through her Instagram reflects an experimental, exuberant style. ‘For me, it’s a means of self-expression,’ she explains. ‘In my spare time, I paint, I collect art, and I see fashion as wearable art. I like that you can’t put a finger on my look – I dress for who I want to be that day. ’
‘I don’t need any excuse to dress up’
‘I’m not cool at all,’ Adegoke laughs when asked about her approach to the red carpet. ‘My Nigerian culture loves any excuse to dress up. Sometimes I get invited to things and I only go because I get to wear a gown!’
Her glam routine focuses on skincare, with minimal make-up. ‘I use a cleanser from Fresh to wash my face, followed by the brand’s kombucha toner,’ she explains. ‘Then I layer on Votary’s Super Seed Serum, Dr Jart’s Ceramidin Eye Cream and Guerlain’s Orchidée Impériale moisturiser, which is absolutely phenomenal.’ On her party playlist are Afrobeats by Wizkid (‘Everything on his Made in Lagos album gets listened to on repeat’), NSG and J Hus. And she’ll be sipping a glass of Moët, a brand synonymous with the fashion industry and a staple at red-carpet events and catwalks around the world, from the late 1990s to today. ‘It’s a celebratory drink,’ Adegoke says. ‘Now I’m in my bougie era, I’ll definitely be popping open a Mini Moët.’
‘Christopher’s dresses make me feel beautiful’
‘It’s great when you respect someone’s work and then you meet them and they turn out to be so welcoming and kind,’ Adegoke says of her styling session with Kane. ‘The thing about Christopher’s dresses is that they’re so flattering. With some high-end designs, I know immediately that they just won’t suit my body type, but all of Christopher’s pieces made me feel beautiful. I didn’t have to apologise for having big boobs.’ And the respect is definitely mutual. ‘I’m a fan of Yomi and her work, so it’s a pleasure to dress her for the awards,’ Kane tells us.
Adegoke’s chosen look for the big night is a fitted black midi dress with cut-out shoulders and glamorous feather trim, worn with Neous heels, a glittering Cult Gaia clutch and simple gold earrings from Completedworks. ‘I’m very partial to feathers and sparkle,’ she says. ‘It feels very on brand – classic but not boring – and the bag is a bit of me.’
‘It’s incredible to see the next generation of talent, how diverse it is’
While they’re the perfect excuse to get dressed up, the Fashion Awards are also about raising funds for the British Fashion Council (BFC) charities, including the BFC Foundation, which nurtures design talent at every stage of their careers, ensuring the industry remains open to all. This year, Moët & Chandon hosted a reception for the designers supported by the Foundation, and Adegoke was excited to meet some of the diverse talent. ‘The landscape feels like it’s slowly but surely changing,’ she says. ‘I look at Black designers such as Bianca Saunders and Priya Ahluwalia, who are co-existing and taking up space in an industry that was historically so exclusive and opaque, and it’s incredible.
‘There are people who haven’t even finished school, who don’t even know that they want to be a part of this world yet, but when they do, they will be able to point to designers, editors, tastemakers who look like them. That’s important because representation matters. While there’s always more to do, I’m excited about the future.’
Kane is also committed to creating a more inclusive space through his PLATFORM initiative in collaboration with Fashion Academics Creating Equality (FACE). ‘PLATFORM is part of our pledge to support young Black and Brown creatives and ethnic groups within the fashion community through actioned solidarity against racism, inequality and discrimination,’ he explains. ‘In simpler terms, we make space on our social media platform to amplify the voices of students and help break the barriers of entry to the fashion industry.’
‘It doesn’t surprise me of him,’ says Adegoke. ‘It’s amazing as an ally to say, “This is an issue and I’m going to do what I can to change that.”’
‘My moment of the year – probably of my life – was selling my first solo novel’
Adegoke has had many moments to toast over the past five years – hosting the ELLE UK coverage in the Gold Studio by Moët & Chandon at the Fashion Awards included – but she says seeing her first solo novel, The List, spark a bidding war earlier this year felt particularly ‘surreal’. ‘I definitely celebrated with Champagne that night,’ she recalls.
So, what does she think her younger self would say if she saw her now? ‘I think she’d be proud because I’ve made it to this point by being absolutely myself,’ Adegoke says, adding with a smile: ‘She’d also want to know where my hair’s gone!’ And with that, she’s off – coming to a red carpet near you soon.
Go behind the scenes at the Fashion Awards 2022 with ELLE in this exclusive video, filmed backstage in the Gold Studio by Moët & Chandon
Shoot location: The Londoner
