Erykah Badu 'Radical, Relevant, Real' for Vogue March 2023 by Jamie Hawkesworth AOC Fashion

Erykah Badu has been a doula for about 20 years, and was preparing for her first multiple birth of twins with mother Summer Walker when Vogue’s Chioma Nnadi connected with the certified Reiki master in her South-Dallas childhood home.

Walker gave birth in early January, with a major family team that also included Badu and her daughter Puma, featured in these images lensed for Vogue by Jamie Hawkesworth [IG].

Alex Harrington styles the photo shoot for The Second Coming of Erykah Badu, showcasing the four-time Grammy winner wearing a metallic Marni x Erykah Badu coat on the cover and other unique fashion artworks from their new co-designed collection. Supporting designers include Hermès, Loewe, Prada [worn by both Badu and Puma] Yohji Yamamoto and more./ Hair by Jawara; makeup by Melanesia Hunter

Marni’s creative director Francesco Risso found himself mesmerized by Badu’s fashion-exploration process as he talks the capsule collection made in partnership with the singer.

Risso, a longtime admirer, invited the singer to be his date at the 2022 Met Gala. When she accepted, Risso created a glorious Technicolor dreamcoat, “a throwback to a patchwork dress that Badu designed herself and wore to the Grammys in 1999. The updated version was comprised of hundreds of swatches of fabrics from the Marni archives, and proved to be the perfect springboard for their collaboration.”

“I was blown away seeing her playing with clothes, just jumbling everything up. It’s just so innate. With her, it’s not just about making music. She’s iconic because what comes with her is a lifestyle, it’s a complete world,” Rizzo explains with deep admiration for his design partner.

A Cosmic Shamanic Priestess

Those of us who know Erykah Badu indeed consider her to be a shamanic priestess of a higher order. Both her interview and video tour of her private spaces confirm that the spiritual persona suits her. In multiple aspects, Erykah Badu has always been lighter than air . . . ethereal and spiritual but also possessed of ancient wisdom.

If you remember the diminutive high priestess in her headwraps from her early days, then you can relate to longtime friend and collaborator, DJ and producer Questlove, who first saw Badu at the 1996 Soul Train Awards in Los Angeles.

“She had on the tallest turban I’ve ever seen in my life,” he says. “It was like she was hiding a three-year-old standing on her head, that’s how tall her headwrap was. I was just transfixed.”