We catch up with Beabadobee about fronting the SKIMS x Cactus Plant Flea Market Campaign

• Beanie Stolper: This is SKIMS’ first holiday collab tapping Cactus Plant Flea Market to welcome in the holiday season. It’s intentionally bold and a bit wild. Why did this feel like the right kind of ‘holiday moment’ for you to jump in and join?

• Beabadoobee: I think mainly it’s the mix of all the fun prints plus the comfort of the clothes that makes it such a cute holiday campaign.

• BS: There’s a lot of personality in the clothes which is very CPFM; graphics, colour, attitude. Was there a specific item or look that made you think, ‘yeah, that’s the one that feels the most Bea’?
  B: Some of the silhouettes were really me, like the pyjama shorts and long-sleeve especially. The colours and prints were all very cute and it’s something you’d see me in at home

• BS: Harmony Korine, who brought his signature off-kilter vision to this campaign, recently had his show ‘AGGRESSIVE DR1FTER’ at Hauser & Wirth in London which was a total hyper-charged, visual ride. What’s the best exhibition you’ve seen lately, here in London or while traveling, that made you think, ‘I need to work with them,’ an artist whose lens you’d love to shape a future campaign or era of yours?  
  B: It was a cool working with Harmony, I’ve been a fan of his work since I was 15. His movies and photography inspired a lot of my first record. Similarly, I was always inspired by Mike Kelly’s art. I had always loved what he had done with Sonic Youth and I went to see his exhibition with my boyfriend. I loved how gritty and wonderful it all was – his art always evoked feeling and that’s what I strive for when making music.

BS: There’s something about Harmony Korine’s work; the looseness, the grit, the slight delinquency. How did that influence how you moved, posed, or even thought about the clothes? Did it at a bit of an edge to very comfortable pieces?  
B: The casualness of the whole thing naturally influenced the way I moved and acted on set. I was comfortable and there was a super easy-going atmosphere throughout the shoot. I was a fan of Harmony so I knew I’d like the photos..

BS: The campaign merges playfulness with confidence which are two things you’ve always balanced in your music and visuals. Did you find any parallels between building ‘Beabadoobee world’ and stepping into ‘SKIMS x CPFM world’?
B: This was definitely me stepping into the SKIMS x CPFM world. It was their clothes, their props, and of course a cute Christmas theme across. The clothes did all the talking from the cute patterns and colours. Why I think it works so well too is that there’s genuine pieces that feel like me and I’d wear. 

BS: The line-up is this ultra-curated with the coolest of the cool, Kardashian-approved constellation; North, Ken, Mariah, Madeline, Veneda, Bobbi. What was it like being positioned as one of the faces fronting this campaign? What perspective did you feel you brought into that mix and did the lineup change how you saw your own place in that landscape?
B: I think everyone brought something unique into the collection and campaign – it was fun to be a part of it!

BS: The Skims x CPFM crew each represents a different corner of youth culture making the campaign equal parts pop spectacle and in the know multihyphenate energy. You’ve become a touchstone for girls shaping their identities through music and style. Did stepping into this feel more like playing a character, or turning up a side of yourself that fans don’t usually get to see?

B: I feel like I just turned up as me. I wasn’t trying to play a character or show another side. It feels important to stay true to yourself and be honest. It’s rare that anyone sees me next to a giant snowman, plus it’s nice feeling so festive so early haha.

BS: On the other side of things, when you step into someone else’s aesthetic universe, what’s the one thing about yourself you refuse to compromise; the non-negotiable Bea-ness if you will?
B: My hair and make up! Also choosing the clothes that feel most like me.

BS: Finally are you a long tartan pyjama trouser kind of girl or a cute boxer short? Comfort or cuteness?
B: Deffo a boxer girl and definitely comfort over cuteness. You’re always cuter when you’re comfy!