Cardi B on Fashion Nova Fits, Financial Security, and the State of Democracy
Cardi B is telling me about her new collaboration with Fashion Nova, but the phrase she uses most often during our interview is: "Get away from the baby!" It's hard to explain exactly how that relates to the rapper's new collection with the urban fast-fashion brand, but here goes. Cardi is working hard for us. "The audience, the general public, they don't hush, they don't sleep, they always want to see something," she says. So Cardi doesn't sleep either. She's a new mom, she's released or appeared on two song-of-next-summer worthy singles in the last month, and, as of midnight on November 15, she's releasing a collection of clothing for "bitches with ass like me," says Cardi.
So while we talk, Cardi is multitasking. She's watching her nieces, nephews, and four-month-old baby Kulture Kiari Cephus. It's 3 p.m. and she explains in between bites that she hasn't eaten since 7. "I'm sorry," she says, "I'm so fucking hungry." Even over the phone, I can see the woman who's charmed the pants off late-night hosts, has ascended to superstardom in the span of a couple years, and who Frank Ocean recently called a "symbol of women all around." She makes a point to apologize and explains the disturbances as her "germy" nieces and nephews try to get close to her baby before barreling back into the answer she was giving to a question.
Cardi sees her debut Fashion Nova collection as an opportunity to represent women of color in fashion. "I feel like a lot a high-end clothing companies, they don't cater to women like me," she says. It's also expected to sell out in minutes. But that's not the only reason for Cardi to celebrate. She's also celebrating that the Democrats took back the house in last week's midterm elections. "Now we taking over, baby, you already know what's good!"
So much is good when you talk to Cardi B. Below, you'll find out why budgeting for taxes is the key to staying rich, come to terms with lackadaisical Obama-era Democratic voters, and find the perfect jean jacket, leather jacket, snakeskin jacket, and suiting that's Belcalis Almanzar-approved.
How did your collaboration with Fashion Nova come about?
I really wanted to do a clothing line for myself. I wanted to do clothes and create everything, you know? But I've never been in this business, it's really new for me. So I was like,"Why don't I just partner up with Fashion Nova?" They have been doing it and they gave me a offer so I wanted to see how things go. Me and Fashion Nova we've been friends for a very long time. It's almost like a family thing and it's like, hey why not?
What do you love about Fashion Nova?
I like their quick fashion, you know what I'm saying? There are so many things that I like. When I was growing up they used to sell similar clothes to Fashion Nova but right now in New York City, there's not a lot of quick fashion stores and the real estate is too high for stores to keep up. Fashion Nova is also a small business and they deliver real fast. That and that it's fitting for my body. I'm a very thick and I'm a short thick girl, and not a lot of high-end clothes fit right. Fashion Nova fits my body to the T. It's like they know my body.
You've mentioned Fashion Nova has the perfect jean fit. Can you describe that fit in your own words?
They fit me perfectly. It fits like a damn glove.
What piece in the collection is the most you?
My favorites are definitely the jeans jackets and also the suits. Everybody knows I'm really good with suits. That is definitely me. And you know, I was really iffy about dresses but I think I picked good dresses and everything. Definitively the jackets though, that is really my thing.
What piece from the collection is perfect for Hennessy?
All right, so there's like leather red jacket that almost looks like crocodile skin. It's totally Hennessy, like it's something that I definitely see Hennessy wearing. And there's also a puffy jacket with a skirt that's definitely Hennessy. You know Hennessy is very like street style.
What piece would you like recreated as a mini version for Kulture?
The leather jacket totally. My daughter is so tiny and chunky. (Laughs) I can't even fit her in pictures 'cause she's so small and chunky.
What's it like moving from music to now design?
It makes me nervous because, here's the thing: I like to sell and I like to prove to people that work with me that I could make items and products that sell. I love Fashion Nova and I want to show them it's a look and I can move shit. I want to show the world that anything that got my name on it could sell, I can move it, and that's something that is very important to me to prove myself. That's why I told Fashion Nova that the brands got to be good material and it has be planned out. You cannot just be like a pig that is like "ha-ha-ha." That's why we been working on this shit for like five months you know.
How important is it to have a fast-fashion retailer that caters to women of color?
It's very important for a fashion retailer to cater to women of color because first things first: women of color, we are the women that got the most voluptuous bodies. I feel like a lot a high-end clothing companies, they don't cater to women like me. They don't cater to curvy women like me. I'm not even that curvy, I'm like, you know average, I'm not the girl with the small waist and the big butt and thighs but still. I don't like that and I feel like women of color are the ones that influence fashion. Whenever we name drop a clothing line or a brand people automatically want to wear it. When people see us wearing stuff in music videos, people automatically wanna wear it.
What were your influences for the line?
What really influenced me is things that I would like to wear. I also see things online that are trending. You always got to see what's trending and what's on right now. That's what influenced me like, what's something that I would wear, me, Cardi? What's something that my sister would wear, what's something that like I would see a celebrity be like, "Aight, aight, that's cool, that's cute!"
Who are some of your style influences?
Uh, everybody. (Laughs.) I like Lady Gaga, I like her style. I like Rihanna's style. I like Missy Elliot's style, Little Kim's style, she's always such a good influence.
You joked on Instagram about your Fashion Nova line, “Wanna know how rich people like me stay rich? By staying on a budget.” What other budget things do you do that are better than expensive stuff?
Oh, okay. Let me tell you something, right now. I am the type of person that if I'm not flying with more than three people, I'm not taking no fucking jet. Like, a lot of people be believing that like, I use to take a jet everywhere. You know like, let's say if I'm going to Atlanta, right? A regular Atlanta trip is about five hundred dollars. Maybe a thousand dollars if you buy the flight the same day. Why would I take a fifteen thousand dollar jet flight? Just to go to Atlanta? Let's say I'm going to LA, right? Why would I pay two, three, why would I pay sixty-fifty thousand? To just go to LA? I may pay thirty thousand to go to LA on a jet when it's just a security guard and me when I could pay literally less than six thousand for seats. That's something I budget a lot. And you know, what? I budget everything now that I'm in a certain tax bracket. I gotta pay a lot of taxes, so it's like everything I budget myself. I'm tryna make sure that everything is getting written. I'm making sure that everything is balanced out with the money I spend. It's enough money for me to spend and enough to pay my taxes.
The midterms just happened last week and you're a political junkie. Do you have a take on the results?
Yes, I have a take. I'm very happy that little by little we're making progress. To see that the Democrats are taking over that house, you know. When Obama was president I feel like people were so happy we had such a good president and he was a president of color. We were just so happy we forgot about the other branches. You know what I'm saying? So while everyone was happy that we had Obama, I feel like the Republicans were plotting like, "Oh, okay, but watch next election what's gonna happen." And that's exactly what happened. While we were so happy about Obama being president they were plotting to take over the House in the next election. It was the Republicans but we just won the house. Now we taking over, baby, you already know what's good.
You have your Fashion Nova line launching on at midnight on Thursday, November 15th. What else is going on in the world of Cardi B?
A lot. You know just this past week I was overly booked. I was so booked that my body shut down. I had to literally take a three day vacation away from people. I had to get away from anything like the studios and stay away from the internet because you know, I don't ever want to stop. The audience, the general public, they don't hush, they don't sleep, they always want to see something. I feel like I got to keep up with it but I finally took a small break. Right now, I have Fashion Nova coming out. I got my music video for my single "Money" is coming out. On top of that, I'm planning to release a new project in December or January. It's all going to be very good and amazing.
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