The singer-songwriter has just won the Fashion Icon Award at the 2024 CFDA Awards, but what is her secret to success?
The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), celebrated for amplifying American fashion’s influence on the global stage, has just honoured music icon Erykah Badu with the Fashion Icon Award at the 2024 CFDA Fashion Awards, held on Monday night at Manhattan’s American Museum of Natural History.
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True to her reputation as one of the boldest fashion disruptors of recent red carpets, Badu took to the stage in a jewel-studded headdress and a Thom Browne jacket. With her usual wit, she joked that this honour was something she’d been hoping for since the age of six.
On a night when the final award was presented to Istituto Marangoni alumna Rachel Scott of Diotima for Womenswear Designer of the Year, the Icon Award served as a reminder of the enduring influence of the R&B, soul, and hip-hop singer-songwriter. Ever since her Grammy-winning debut album, Baduizm, in 1997, Erykah Badu has captivated audiences with her unique voice and distinctive style, cementing her status as a true icon in both music and fashion.
@grammys #GRAMMYRewind ⏪ At the 1998 GRAMMYs, #ErykahBadu ♬ original sound - GRAMMYs
Did you know that music critics have crowned her the new face of neo-soul? That’s right, as her style uniquely combines bohemian, Afrofuturistic and Rastafarian influences, which is evident during her appearances at exclusive fashion events.
The Dallas-born and bred star, whose first name is Erica Abi Wright, chose her stage name with care, drawing connections to ancient times. The ‘kah’ in her stage name refers to an early Egyptian term for the soul or ‘inner self’, while ‘ba-du’ is a reference to her favourite scat sound.
But let’s explore the elements that make her a global icon and have earned her this prestigious award!
A Basic Hat? Not Really Her Thing
Since her first public appearance, the singer has been known for wearing large, extravagant hats and headdresses—accessories that quickly became her signature style.
One of the most famous was the hat she wore during the Met Gala 2021, where Badu opted for a more traditional choice with a classic top hat by Thom Browne. She also sported a bolder version during the Marni spring-summer 2024 fashion show, which made her resemble a character from some childhood cartoon such as Alice in Wonderland, don’t you think?
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Would You Shop Her Wardrobe?
When you’re destined to disrupt the fashion system, opening your own shop becomes inevitable. That’s exactly why Erykah Badu launched her online store, Badu World Market, in 2020.
In addition to fashion items, the store features a variety of sections ranging from music to lifestyle. It’s a true showcase of the singer’s life, allowing her to share content and stay connected with her audience. This approach is definitely distinct and more intriguing than most standard clothing brands.
Ordinary Jewellery? How Boring!
Erykah Badu is known for pushing the boundaries of style, both on Instagram and at fashion events. She often opts for oversized earrings, rings, and necklaces, wearing them in unexpected ways, including on her teeth.
This daring, nonconformist approach to accessorising is a hallmark of her uniquely unapologetic aesthetic, allowing her to express her personal style fully. Whether on the red carpet or across social media platforms, Badu’s eye-catching choices consistently command attention, often outshining other celebrities and making her the undeniable centre of any fashion moment.
A brand that has captured her heart? Lillian Shalom, from whom she chose to wear rings that looked like claws – do others feel the same, or is it just me? Regardless of personal preferences, her unmistakable style remains iconic!
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Just two nights ago, as Badu received the Fashion Icon Award at the CFDA Fashion Awards, Chrishabana—a jewellery and creative studio based in New York City—had the honour of crafting a bespoke headpiece and septum ring exclusively for her. “We collaborated with Erykah on a headpiece inspired by the idea of a ‘global traveller’—someone who gathers charms, chains, and stones from all over the world. Starting with an AI-generated concept, we crafted this piece to celebrate her bold, boundary-defying style,” the brand shared on Instagram.
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The Top Brands Aren’t Letting Her Get Away
The talented singer has also collaborated with several prestigious brands, including Valentino and Marni. With the latter, she co-created a limited-edition collection alongside the brand’s creative director, Francesco Risso, which has been adored and snapped up by fashion enthusiasts worldwide.
The Marni x Erykah Badu capsule in a nutshell? A celebration of textured craftsmanship, hand-stitched leather patchwork, refined velvets, and shimmering sequins. It flawlessly blended Risso’s avant-garde vision with Badu’s signature neo-soul style.
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“With Erykah it’s been an immediate creative affinity since our first time together prepping for the 2022 Met Gala. Working with her brought me immediately inside the scenes of the movie ‘On a Clear Day You Can See Forever,’ where the lead character, Daisy Gamble, would make plants bloom lushly just with her touch,” said Risso to WWD when the collection was launched in May 2023. “She has exactly that same capacity, a drive for constant creation.”
Front Row, Not Just at Fashion Shows
Throughout her career and in her music, Erykah Badu has consistently addressed significant social issues, including feminism and environmentalism, making her stance clear.
Her deep love for the artistic community also inspired Badu to create a charitable organisation called Beautiful Love Incorporated Non-Profit Development (B.L.I.N.D.). This organisation aims to provide development opportunities in underprivileged communities, focusing on youth engagement through music, dance, theatre, and visual arts.
But that’s not all. Did you know that Erykah Badu played a key role in popularising the term “woke”? The term gained wider recognition through her song “Master Teacher,” where she defined it as being attuned to racial and social discrimination and injustice.