Wizkid Brings A Fresh Perspective To The Chanel Front Row
BY ALICE NEWBOLD
Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun a.k.a Wizkid has had one hour’s sleep when British Vogue calls him to debrief on the Chanel spring/summer 2025 show.
Up all night in a Paris studio – “I was built for this, it’s what we do” – the singer says his glam squad gave him a facial while simultaneously trying to rouse him from that all too brief slumber. “We’re hanging in there,” he laughs, already on his way back to London. “It has to be fun while you’re working.”
In prep mode for the release of “Piece Of My Heart”, the first single from his upcoming album Morayo, Wizkid maintains he feels great – blessed even.
Finding time for his Chanel family was a no-brainer even if his schedule suggests otherwise.
“It’s a brand I really love and respect, because of how classy it is, how chic it is – you know, it’s stood the test of time.” Growing up in Lagos, the Afropop star, who you might not remember rose to prominence on Drake’s “One Dance” back in 2016, coveted the Chanel bags of his 12 sisters: “It’s a great feeling to be able to style the accessories in my own way now.”
Modelling his take on a beret detailed with diamonds, the 34-year-old, whose real name is Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, certainly stood out in the front-row scrum.
“I was trying to go for chic, simple and clean,” he shares of the brown leather jacket he shoulder-robed over luxe black basics and his signature chains. “I’d hate to go somewhere and someone looks like me.”
Surrounded by Chanel ambassadors, including Naomi Campbell, Inès de La Fressange and Margaret Qualley, the polite songwriter put a modern spin on the brand that looked nothing less than refreshing on the last day of Paris Fashion Week.
While reluctant to divulge the details of the “bits and pieces” he bought during his favourite fashion week pasttime: shopping (maybe that’s the sleep deprivation talking), Wiz is keen to emphasise that his “style is always evolving”.
This idea of change feels apt during a time of flux for fashion’s foremost house.
As Chanel waits patiently for the arrival of its new creative director, it will do well to surround itself with individuals who don’t just see the brand as bouclé, pearls and 2.55 bags, but, like Wizkid, as a platform for “really chic, really confident” self-expression.
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