On the global stage, it's rare for an artist to be in control of exactly who they are, what they want to tell the world and how they present it, but PAPER's 40th Anniversary cover star Doechii is an exception.
Released at the end of this summer, Doechii's mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal ushered in a new era for the artist, graduating from swamp princess to storytelling queen — from guilty pleasure bop "Alter Ego" to telling her story in 19, '90s rap-inspired tracks. Along with this musical growth also came an evolution of her style, with the help of stylist Sam Woolf, who helped take her from South Florida trash-core to luxury streetwear prep.
"It comes down to the music, which was inspired heavily by the '90s, so that really was an inspiration for her style," Woolf tells PAPER. "The music is really intellectual. She's telling a story, and it's very poetic. That's essentially what she wanted her style to reflect."
As the year wraps up, Doechii has taken the opportunity to cement herself as a rising legend in recent performances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, NPR's Tiny Desk and Tyler the Creator's music festival Camp Flog Gnaw, wearing Gucci, Willy Chavarria and Miu Miu, respectively.
Shortly after wrapping up these last iconic moments of 2024, PAPER caught up with Woolf about working with Doechii to create these memorable performance looks.
How did you approach styling Doechii for these performances?
Our approach is very collaborative. She'll tell me the feeling she wants it to give and how she wants people to feel and react to it. She's very creative. These performances were nostalgic of '90s hip-hop, but we made it current in a way. It's about streetwear meeting preppy, like a sneaker with a skirt and a polo. It makes sense when you see it put together, but it's not the most like average approach. It's not like the everyday girl is going to do that.
What is it about the mix of streetwear and preppy that is speaking to you guys right now?
It comes down to the music, which was inspired heavily by the '90s, so that really was an inspiration for her style. It wasn't that we looked to anyone in particular. It's more about the silhouettes, the shapes, the fabrics that speak to us, and the feeling you would get from seeing things from those times, whether it be performances or music videos or red carpets or just everyday style. As she's known as a swamp princess, we wanted to use that forest, deep green, which is very much a part of her in her styling, but it didn't have to be so literal. Merging these rich colors that we've been working with, like deep burgundies and navies and greens and beiges and creams, with a '90s silhouette and aesthetic reflects her album and the music she was creating in a cohesive way. The music is really intellectual. She's telling a story, and it's very poetic. That's essentially what she wanted her style to reflect.
It's always so refreshing to hear about an artist who has a holistic artistic vision, connecting their visuals to their music.
It's the whole package. Everything creates a story, and everything is connected. When you're working with Doechii, she challenges you in the best way possible, and that's why I love working with her. You think, Where is this girl going? What is this girl doing? Where is she from? How did she grow up? What is she trying to tell these people? Everything has a story behind it: Those Gucci girls with the Adidas sneakers showed these rich, preppy school girls but cool, and their dad is the CEO of Motown Records. There's a history behind each look, and it's what we're trying to give and what we're trying to show. She will embody that character 100%.
To what extent is Doechii involved with you in creating all of these looks?
It's very conversational and collaborative, and it depends specifically on the project. For Colbert, I sent her pictures of various skirts, and she said the Gucci one really spoke to her. That was kind of an inspiration, and it brought a lot of things together. For Tiny Desk, a more intimate performance, we wanted to feel this '90s street element, but preppy in the same way, and making those two worlds meet and collide. She was wearing a tie, but it was still cool.
How has her style changed during your time together, and how do you see it evolving?
Her style has evolved with the way she's grown. Her new music that she put out this year was really vulnerable and personal to her. She's grown a lot, and she wanted that to reflect in her style. As you evolve and change and grow, you start to dislike things, and you start to like new things. We had numerous conversations about taking her style in a new direction and where we wanted to go. The main point was that this girl needs to grow up now. We were in this swamp, trashy-core world before, and we loved it and had so much fun. It cemented her as this swamp princess. But you grow and evolve. You let that era be what it's meant to be and you move on.
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Photos courtesy of Sam Woolf
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