Angela bassett to michaela coel. When it comes to your personal style, zerina, what makes you feel confident and powerful . You know, i love a good suit. I love wearing pants, i love wearing long, lean silhouettes. And i love experimenting with fashion in a way that, even like what i like to call twisted basics, you know, which is really a classic item. So, lets say your blazer, Classic White Button downed shirt, but has a twisted element. You know, whether then its a double collar or, like, it buttons to the left, you know, and theres some interest that makes it really special and collectable. So i like to always experiment with classic, like, twisted basics. Camille, how would you describe your personal style . My personal style, i think its like kind of like yours. Its very simple, very classic, but then, i like something with a twist, and i always think about what the hairs going to look like. And i always, you know, i always think about whatjewellery im going to wear. So i always think about the jewellery, then i think about the clothes. Love it. I always think that hair for me is, like, the accessory. It is you could do a white t shirt, but that hair, you know. Exactly it allows your wardrobe to be, like, simple. Yep, iagree. I totally agree. And given that your world is hair, camille, how much time and effort do you spend on your own hair . Is it a case of, like, the chef doesnt cook at home . Well, i do spend a little time. Like, im going to say, im a wig wearer, but i have a lot of wigs. So i have, you know, i have a wall of wigs, and ijust go pick, and i do. Ijust work on my own wigs. And i actually do spend time for my hair, just to make sure that it looks good. Of course. Now, zerina, youve always been interested in fashion. When did you catch the fashion bug . I caught it. You know, i have to say, i caught it very early. Id even tie it back to the time when my family bought me that pretty easter dress, and then i never wanted to take it off you know . And i would kind of. They practically had to hide it from me cos i wanted to play in the playground with it all day. But id say really in high school, i started to experiment with design and really kind of put it to the forefront of what i wanted to do in my career. People in my school, they responded well. They started buying things that i was making, and i did a fashion show. And thats really, i think, what catapulted it being a real career move. What were those early designs like . I was just deconstructing and reconstructing clothes. Cutting stuff up, painting on clothes and things like that, and just kind of working with what i had. I understand that your aunt and grandmother were some of your. Are some of your biggest fans. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. My aunt and grandmother, they raised me. And i think i really learned, whether its like, you know, how to conduct myself in a Business Setting to just. Just loving unconditionally. I learned that from those two women. I think all the women in my family, to be honest, we. Ive come from what feels like a tribe of warriors. Warrior women. Right. Tell me more about the warrior women. How. . Yeah, they just. Theyre not taking any mess. You know, from anyone. And i think theyve all kind of grabbed life by the horns and led theirfamilies in a way that isjust really, really strong and beautiful and really inspiring. Yeah. Camille, family also played a crucial role in your career choices. Youre a Third Generation hairstylist. Did that mean spending a lot of time in the salon as a young kid . 0h, definitely. Being a Third Generation hairstylist is, you know, one of the things im most proud of. I have a big family, lots of Hair Stylists. And, like, when i go into a salon and ijust smell it, it makes me happy. Like, i love the smell of perms i love the smells of relaxers. And. Relaxers . Oh, yeah like, i love all the smells of the salon cos its familiarto me. Its totally familiar. And, you know, always, we had to work in the salon. So you had to sweep hair, take rollers down. You had to earn you getting your hair done. So, at the end of the day, thats when we would, our cousins, we would shampoo each others hair and get ready to get in the chair. That was the moment well, now i do everybodys hair, but we still. Thats what we do. We get together and i do everybodys hair. So. Thats beautiful. Yeah. And was it always going to be hairstyling . Was that always the direction you were going to move in, or did you think, ooh, i might do Something Else . No my whole life, i always wanted to be a hairstylist. You know, i always thought it was glamorous, its always something where. You know, you can always change people, you can fix people, you can alter people, their appearance. I didnt know i was going to go to hollywood and make characters, but it was something i always loved. And, you know, i have a whole group of friends, who were still friends, i grew up with. You know, we would weave each others hair, we would braid each others hair. Like, we were laughing the other day looking at some of the pictures of the old weaves and extensions that we put in each others hair. They were horrendous but we thought we were really. But that was, you know, that was in the 80s. That was the big, bad weave. I was going to say, where are you from . Im from tempe, arizona. Cos that also dictates, like, the hairstyles. Right. Exactly. So we had. Theres some funny pictures of some big, bad weaves. And the hair back then was horrific. So you would actually shampoo the hair and it could just draw up to your head. So, like, you know, there was. But we all had fun because we were learning on each other, doing ourthing, and, you know, thats what we did growing up. Well, lets talk about your careers. Zerina, you were beyonce� s personal stylist for seven yea rs. Firstly, how does one even get a job like that . Its obviously not on linkedin, or. They laugh. Thats true. Yes. You know, it was not. I wouldnt say luck of the draw, but you know that saying, like, whats for you is for you. You know, what god has for you is. . It was really one of those moments. I had worked with her Assistant Creative Director on some test shoots. We were young and just, like, wanting to shoot and create, and i met him through a photographerfriend. And one day, literally, i was having dinner, i made lasagne, and i invited a friend over and that friend wanted to bring another friend, which happened to be kwasi. And honestly, at the time, i didnt have a lot of money, i couldnt afford. I was like, i need this food to last me all week. I dont know if i can afford to feed these two guys. Afterthat, i remember just my aunts Voice Ringing in my head, like, no, youre never stingy with food. And i. So i said, you know, sure, bring him. And by the end, its just kwasi and i and were talking about our goals. And in the end, im telling him i want to go out on my own soon. I was an assistant at the time. And he said, well, you know, shes looking for someone. And im like, yeah, get me a meeting. Yeah, whatever. You know and he actually got me a meeting about a month later and i started. I did a trial for over a weekend. Wait, wait. Before you even get to that, can i ask, how do you prepare for such a game changing, potentially game changing. . I honestly didnt because i had been working so ferociously as an assistant, i was making money, i didnt really have that much time to. To really build a portfolio. So i did some quick shoots, i had some polaroids, some ideas, um. And, you know, i i pitched some ideas and presented it at the meeting. And i think in the end it was really more about the person, you know, like, can i be around this person every day . Its always about the person. Can i trust this person . Can i connect . Yep. And it was much less about. You know, they were impressed with some of the polaroids and things that i had, but, you know, you know, then we just kind of went from there. And what were you doing on a day to day basis . What does that work involve . Oh, its everything. It was everything from packing a vacation, you know, picking out what youre going to wear, maybe to dinner or to an event. Um. But that day to day for someone like beyonce could be maybe youre just going to dinner with your husband, or maybe youre going to a huge red carpet. You know, so its kind of being ready and preparing for, lets say, any curveball, any last minute event or, you know, whether its like a month or two out, you know, preparing for a big carpet or a music video. It could honestly, literally, be anything. And you created many looks for her, but one of the most iconic started with a hat that didnt quite fit. Yeah. Tell us about that. Yes, yes. The formation hat look, which was. I was doing a fitting for another project that we were working on and the hat, i was fitting with a fit model, just exploring some looks, and the hat kept, like, falling down. But the girl, id say, well, you dont have a weave. Shell probably have a wig or something, and. Yeah. Ill tape it later. Right, right. It will fit, right. Ill fit it later. But it kept, like, falling back and falling over her eyes. I was actually, you know, thats kind of cool. Let me just take a picture like that. And i included the picture in the photos that i showed to bey and. And she loved it that way, and ended up shooting it exactly like that. And that look of that hat ended up in the Famous Formation music video. That was such a Pivotal Moment for me, because, a it was one of the first big projects that i worked on outside ofjust personal wardrobe. You know, it really taught me and showed me that, wow, im in a space where i really get to contribute to projects that are larger than me. You know . Like, work that will outlive me. It kind of helped me develop my voice in a way, as a creator. Must be deeply satisfying. Ha ha camille, youve worked on some incredible films. Id like you to talk me through your creative process. Where do you start does it start with a script, a conversation . Usually, it starts with the script, but then i really always like talking to the director. You know, he or she. And for me, its always, like, figuring out what their aesthetic is. What they like, what they dont like. You know, and just figuring out all those sort of things. And then, also, start with the actor. Like, really. I always go through and look at, like, all the looks that that actor has. For me, im always thinking, what havent they had . What can i create for them thats going to be Something Different so. Thats going to put a stamp on this movie thats not going to look the same as every other movie . And, like, even looking at a director, like, what does his body of work look like, or shes look like . What does it look like . What do their movies look like . For me, do they shoot close up or do they shoot far behind . Like, how do they shoot . Like, do they shoot like. . Are they people who shoot very tight most of the time, or do they shoot wides . All of those things, to me, i think about when im designing the hair. Thats a lot of preparation and research. They laugh. Oof 0k. Um. Let� s talk about the logistics involved, because i understand, camille, when you travel, you have, like, 50 boxes of equipment that you go with. I mean, tell me about that. Oh, boy itsjust. Itsjust a lot of, like. Im a person, you never know what youre going to need. You know what im saying. Mm hm. So id just rather bring everything and the kitchen sink. So, you know, i bring everything. Like, i bring everything i can think of. Then when youre travelling to different countries, ok, then i need this kind of, you know, this kind of curling iron for this kind of electricity, or this one, or that one. And huge converters. Like, i have converters that. I love my guys, i love my guys in berlin, my. My transpo guys. They made me these converters. They are bulletproof, baby wow like, you will not blow up the trailer, but theyre huge and theyre heavy. But i have travelled with them all around the world, because it works. So, you know, people look out for you and help you do things, and itsjust part of it. Plus, i mean, itravel with, you know, vitamins and medicines and herbs, because you just. Everybody needs something and i like to have all the special things, especially if im working with, you know, sam jackson. I know the things that he likes. Like, you know, ijust always have all of those things in my kit, ready to go. Cos were here to serve, and were. Were dealing with people and individuals. So, you know, ijust love having the plethora. Like, people are always, like, go ask camille. She has it. They laugh. So i have it yeah, i have it. Zerina, can you relate . 0h, absolutely. I mean, from Nude Underwear and every shade, to, like, a belt hole puncher. 0h, belt hole punchers. Thats everything like, everything. Glue guns to extra fabric, new meshes. And itsjust like. Yep. The barney bag, for sure. For sure, yeah. Thats it. Now, zerina, you won an emmy for your work on beyonce� s visual album, black is king. Talk me through a couple of the outfits you created for that project. Ah oh, my goodness you know, there was over 100 looks, on beyonce alone wow which is insane. So some. Some looks they have the scene, right, and then we. We. We� ve kind of, the wardrobe, we figure out the wardrobe to work with the scene. There are other moments in that film where the outfit came first and the scene was built around the look. So its the cowhide, the beautiful cowhide look when shes sitting on the horse and shes in the burberry look. And we end up like wrapping her rolls royce in, like, a cheetah print. And then i had suits. Dont tell me how i found, like, 50 cheetah printed suits for all of these men standing around her, you know. So you got this kind of full, like, mono look. That was just, like, really, really funny. Very beautiful. Now, camille, youve worked on some iconic films, including Black Panther. When the film first came out, when did you realise how big a deal Black Panther was . Well, im just going to start from this. Originally, i didnt want to do Black Panther. Why not . Zerina gasps. No, im just telling the truth. I wanted to do avengers. Because in my mind, i wanted to do the biggest movie in marvel. Mm hm. And then, when i started exploring it, and i remember sam jackson said to me, i was like, what do you think about Black Panther . He goes, camille, thats going to be the biggest movie marvel ever had i said, you think so . He goes, girl, you better go over there and do that movie so. They laugh over there . Yes. You better go do that movie and, you know, its something thats changed my life. And ill tell you, i didnt really understand until, i guess, when it came out and the publicist called me from disney, and she goes, camille, can you please, like, answer your instagram and look at your instagram . And i said, forwhat . She goes, could you just look at it . And i opened it and, like, there were all these messages. And i said, oh, wow you dont usually get, like, that instant. Like, you know, that instant gratification. It was, like, instant. Yeah. Well, we have samuel ljackson to thank. They laugh well, the new film, wakanda forever, starts with the funeral of tchalla. What did that scene mean to you and for the rest of the cast . Because obviously, youre also mourning chadwick boseman, who sadly passed away in 2020. I think it meant a lot to everybody. And ill tell you, when we first got to atlanta, where we shot, ryan coogler took all of us, like, the department heads, and we went to chadwick boseman, we went to his funeral site. We went. We went to go have, like, ourown. Service, our own moment. We had the drummers there. We had. We had our own, like, service. Because we all needed that, because everybody was apart when it happened. So it was something i think was really good for all of us. Cos when i first got there, i was really quite sad, and i was really having a hard time getting past it. So once we had that moment, then it was like, 0k, were back to work, and were there. The new Black Panther film, wakanda forever, is centred around two incredible women. We have queen ramonda, played by angela bassett, and her daughter shuri, played by letitia wright. Talk me through the styles you created for them. How did they their styles complement the storytelling . Well, we wanted to get into, like, the West African Culture in the sense of, we wanted them to. If you were going to say a backstory, that they had shaved their heads in mourning, and thats what happens in West African Culture. So, what would that look like a year later . So taking that idea, and i was like, 0k, angela, were going to get rid of the locks. 0k, angela, were going to get rid of the locks. And ryan was like, are you sure . I said, yes. Were going to get rid of the locks. Were just going to go fresh. So keeping her in the same colour, but keeping her in a very crown shape, but like a. A 4a texture. And, you know, something that, like, uplifted her face and made her look really beautiful. And then, with the shuri character, what we decided, you know, in the first movie, she was the fun loving kid. She had. She had the braids and we had the shaved sides and we had put lines in it. It was a whole different movie. So coming into this movie, she is a young woman trying to figure out who she is. Like, how do we lead a nation . And she was still very much heavy in mourning. So we wanted to change her up. So we still kept her sides shaved in the back, we made a hairpiece and we did two strand twist on it. Keep it very, very simple. But its something that stills going to keep you in the frame of what we did in the first one, but still gave you that connection to the second one. Thats awesome. Yeah. Thats really. I have no idea. Thats so cool. Thank you. Lets talk about the pressures that come with your work. They laugh no pressure no pressure at all. No pressure they laugh zerina, a look can make or break an artist. Also, you need to make sure the client is happy, the entourage are happy, the designers are happy. How do you navigate that delicate balance . How do you keep everyone happy . You know what . I always approach styling. I think its a collaborative effort at the end of the day. Right . And i try not to force too much what i am dreaming about, because i dont have to bear that cross. I dont have to walk out on the red carpet or have anyone criticising what im wearing, per se. So. So when it comes to. And i dress a lot of women, um. Ijust think its important, at the end of the day, as long as. When they step foot out of that door and onto that carpet, they feel their best selves and they can feel confident. Their top isnt. They dont have to fuss with their top moving around. They. You know, they can just kind of focus on being beautiful and feeling good. So i go along with what theyre feeling. Good. Camille, being a head of department on a Big Blockbuster Film Must Come With A lot of pressure and responsibility. Youre working really long hours. And inevitably, there must be moments of stress and conflict. Oh, yeah. How do you manage that . Well, you know, theres always going to be stress and conflict when youre dealing with people. And i say this, hairstylists are like herding cats. You cannot do that. So i mean, were. Imean, were. Were. Were creative people, and, but, you know, and i always tell people coming from the salon, the difference is, when youre on a film, theres a lot of rules. We tell you when to be there, when to go home, when to have lunch. You cant be on your phone. And a lot of Hair Stylists who come from salons, theyre like, what . its a whole. But its a whole different get down. But if you can lend yourself and you can step out of yourself, you know, you can create a beautiful atmosphere. And thats. And thats what i try to do. And always, in my trailer, i call it a teaching. A place, its a safe space. If you dont know how to do something, thats ok with me. Let. Let me show you how to do it. Cos im great at. I love teaching and im open. And even people like. I love people. Like, if you dont know how to do something, if you know how to do it, hey, show this person how to do it. So its always a safe space where people can learn, they can grow. And i always love that people tell me, as artists, that they grow when they work on movies with me. So thats whats most important. When you look back at your personaljourneys, youve both had no connections, and you came to hollywood and you made it. What do you owe your success to, zerina . Id say my patience. Um. Being a Young Black Girl coming up into these very new spaces, often i was the only black girl, and i had to really learn how to manoeuvre in these spaces. Ididnt. You know, i thought i had to speak a certain way and look a certain way. And when i got rid of that and when i let that go, um. And i decided to sort ofjust be my genuine self, let my little accent come out, my little maryland twang. I love it. You know . I love it and that. Itjust let down a guard and it allowed me to really learn and connect with people in a very different way. Yeah. Camille, what do you owe your success do . Some of the same, some of the very much same things. When i really started loving camille and just being my authentic self and, like, speaking up. Plus, im going to say this, meditation is huge for me. Meditation. Ive been meditating for 27 years. And settling my mind and getting your mind right, especially in the morning, thats the first thing you got to do. Its. I would say thats so important. I mean, for me, i pray in the morning. And having that, even if i take a minute to have a coffee and walk around my neighbourhood and, like, just set my own day and have that. Exactly. That first few minutes for myself, gold. Exactly. Very much so. Obviously, not everyone makes it. It is a very cut throat, competitive industry. From your personal experience, what do you see as some of the barriers for women, and for women of colour in particular . Camille. Some of the barriers are, i think a lot of it sometime isjust not. I want to say maybe sometime not knowing the right people and not being in the right place. But even if you arent, i think you have to show up, and ill say this. People call me and theyre like, well, im doing this low budget movie, so theyre not going to get my whole kit. Theyre not going to get this. No. If you show up, show up every day with your a game. Show up in excellence. I dont care what youre doing or who youre doing. I dont care what im doing, im going to show up with my whole kit. Im bringing you the best that i got. And dont. Dont slack because it might not be a beyonce or an angela bassett. You never know, that woman or man who is sitting in your chair, they could blow up the next day, and you just never know. Be kind and do the right thing for no matter who sits in that chair. Absolutely. They say that, um. You know, an intern can go from being an intern to your boss in three short years. Ive seen it. Less than three years. Ive seen it. Yeah. Oh, yeah. So its important to be kind. But i think, you know, theres this space in the community where weve almost assumed that we. That the world is against us, you know. And i think the way that we walk into a room sometimes, we can often be on a defence. And i think letting that guard down, lets say, even if its something simple as theres now a new boss at yourjob, you know, and youre like, this person is not going to like me. Just start by introducing yourself, you know, on a just levelled playing field, you know, without it being that. Its just about. For me, its about first, just humanity, you know. Amen, sister. Yep. What can be done to increase diversity in the industry, do you think . Camille. I think people have to get out of their box. People have, you know, a box of, oh, i hired these people. Expand your horizons. Get out of your comfort zone. There are so many people in this world who do great things. Like, give people opportunities who might not have necessarily had the name. Like, i give people opportunities. People send me things to try things. Im like, oh lets give her an opportunity. Step out of the box and look in other directions. Look for other people beside your normal clique of people. Because i think the worst thing and the worst offences have been when you have people of colour and you have nobody in the trailer that they represent. Its not right, its not fair. And every actor who sits in the chair should have an opportunity to have an artist who can do their skin tone, that can do their hairtexture. And theres no excuse for us, as hairstylists and make up artists, in 2023, for us not to be able to do that. I mean, i also think its a two part thing. Because i think in those higher level Decision Making rooms, there needs to be more people of colour. 0h, definitely. And then, um. Thankfully, women like us, i mean, i always have, you know, assistants of colour, or. Me, too. Because it has to. You have to create that space. Its almost like an each one, teach one, you know. It is. Yeah. We have to take our hand and literally. Literally. We have to pull people up. Exactly. Yes. 0h well, zerina and camille, thank you both very much. Thank you. This has been amazing. Its been. Its been great. Hello. Storm gerrit has certainly made its presence felt across the uk, with a combination of significant snow, flooding rain and some exceptionally strong winds. Just a selection of the gusts recorded during wednesday and on into the evening. Wind gusts of close to 90mph in the northern isles. Now, on the satellite picture, this storm looks beautiful, this swirl of cloud here. The main body of the wet and windy weather is now sliding away northeastwards, up towards scandinavia, but low pressure is still firmly in charge. Lots of isobars on this chart. That means it is going to stay windy for many of us during thursday, and there will be lots of showers. Those showers heavy, possibly thundery, wintry over hills in the north of the uk. Across england, wales and northern ireland, some very gusty winds, gusting to 40, 50, maybe 60mph around some irish sea coasts, but certainly not as windy as it has been across scotland. Temperature wise, well, 5 or 6 degrees in the north of scotland, 12 or 13 in south wales and southern england, and then, as we head through thursday night, there will be further showers or longer spells of rain. Still some wintriness mixing in across the northern half of the uk with this Northerly Wind Kicking in. That will bring a somewhat chillier feel. In fact, i think well see quite a lot of rain, sleet and snow developing in Northern Scotland by the start of friday morning. That is a sign of things to come. Well see this showery and, at times, wintry, weather continuing to affect northern parts of scotland with a strong northerly wind. Pretty windy in other areas as well. A band of showers across northern ireland, into Northern England, something wintry mixing in here over higher ground, sunshine and showers further south. A slightly chillier feel to the weather on friday, and then into saturday, here comes our next weather system. Some heavy rain in places where we really do not need it. Some snow developing over high ground in Northern England and scotland. We could see some snow to quite low levels for a time in scotland. 5 degrees for aberdeen, 12 degrees for plymouth, and so low pressure will be firmly in charge of our weather as we head towards the end of the year, towards the new years eve celebrations. In fact, this low could well bring another bout of very windy weather indeed. So this is the forecast through new years eve and into new years day. It looks quite unsettled. Good morning, welcome to breakfast with Naga Munchetty and charlie stayt. 0ur headlines today. Storm gerrit causes major disruption from snow, rain and wind, and leaves thousands of homes in scotland without power. There is growing concern about a widening of the war in gaza after fighting intensifies across the israel lebanon border. The number of Young Children needing Hospital Treatment for a winter virus could be reduced dramatically if a new Antibody Treatment is given to babies. The valuable metals hidden inside the electrical waste we just throw away. I am at a Recycling Centre in gateshead to find out why it is so important to recycle more of our unwanted gadgets and cables like these. In sport, champions of the world trying to conquer england again Manchester City are back into the premier leagues top four. Following storm gerrit, still blustery. Sunshine and showers but could we have more wind, rain and snow this weekend . I will have all the details here on breakfast. Its thursday the 28th of december. Rail passengers and motorists are being warned to expect disruption and delays today after storm gerrit battered many parts of the uk with scotland badly affected, and dozens of houses in Greater Manchester severely damaged. Engineers in the north of scotland are working to reconnect up to 16,000 properties which lost power, but some residents in remote areas may be cut off for 48 hours
comparemela.com © 2020. All Rights Reserved.