She boldly imposes her elegant beauty on the catwalks of major fashion houses, but also on Instagram with 1.6 million followers. At 22, Didi Stone is one of those muses who not only corresponds to beauty standards: she shapes them in her own image. Ambassador of Unicef, she is also committed to changing the situation of young girls forced into marriage in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Spotted at 15 years old in the street, you now parade for the older ones. How are you experiencing this rise in fashion?
DIDI STONE : Like a dream, because it is – for the young black woman that I am – an honor to embody other colors in the world of fashion. I participate at my level in more inclusiveness in this environment, unfortunately too well known to be closed. And then I am happy to serve as a model for other young girls, who have the same ambitions, the same dreams as me: I show them that it is possible.
With your hat as a fashion influencer, are there any designers you would like to work with?
DS : I am extremely lucky to have walked for Jean Paul Gaultier, my favorite designer! But I like many other designers as different as the Schiaparelli house or Saint Laurent for its structured and minimalist side or even Rick Owens for its eccentricity… I am quite versatile in fashion. Deep down, I feel very Parisian, a bit at the crossroads of very opposing universes, but always refined.
How would you define your style?
DS : Above all, as a woman who dares to be extravagance while avoiding “kitch”, otherwise we quickly fall into “clown” fashion. But above all I am very demanding with the cut, the silhouette must be structured and elegant.
Your father, the famous musician Koffi Olomidé, is also a renowned designer: is a taste for fashion hereditary?
DS : I grew up between Congo (country of sape culture) and France. The way we dress is crucial, and I was taught to always take care of my style. My father, beyond his immense talent as a musician, passed on to me the pleasure of dressing: it is a way of respecting those around us in our home.
Is this also a way of expressing your creativity?
DS : I try to please myself above all, and that translates a lot into mixing styles. When people ask me about my fashion inspirations, I answer that it depends on my state of mind when I wake up in the morning (Laughs) . My mood dictates my clothing choices, because it’s a means of expression in the literal sense of the word: it’s all that’s going on in my head.
Was your father’s notoriety an advantage or a hindrance in your career?
DS : It’s funny, I would say both. I had a challenge to take on, that of standing out when your parents are famous. I needed to prove to myself that I was not a “daddy’s girl”. So this notoriety has, in a way, boosted my will. The obstacle was rather linked to the protective instinct of my parents who wanted to protect me from the harshness of this environment. They wanted a more conventional profession for me: doctor, lawyer, but certainly not model. The fashion industry didn’t necessarily seem serious to them, but they had time to change their minds, today, they are very much at my side.
Is your strong style the key to your success on Instagram?
DS : I try to keep my spontaneity and not take myself seriously. I’ve always shared my looks for fun. I think that my very personal posts touched, even inspired, Internet users who shared in turn. This community allowed me to make myself known to major fashion brands and to realize my dreams by becoming, in a way, their muse.
You are also a business leader…
DS : Yes, because you have to manage your image, negotiate with brands, but also support new developments such as the launch of my own fashion brand. The key is to surround yourself well. I rely on a very solid team: my mother, who is extremely caring, but also my agent, Mariama Barry, with whom I form a sort of buddy. She is almost a second mother! With them, I feel ready to embark on this very personal project. Since I was 15, I have dreamed of building something, of leaving a mark.
Who are the women who inspire you on a daily basis?
DS : Rihanna, 100%. The empire she built, but also what she embodies inspire me enormously. She is a woman who shakes up the codes, who stands out through her style and her character. She’s not afraid of what people think of her. I had the chance to meet her and talk with her, after posing for her Fenty brands (Fenty Beauty and Fenty Skin). This only strengthened my admiration.
What is the best advice anyone has given you for success?
DS : My father always told me: “Nothing great is easy. » A phrase that accompanied me a lot in difficult times, because it pushed me to surpass myself. And my mother, who is a woman of character, always told me “Everything passes” : a very philosophical phrase about life, which teaches you to take a step back. It’s not always easy, I am sometimes affected by the slander or nastiness that is rampant on social networks. My mother encourages me to distance myself. And this also applies professionally, because modeling immerses you in a sometimes very difficult professional life.
What were you exposed to in modeling?
DS : To certain agents who make comments about your weight when you are only 15 years old. I very quickly wanted to fight this injunction. I took advantage of my little notoriety to impose myself on brands as I was: with my own measurements. This is also why I love Rihanna: she doesn’t submit and she breaks fashion codes. And beauty too: Fenty Beauty with its palette of 30 foundation shades revolutionized makeup since it was followed by all the other brands.
What qualities do you think make a good influencer?
DS : Stay yourself. People often ask me for advice on getting started and this is my main message: asserting yourself with your uniqueness is the assurance of finding people who will follow you over the long term. There is no model. On the networks, you have to maintain your spontaneity and know how to face people’s gaze, judgment, criticism. In a way, my father’s notoriety had prepared me a little for all of this.
You are Unicef ambassador to Congo. How do you experience this commitment?
DS : I have always done humanitarian work in Congo, through small associations, going to see children and sharing my celebrity to launch appeals for donations. But when Unicef contacted me a year for me to become their ambassador, it seemed obvious to me to get involved. When we know that in Congo nearly one in three women were married before the age of 18, the fight against all forms of violence against women and girls, including child marriage, is a primary cause. Encouraging access to education is essential, particularly in preventing forced marriage. There are so many injustices to fight, this is the start of a beautiful story with Unicef.
