The SSENSE 2023 Year in Review
Twelve of the interviews, fashion editorials, and essays that lit the way through 2023.
After a whirlwind year, it’s often the things we saw, read, or listened to that demarcate the last 365 days. In this vein, the SSENSE editors took a retrospective look at the pieces that left a mark in 2023. From catch-ups with icons like Willem Dafoe and Erykah Badu to thought-provoking explorations of where the next great creative director might be or deep dives into subcultures like K-pop, the SSENSE editorial calendar has been far-reaching to say the least. Take a look back at some of the best moments.
Erykah wears Pleats Please Issey Miyake dress, Pleats Please Issey Miyake trousers, Issey Miyake jacket and Rick Owens sandals. Photo by Nick Sethi. Top Image: Willem wears Lemaire jacket, Lemaire turtleneck, Lemaire jeans and Lemaire loafers. Photo by Tom Kneller.
“I know my creativity stands out. I know people are inspired by me. I know I’m on everybody’s mood board. Now I’m ready for you to put me on your payroll,” says Badu in this profile written by Elena Bergeron. The quote epitomizes the artist’s inimitable strength of character, a running theme in this conversation that also touches on the impracticality of her numerous amulets, ankhs, and talismans, Blackness as the common denominator in the arts, and more.
Suki wears Y/Project jacket, Martine Rose jeans and Coperni shoes. Photo by Grace Ahlbom.
Over the last decade, Suki Waterhouse’s career has evolved from model to actress and, most recently, pop star. In this conversation with Emily Kirkpatrick, Waterhouse opens up about It Girldom and the process that led her to create her first album I Can’t Let Go.
Alex wears Jacquemus blouse, Jacquemus skirt, Jacquemus sneakers, Jacquemus bucket hat and Rick Owens DRKSHDW socks. Photo by Richie Shazam.
At just 19 years of age, Alex Consani’s star has well and truly risen. Across social media and fashion campaigns, Consani is a welcome regular fixture, and the model’s personality shines in this profile by Devan Diaz. Lighthearted fun sits naturally alongside important discussions around transgender opportunities in fashion.
Model (left) wears Sandy Liang dress, Sandy Liang veil, Christian Louboutin heels, Versace gloves and Simone Rocha earrings. Model (right) wears Bode blazer, Han Kjobenhavn shirt, Han Kjobenhavn trousers, Nike sneakers, Versace ring, VENEDA CARTER ring, Versace bracelet, Tom Ford tie and Ferragamo belt. Photo by Tom Kneller.
In July, we launched SSENSE Bridal alongside interviews with five couples who spoke about what love means to them. “Love makes me question and forfeit what I know about life for something better, for something that serves myself and those around me better,” says Ray, who met Robby on a dating app. “I showed up with three men and a bottle of wine and a couple of joints—that was on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the guy I was dating went home. On Thursday, Carl and I went out. On Saturday, he moved in with me,” details Denise, who met Carl in the ’80s.
Willem wears Tekla robe, Bode pyjama shirt, Bode pyjama pants and Bode shoes. Photo by Tom Kneller.
Ahead of the release of Yorgos Lanthimos’s Poor Things, Alex Frank caught up with Willem Dafoe to discuss the effect of Marvel films on cinema, whether Dafoe could stitch up a major wound, and what gives Dafoe his Dafoe-iness. “In our daily lives, we should be present, but we don’t have to be present. We get all kinds of ways to be distracted and all kinds of ways not to be present. But existentially, how beautiful it would be if we could live like when we perform, when we’re in the groove,” says Dafoe, in one of the more memorable answers of SSENSE’s 2023 interviews.
Model wears Wales Bonner polo and Wales Bonner skirt. Photo by Naila Ruechel.
Speaking to some of the designers who lead the charge, Mecca James-Williams explores the enduring and evolving influence of Jamaican style. With words from the likes of Stanley Raffington and Martine Rose, this is an insider’s look at one of the most important cultural shifts in fashion’s recent history.
Lucky wears SSENSE WORKS hat. Photo by Melissa Gamache-Rosales.
2023 marked the twentieth anniversary of SSENSE. To celebrate the occasion, we released 20 exclusive items from some of the designers that keep the cogs turning. As well as the designers, though, there’s a workforce that deserves some praise, too. In this piece, 20 SSENSE employees—and one dog—speak about their time at the company.
Kuntiana wears Simon Miller dress, Bottega Veneta sandals, Versace sunglasses, Paco Rabanne earrings and Jil Sander ring. Photo by Michael the III.
Creative mastermind and Beyoncé superfan Michael the III paints a picture of the artist’s record-breaking Renaissance World Tour through the medium of garments from the pages of SSENSE. Michael decodes the queen’s outfits and relives the performances for those that couldn’t make it.
Tommy Cash at the SS24 Marine Serre show in Paris. Photo by Swan Gallet/WWD via Getty Images.
SSENSE’s very own Steff Yotka allows a glimpse into the future of fashion. After Spring 2024 shows had ended, she ruminated on whether the next great creative director may already be sat in the front row. With the rise of celebrities holding high creative roles—and more in front-row seats than ever—it seems a foregone conclusion, but Yotka’s analysis of the contemporary fashion landscape suggests other possibilities.
Getty / Photography: KMazur/WireImage.
One of the year’s major TV moments was undoubtedly the release of HBO’s The Idol. The show, starring Lily-Rose Depp and Abel Tesfaye, acts as the anchor for this deep-dive into pop-star style by Anna Zanes. Touching on Britney Spears, Janet Jackson, and SZA, the piece discusses the things that we can deduce about ourselves—our desires, the things we covet—from the shifting look of pop stars.
Front row (left to right): Antony Antoniou, Adya Nevatia, Najia Li Saad, John Allan, Aaron Esh, Meatball the Pekingese, Rokas Rach, Osman Ahmed, James Parkes; Top row (left to right): Harry Power, Jamie Reid, Ana Viktoria Dznic, Ana Takahashi, Zac Klein, Calvin Holmes, TJ Sidhu, Fiona Hartley, Kat Austin, Jack Collins. Photo by Chris Lensz.
SSENSE Managing Editor Ross Scarano catches up with one of London’s most exciting young designers in this interview. Covering Esh’s Call of Duty play style, his first BAPE sneakers, and where he gains inspiration, the profile paints an authentic image of Esh’s personality, which shines through his label’s collections.
BLACKPINK’s MUGLER outfits for Coachella. Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Coachella.
This year saw a doubling down on K-pop’s grip on popular culture, especially in terms of fashion. In this piece, Hyunji Nam guides the uninitiated into the world of K-pop styling, interviewing the stylists behind BTS, BLACKPINK, NCT, aespa, Jeon Somi, G-Dragon, and others. In 2023, Hyunji also took us on a tour of South Korea’s best clothing brands.
- Date: December 21, 2023
