EMMA DABIRI, AUTHOR, BROADCASTER + ACADEMIC


The Irish author, broadcaster and academic balances her PhD research at Goldsmiths with teaching, presenting, and writing for a range of publications. She talks to us about her wardrobe’s evolution and her relationship with clothes.
 


“I once thought I had to suppress my glamorous side to be taken seriously as an academic.”


When I first became a teaching fellow at SOAS, I was a young woman with all these factors working against me - misogyny, patriarchy, sexism and racism. I’m naturally quite a glamorous person, but I felt like I needed to tone that down in order to be taken seriously as an academic. I started dressing intentionally in what might be described as a frumpy way and stopped wearing makeup. Eventually, I realised that just wasn’t me. I don’t want to suppress a part of myself in order to conform to people's limited and one-dimensional expectations of who I am. I really admire Vanessa Kingori’s style. She’s inherently chic and exudes elegance.

“As a historian, I’m fascinated by vintage and period clothing.”


Growing up, my mother supported us by selling second-hand clothing which she imported to Ireland from the States. I grew up surrounded by the most amazing clothes, from the Victorian era through to the 1960s. I remember one room in our house was full to the rafters and I’d go to rag yards in Liverpool to dig through mountains of clothes. Now, I love anything which references different historical periods, like a dress with dramatic Victorian-inspired sleeves, or the clothes from my teenage years in the Nineties. I was a massive raver. I still have the dress I wore for my 18th birthday. It’s like a tracksuit, but a dress - really fitted and slinky, with long sleeves and a deep V-neck. I also wish I still owned my navy Kappa tracksuit with a fluoro green logo. I would definitely still wear that now.

“As a child, I was a really outlandish dresser.”


I remember when I was ten-years-old watching the film Who’s That Girl, starring Madonna wearing a red tutu and black biker jacket. My godmother had the red tutu made for me and my mum found a tiny kids studded biker jacket. So there I was - this little black kid with an afro running around dressed like Madonna. I loved it. But Ireland was a very socially conservative country and it didn’t go down well with the other kids. My second-hand clothes were something I was bullied for. People would make fun of me and laugh at my clothes, but sometimes it was more serious like being chased with threats of violence. As a teenager, I felt a pressure to present in a more conformist way in order to fit in. Now, I wear whatever I want. I love to wear the opposite of what people expect.

“I have what I call ‘emotional support clothing’.”


Whenever it’s gloomy outside or I’m super busy and fatigued, I reach for this sweatshirt given to me by an old friend from Ireland. It’s beige and super soft and it always brings me comfort. I find beautiful, neutral colours really soothing and reassuring. I also love pink - in every shade, from hot pink to blush. But my everyday uniform is a dress. I love them for the comfort - I find dresses so liberating, like my body feels really free. But they’re also easy and efficient and you can look really put together even if you’re a hot mess. When you’ve got a flattering dress on you don’t need to think about anything else.