Beyoncé’s iconic Coachella performance Saturday night was not only electrifying, iconic and historic — but it was also the personification of Black excellence.
As the first Black woman to headline the annual music extravaganza, Mrs. Carter was backed by no less than 200 Black dancers, a drumline, and was joined on stage by her husband Jay Z and her sister Solange. She than proceeded to blow everyone’s mind by reunited Destiny’s Child. Couple that with the fact she sang the Black national anthem “Lift Every Voice,” Swag Surfed on stage, and masterfully showed off the glory of Black Greek organization stepping and pride. Long story short, it was peak Blackness and we were here for every single second.
Another moment that folks might not have picked up during the over 2-hour concert was that Beyoncé and her dancers were clad in designs by Olivier Rousteing, the creative director of Balmain.
“She has such a distinct vision for fashion and for her music, I really learned a lot from this experience and from watching her work in those rehearsals,” Rousteing told Vogue.com.
Rousteing created looks for Bey’s Formation tour along with other major designers, but this the first time he had the whole show to himself.
Stylist Marni Senofonte collaborated with Rousteing to make sure that Beyoncé’s vision came to life. Rousteing told Vogue.com that the show was “all about survivors and that B was looking for something in a military style.”
Mission accomplished. The over-the-top ensembles ranged from fierce yet fantastical capes and bodysuits to cut off jean shorts paired with a yellow hoodie emblazoned with Greek letters Beta Delta Kappa — a nod to that Black Greek culture we mentioned. (We’re just trying to figure out when we can pledge)
Rousteing also shared how surprised he was at how hands on Beyoncé and her team were in the process of designing the looks. He even got some input by Blue Ivy and Jay Z.
“I think the thing I will always remember is sitting on the floor with B and cutting fabric. Blue comes in and runs over to B, and B holds her in her arms while talking to us about the cuts and silhouettes. To me, it was just such a beautiful moment because here you are with this megastar but also, she is a strong woman and a loving momma to her daughter,” Rousteing said. And went on to say, “Jay saw the Egyptian goddess cape and when B put it on, his eyes went wide and he was so excited, he said, ‘Oh, wow!’ That gave me a lot of satisfaction.”
And what continues to give us satisfaction is Beyoncé’s commitment to celebrate Black fashion designers. She has made a beautiful effort to rock designers of color throughout her career. Believe me, we have taken notice (see gallery here). From Sammy B to Stella Jean and a slew of other talented folks — Bey is about her Black designer life. And we’re thrilled to see that she made sure her historic Coachella (er, Beychella) performance was also blessed by a designer of color.
