Wearing clothes is part of her job, but model Alva Claire finds joy in dressing for herself. This is immediately obvious from the outfit pictures on her Instagram feed and the ensemble she wore when we met for matcha lattes and sandwiches at Toklas bakery.
“I think now I’m more free with my style than ever,” she says, looking down at her miniskirt and Balenciaga moulded-toe pumps. “I think that comes with playing so many different characters at work and being open and not afraid to see yourself in a different way.”
Joan Braun
Joan Braun
Before we delve into her wardrobe, we talk about her soaring career, including that prestigious Model of the Year nomination (the winner will be announced at The Fashion Awards in December). She cites endurance and a keen sense of self as the key to her position in the industry so far: “I haven’t changed the way I think about things and the way I treat people is the same – I want that to always be the case. Also, I’ve never become complacent, I always know that there’s so much work to be done.”
Has she ever felt pressure to dress a certain way because of her work? “There have been moments in my career where there’s been this idea of an ‘off-duty model’, but it’s just never worked for me to pretend to be anyone else,” she explains. “It’s about feeling comfortable and confident to walk into any space or any room – especially for a model like me where you sometimes don’t even get recognised as a model walking into rooms. Even backstage, people have said, ‘What are you doing here?’”
In response to this, her own styling choices have become even more important: “It’s a very personal thing to make sure I’m coming as myself to everything. I feel quite different to other models. I hold myself to a different standard, so then off-duty me is different.”
The conversation immediately turns to a navy striped Comme des Garçons skirt she loves for its versatility. “I quite literally wear it three times a week,” she says, smiling. “It has ties, so sometimes I’ll wear it low, and other times I’ll wear it on my waist. I feel really good in it. It can transform, so [I can wear it] if I’m shooting all day then want to go out for dinner in the evening with my girlfriend.”
