Creative Director Genesis Webb Takes Us Behind the Scenes of Chappell Roan’s VMA Takeover

Few designers today do it like Genesis Webb, the Oklahoma-born architect who designed Chappell Roan’s vibrant, kitschy, and utterly original aesthetic. As expected, InterviewThe September star delivered another unforgettable moment at this week’s MTV Video Music Awards, where she took home the award for Best New Artist and also took us back to medieval times with her medley performance of “Red Wine Supernova,” “Good Luck, Babe!” and “Hot to Go!” After the show, we called up her right hand to talk about the return of camp, what it’s like Really as if she was a Hollywood stylist and how she transformed Chappell into our knight in shining armor.

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JULIAN RIBEIRO: Congratulations on this exceptional week. How are you feeling right now?

GENESIS WEBB: I feel really good, relieved. It was an accomplishment, for sure. Definitely the greatest thing I’ve ever done. One of the best, if not the best. THE The best performances were at the VMAs. It was one of those events that made us say if we’re going to do it, we’re going to do it with a bang.

RIBEIRO: Well, you guys really killed the VMAs. It’s incredible. Baldur’s Gate 3 if they killed.

WEBB: Thank you.

RIBEIRO: I think everyone expected something big, and it was. As you said, the VMAs are all about performances and moments that people look back on later. How was the process of preparing for a project with so many moving parts?

WEBB: Well, Chappell wanted to do a “knight.” But I’ll be honest, his outfit changed three times because of fire regulations. The initial rendering of what everyone thought was literally impossible to do, which ended up being divine intervention because I didn’t want to change anything. With something that big, you think about the big picture and you put your ego aside. The first thought was never how it was going to turn out. It’s impossible. We just went with the flow.

RIBEIRO: 100%. It’s a never-ending pyramid of things to manage, but it seemed crazy. Can we talk a little bit about the process of developing these big events?

WEBB: Yeah. I wanted the whole night to be a performance, like I did. [Chappell]. It didn’t matter that she was nominated, I wanted it to be a moment. And thank God she won the award. I had the [Paco] Rabanne had been ready to go for months and months. She wanted a red carpet dress instead. So it was about creating this story. She’s going out with a knight, she looks very feminine and soft. The knight rolls out a carpet for her to stand on. It was an intensely theatrical moment that showed her femininity, but also the power that she has. The knight gives her the sword, and she gives it back to him. And then the actual performance where she becomes the knight and accepts the award. It’s a dress made of beautiful silver plates that look like a knight, but it’s also a very feminine outfit.

RIBEIRO: I’ve thought about this a lot, but I feel like these moments work best with “storytelling.” I say that in quotes, but with small-scale world-building. I’m curious to know what you think about the importance of storytelling through fashion.

WEBB: I think it’s everything. Especially with musicians, because the stage itself can be very restrictive. You don’t really get to show your world on stage unless you have really crazy budgets. I think for her, and she knows this too, costumes are very important. It allows the audience to be transported to a different world. Everyone’s trying to escape, and it’s nice to have so many different options. I think Charli XCX also talked about world building, and icons being icons because of the world they create. And I agree, that’s everything when it comes to longevity. Film, to me, is the most important art form. So we’re just trying to create miniature versions of that, right?

RIBEIRO: Yes. I feel like it also works because we live in a very dynamic visual culture today, where we see so many images and children interact with art from everywhere and from all decades. It’s not enough to wear a beautiful dress anymore. You have to show us fantasy.

WEBB: Well, we go back to maximalism, which I love. I know a lot of people say that what Chappell and I do isn’t necessarily “fashion,” because she doesn’t even really wear designer clothes. I’m never going to do it if it doesn’t make sense, and I don’t care about the money. Neither of us cares. I don’t care about selling things to people. All we want to do is make art the way we want to make it. I don’t really want to play the game.

RIBEIRO: Yes, most people don’t know much about how the business side of this works. It’s a complex web of months of negotiations, emails and numbers.

WEBB: 100 percent. But it’s going in a new direction. I feel like people are pulling back. I feel like designers and houses are also moving in that direction and showing theater on the runway. Even in the next couple of seasons, I feel like we’re going to see some really incredible shows and pieces.

RIBEIRO: Yeah. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this because I was talking to Dara, our fashion director, and I asked her, “Do people know that camp is back?” Kids respond to these kitschy images. That’s what they like. Does my little brother think it’s cool that someone is wearing the X brand? He doesn’t recognize them, but he can understand that Chappell Roan is a knight, and that’s great. That visual moment is going to communicate so much more.

WEBB: Yeah. Camp is back. It makes fashion a niche, secretive thing. I don’t think you have to know a long list of brands to be interested in fashion. Because at the end of the day, none of these kids know about this brand. But they can recognize if it is a show.

RIBEIRO: There are certainly young people who look at your projects from the last year with Chappell and who will perhaps think more critically about clothing, image-making, and art. What is it like to establish a visual legacy?

WEBB: I think I try not to think about it because I get too emotional and I panic too. I grew up in Oklahoma and I would look for anything. I would sit in my room all day and skip school and watch Downward spiral movies and Party Monster And Threaded. I was looking for a life as exciting as mine, and it gave me a reason to try to do more. So to be that for someone would be amazing. I started from nothing. There’s no reason why I’m in this situation right now, other than the fact that I refused to do anything else. I refused to work a 9-to-5 job. I got a throat tattoo. If I had to live in my car, I would die for it. And I tell everybody: if you’re willing to die for it, then you’ll have it. If you’re not going to die for it, then you might as well do something else.

RIBEIRO: Absolutely. Oh well. I would like to know what your daily life is like.

WEBB: Yeah, it’s definitely changed. I recently hired an assistant and it’s been really cool. I’m just trying to build a real team because I don’t know everything. I still have a lot to learn from people who have been doing this a lot longer than me. I’ve reached out to a lot of people, mentors if you will. But it’s weird, because I feel like in fashion, everyone wants a piece of the pie. So getting help from other people is hard. Which is fine, I get that. But I’m trying to learn more as quickly as I can, so that’s really what my days are like. I just want to do better, be better, learn more, and try not to disappoint anyone. Being a stylist is the dirtiest job creatively, I think, in the industry. The shipping, the number of packages, the recording, the checking. And if you lose something, it’s $20,000. Where do you think this money comes from?

RIBEIRO: I don’t think most people have a clear idea of ​​what the job entails. A lot of people say, “I’m a stylist because I know what would look good on you.” And other people say, “No, you’re a stylist because you’re talking to someone’s PR person at 3 a.m. and asking, ‘Where’s the dress?’ ‘Does anyone have any duct tape?'”

WEBB: No, I always carry a roll of duct tape with me. I taped a bitch right before the Coachella stage because her latex catsuit tore. Stylists are mean because their lives are hell, so it’s okay. I know they don’t get a fucking vacation, they’re on their phones 24/7, and they probably don’t sleep.

RIBEIRO: Does this feel like a trial by fire?

WEBB: 100%. I haven’t talked about it, but at Osheaga we had so many problems with the costumes. I was on the side of the stage, in such a state. I turned around and the Smashing Pumpkins were right behind me and I was sobbing. It really wore me out for a few weeks. I was like, “Fuck, I made mistakes and in front of such a huge crowd.” Luckily, Chappell is amazing and doesn’t get upset. She understands that it’s a team effort and we’re a small team. I just want to take care of Chappell. I really care about her and it would hurt to know that I let the fans down, the crew down, or her down.

RIBEIRO: I understand. I hate to be that guy, but I feel like your life has changed a lot lately. What would you say to someone who wants to join that world?

WEBB: Don’t have a Plan B. That’s letting it be known in the back of your mind that you think you’re going to fail.