Instagram/@fireboydml
Fashion designer Wales Bonner posted the fabulous picture of Nigerian singer Fireboy DML donning her trademark elegant all-black look at the Guggenheim. Shot by Andre D. Wagner, the shot depicts Fireboy leaning against a white architectural structure during the second go of “Togetherness,” an event held mainly in tandem with Rashid Johnson’s major retrospective, “A Poem for Deep Thinkers.” The level-premium business-casual-chill-on-the-rock kind of pose worked well with the artsy ambiance for the evening, and so did this outfit by Wales Bonner: sleeveless top and wide-legged trousers.
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The post went viral while people were enthusing on the fashion-music conflation. One user called Fireboy their “fav artist,” while another claimed that Guggenheim was his/her “fav architect” in recognition of the two different creative directions. Another replied, “You’re the standard. No one even comes close,” triggering a torrent of other replies, all reiterating the singularity of Fireboy in the R&B world.
Then, not all of the comments were full of celebration. Some took this opportunity to court her attention, including one person pleading for career assistance “in the name of Allah,” while another asked Fireboy to hear his record with hopes for a collaboration. This amalgamation of praise and exploitative demands ends up representing the sometimes chaotic nature of celebrity engagement via social media.
Well, the picture became a quick topic of conversation: another fan excitedly claimed she was going to change her wallpaper straightaway, so swept away was she by the elegance of it. Another lamented that she missed the opportunity: “Why not rub it on my face… I SHOULDVE BEEN THEREEEEE,” with impassioned utterances such as these underscoring what premier fashion-music collaborations do.
Overall, Wales Bonner’s promotion of Fireboy DML’s irrepressibility unfettered the ties between fashion, music, and fine art. It’s a theme she often comes back to. Traditionally, the designer is known for infusing subtle cultural signifiers into a contemporary idiom. Just this appearance at the Guggenheim set the stage for her to further influence the style of performing artists amidst high-art circles.
Togetherness itself was about special performances, but the phrase remains vague. With the Guggenheim guaranteed to provide cutting-edge exhibitions and Rashid Johnson tending to provocative installations, it would almost be considered an extension to both artists’ creative visions to tie music and visual art together.
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As the comments began pouring, the influence of Fireboy DML ranged far beyond that of Wales Bonner, an influence expressed through praise, request, and pure delight. The post was far from just showy—a cultural moment perched on that ever-fluctuating timeline of whenever and wherever music, art, and design happen to coincide. If the results of this post bear any weight, this shouldn’t be the last time these worlds are so enchantingly intermixed.
This story originally appeared on Celebrityinsider
