This story originally appeared in i-D’s ‘Rihannazine‘ Special Edition, no. 01, 2020. Order your copy here. For this one-off project, Rihanna put a series of questions to the women shaping culture today, and invited them to share their visions for 2020.
Can you introduce yourself?
My name is Amina Muaddi. I’m a designer and an entrepreneur.
What is your biggest personal or professional success to date?
Starting to know myself and love myself. It was a whole process of personal growth and maturity.
Tell me about your business.
It’s been a whirlwind, and it’s been extremely gratifying. I’m very blessed to be in the position I’m in today.
What would you say was your biggest failure?
I’ve had many failures, and I think that’s normal. Failure is necessary and, as cheesy as it sounds, I think you should always take it as a lesson, a way in which to grow and improve your life. We should embrace it because it’s often a blessing in disguise. It’s a big part of success – it gives you maturity and strength, and it often changes the path of your life. I lost my old company, and that made me start my new company, and it just became something so much bigger. It would never have happened if I hadn’t failed.
What are you taking into 2020, and what are you leaving behind?
What am I taking into 2020? A lot of shoes, obviously. Leaving behind? Bad energy, ex-boyfriends and emotional baggage.
What’s your question for Rihanna?
I have many questions for Rihanna! Many times, when you go through stuff, you ask yourself, “What would Rih Rih do?” So I want to know what she would do in my shoes, figuratively rather than literally. I struggle with being an entrepreneur, being a CEO, running a company, and still keeping a side of me that stays feminine and vulnerable, and doesn’t intimidate people. Especially in relationships with men – it’s difficult.
When did you first meet Rihanna?
It was many years ago – I’m not sure she remembers. A friend of mine brought her home while I was vacationing in her house in Miami, and I was wearing a towel. My friend came in hand-in-hand with Rihanna, and I’d just got out of the shower. I remember thinking, “This is not how I’m meant to meet Rihanna!” That was 2010. And then we re-met basically this year, when we started collaborating.
Credits
Photography Mario Sorrenti
Styling Alastair McKimm
Hair Duffy at Streeters.
Make-up Kanako Takase at Streeters.
Nail technician Jenny Longworth at CLM using CHANEL Les Vernis and CHANEL La Crème Main.
Set design Emma Roach at Streeters.
Colourist Lena Ott for Suite Caroline.
Lighting technician Lars Beaulieu.
Photography assistance Kotaro Kawashima and Simon McGuigan.
Digital technician Chad Meyer.
Styling assistance Madison Matusich and Giulia Bandioli.
Tailor Hannah Wood.
Hair assistance Lukas Tralmer, Amidat Giwa and Shaun McIntosh.
Make-up assistance Hiromi Ilsuka and Kimie Yashiro.
Nail technician assistance Nichole Williams.
Set design assistance Nia Samuel-Johnson, Louis Simonon and Eddie Amos.
Production Katie Fash.
Production coordinator Layla Némejanski.
Production Suzy Patten at Holmes Production.
Production supervisor Molly Zinar at Holmes Production.
Production coordinator Alex Whiting at Holmes Production.
Production runner David Herm.
Production intern Marta Pera.
Casting director Samuel Ellis Scheinman for DMCASTING.
Casting assistance Cicek Brown for DMCASTING.