This story originally appeared in i-D’s The New Wave Issue, no. 373, Fall/Winter 2023. Order your copy here.
In a climate that venerates celebrity and configures fame as power, North West is the inheritor of a complicated crown. The child of a generation’s two most famous figures, she has been in the spotlight since birth, and grown up in front of a constantly rolling camera. But who is the princess of pop culture? In the words of a ten-year-old who has the world at her feet: “The Best Ever.”
What’s your favourite song right now?
“Through the Wire” by Kanye West.
Do you like singing? Do you like performing?
Yeah, I like singing. Performing is my favourite.
Do you think you get that from your family?
Sometimes, mostly from me though. And then a little bit of my dad.
What’s your favourite outfit right now?
Vintage T-shirts and Spider sweats.
What item of clothing would you like to have that you don’t have yet?
My mom’s clothes and my dad’s clothes, if they fit me.
Who’s your style icon?
Me.
What’s your favourite thing from this shoot?
That I got fries, because I really craved fries, and I love doing hair and I got to do my own edges for this shoot.
Do you like having your picture taken?
Yes. Only when I want to, because ehhh, I don’t want to sometimes. But not by the paparazzi.
What’s the best thing in your wardrobe?
My Michael Jackson jacket that my mom got me for Christmas!
What’s the best fashion show you’ve ever been to?
My little sister’s fashion show in her closet.
If you were an animal what would you be?
I want to be a mosquito. Because I’m allergic to them and I can tell them all to leave me alone.
What three words would you use to describe yourself?
Umm… The Best Ever.
What’s the best thing about being North West?
I get to play basketball. Everything. I got to go to Halloween Horror Nights.
If you could meet any person who would it be?
Tupac.
What do you like to paint?
Everything, except helicopters. Helicopters are so hard because they have all these little lines.
Have you made any more art recently?
Yeah, literally today in art class. But it’s a secret for my mom’s birthday. Last week I finished a landscape and a sunset and I made a little circle thing.
Do you have any other hobbies?
Yes. Going shopping for people. Basketball, but it’s not a hobby, it’s a lifestyle. And I just love basketball so much.
What is your favourite memory?
When I first tried basketball, because I was so bad. So I know those memories and I’m like, ‘Ooh, now I’m so good’, I got so much better.
Where would you like to live if you didn’t live in LA?
Japan.
Describe your life in three words…
Blessed, awesome, cool.
What do you want to be when you’re older?
A basketball player, a rapper, um… Well, when I was seven, I wanted to be a boxer. But now I don’t want to be a boxer. I’m going to do art on the side. When I’m, like, thirteen, I want to walk dogs, to make money to buy art supplies, because everything around here is so expensive. So a rapper, a basketball player, and I’m going to make artwork that I sell. Also, one day I want to own Yeezy and SKIMS, and I want to be a business owner.
Credits
Photography Willy Vanderperre
Fashion Alastair McKimm
Photography Assistance Romain Dubus, Bummy Koepenick and Jai Crocker
Digital Technician James Goethals
Fashion Assistance Madison Matusich
Production 138 Productions
Casting Director Samuel Ellis Scheinman for DMCASTING
All clothing and accessories (worn throughout) North’s own