Nicki Minaj’s Stylist Maher Jridi Talks The Evolution Of Her Style And Paris Fashion Week

Maher Jridi and Nicki Minaj

French stylist Maher Jridi is the man who’s styling Nicki Minaj for Paris Fashion Week. Her eye catching looks (see it here and here) were put together by the fashion stylist and creative director. If you’ve been following Minaj the past couple of weeks, you would know that her style has evolved. It’s fresh, futuristic, clean, polished, couture high fashion, and European-inspired.

Jridi told Vogue,  “We are taking another direction, this is just the evolution of her style, we want to try new things.”  He added, “I’m from France, I have very European tastes, so I’m just trying to meet in between, to take the American hip-hop culture that I also love and understand and add that couture high fashion touch and combine them.”

Jridi has only been working with the multi-platinum rapper for two weeks, but the experience has already been eventful between working behind the scenes on multiple music videos and the highly anticipated Paris shows. “With music videos it’s very sexy and it allows us to have more fun with fashion, even using haute couture looks which is pretty unusual,” says Jridi. “For Paris I like to do something a bit more clean and polished but still have fun with fashion. We’re going slowly towards a more classic look: sexy but futuristic at the same time.”

Jridi on the inspiration behind Minaj‘s mirrored shield shades she wore at the Rick Owens show (it came via a video ensemble Jridi had put together days earlier): “She loves big masks and sunglasses and she wanted to do something similar,” he says. “I thought that with Rick Owens it would be cool to do the Mykita mask. She was wearing Bond Hardware ‘sawblade’ chokers and a Paco Rabanne metal dress so it complemented the look.”

Finding designs that bring the appropriate level of excitement for an artist such as Minaj is key and Jridi tailors each runway piece to her bombshell proportions. “For the Balmain dress I had to rip it open and add leather bands on the sides so it’s still sexy,” he says, “but I try to refine any look that I get from designers, with their permission.” Collaborating with houses to create custom fashions is ideal, and there’s one designer in particular Jridi has in mind for the future. “We both love Riccardo Tisci,” he says. “It’s sad that this season he’s not doing a show as he’s always a favorite.”

With an upcoming album and tour to plan for and a few more days left in Paris, Minaj and Jridi have still have some surprises in store. “In the first days when you work with a new client, you want to built a relationship based on trust and understanding the clients needs,” he says. “She’s not afraid to try new things which is always more exciting for a stylist,” says Jridi. “That’s what fashion is all about.”

Nicki Minaj and Maher Jridi 

Olivie Rousteing, Jourdan Dunn, Maher Jridi, Nicki Minaj and Winnie Harlow.

Photos Credit: Maher Jridi 

Source: Vogue