Tierra Whack Is Frolicking in Thom Browne’s Winter Wonderland

WEDNESDAY FEB. 14, 2024 6:20 PM NEW YORK.

The closing slot at New York Fashion Week belongs to Thom Browne, whose shows are dependable for not only their sharp tailoring and abundance of tweed but for the designer’s sense of bookish theatrics. On Wednesday evening, after a one-season sabbatical, the perennial showman (and current CFDA Chairman) transformed The Shed into a winter wonderland where the mood was dark and stormy. Snow, or at least a very convincing replication of it, dusted the ground, and slender snag trees towered from every corner, one of which was revealed to be the model Anna Cleveland wearing a giant black puffer coat. As the show began, the voice of the actor Carrie Coon thundered through the speakers with the opening lines of Edgar Allan Poe’s poem The Raven: “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary…” Black feathers were lacquered to the veils covering the models’ faces; some even sprouted from the seems of several garments, one of which was emblazoned with the word that famously recurs throughout Poe’s epic: “Nevermore.” Afterwards, as guests gathered the carnations from their seats, we caught up with the rapper and Thom Browne devotee Tierra Whack, whose new single drops this Friday. For the moment, though, all she could think about were two things: fairytales and Janet Jackson.

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JAKE NEVINS: I feel like we have to start with the obvious: Janet Jackson and Queen Latifah are here.

TIERRA WHACK: Yes.

NEVINS: Are you starstruck?

WHACK: Oh, yes. Janet is an icon. She’s everything. Her aura is amazing and it’s everything I imagined. And Queen and I have been friends for a while. She’s always supported me and showed love. So it’s amazing just to be in a room under one roof with them. It’s magical.

NEVINS: It’s crazy. It’s a fairytale, which makes sense, given the through lines in this show, right?

WHACK: Yeah, yeah. “Nevermore.”

NEVINS: Were you a fairytale girl growing up?

WHACK: Oh yes, for sure. The show made me think of Alice in Wonderland, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, A Series of Unfortunate Events.

NEVINS: Unfortunate Events was my shit.

WHACK: Yeah, yeah. Count Olaf was my favorite.

NEVINS: You’re in this amazing Thom Browne look.

WHACK: Thank you.

NEVINS: How does it make you feel?

WHACK: I feel awesome from head to toe. TB, baby. I’m here and I’m representing.

NEVINS: And you’ve got a little dachshund bag, just like the models.

WHACK: Jake, I’ve been wanting this bag for so long.

NEVINS: Oh, you have?

WHACK: Yes, I’m so happy.

NEVINS: What did you think of the show?

WHACK: The show was breathtaking. It was so magical. I couldn’t believe that I was invited here and sitting next to some amazing people. Alton Mason, who I’m a huge fan of. He’s so cool. It was literally breathtaking, magical. Yeah, that’s the word.

NEVINS: Did you have any favorite looks? I was pretty taken by accessories, particularly those feathered veils over the models’ faces.

WHACK: Yeah, I took so many pictures. I mean, they don’t miss. They can’t miss. They can’t do any wrong in my eyes.

NEVINS: Can you describe it in three words?

WHACK: Magical, dreamy, adventurous.

NEVINS: Also, literally a month from tomorrow, your new album comes out.

WHACK: Yes.

NEVINS: What can we expect?

WHACK: The new album is the most vulnerable I’ve ever been.

NEVINS: Is that right?

WHACK: Yes. I’ve been through so much. And it took so much time. The fans were on me, but I’m like, “Guys, trust me. I’m getting it right.” I don’t ever want to just throw things out. I want to really make sure that it means something, that it’s special to me and it’s something that I’m proud of.  I’m just really happy that it’s finally here. I’m telling you, it’s coming.

NEVINS: March 15th, right? You’re bearing your soul.

WHACK: Well, we went through so much between the pandemic, COVID, just the whole world. Everybody was under a lot of stress. We’ve lost so many loved ones and it took a toll, not just on me, but on the world. So I think it was purposeful for me to take my time and really just reflect on everything that I and my people have been going through and just pour it all out and make sure that the pour like, landed in the cup. I could have been spilling all over, but I had to make sure it was a perfect pour.

NEVINS: A heavy pour. My favorite kind.

WHACK: Yeah, a heavy pour. There you go.

NEVINS: Happy Valentine’s Day, by the way.

WHACK: Thank you. Happy Valentine’s Day to you.

NEVINS: Have you got any fun plans later?

WHACK: No. Just the Thom Browne show. This is it.

NEVINS: What’s better than that?

WHACK: Yeah, what’s better than this? Thom Browne is my valentine.

NEVINS: Janet is mine.

WHACK: Oh, yes. And Janet and Queen.

NEVINS: Well, I can’t wait for the album. Thanks for talking to me.

WHACK: Thank you so much. I appreciate it.