Dawn Richard Discusses Her Style Journey in New Interview

With just a few weeks to go until summer 2025 officially begins, singer/songwriter (and former reality star) Dawn Richard is giving an in-depth discussion about her personal style—and how her New Orleans upbringing inspired her love of fashion.

As the subject of the latest Essence digital cover, Richard wears a see-through netted maxi dress with a high neckline and a fitted bodice, accented by a neutral beige tone, minimal makeup and matching accessories.

“I knew who I was,” Richard says of the early realization of her personal style. “I was a Black girl who was pushing completely outside the norms.”

Taking it back, Dawn talks about her Elizabethian-inspired prom dress made by a local designer in her New Orleans neighborhood, and explained that it started her style journey of not following trends. 

“My mom was so taken aback by me choosing that style—and I paired it with a white baby’s breath crown, like a halo crown,” Richard said. “And that was my junior prom. I wore these massive curls and looked like I should have been in the 1500s.”

Like the Afrofuturism in her music, the former Making The Band and Danity Kane star is also embracing that style aesthetic in her clothing as well.

“I choose to play between two-spirits, both male and female gender—a lot of androgyny—where I wear a lot of feminine-sexy but also a lot of heavily masculine clothes,” Richard shared. “I’m tapping into African and indigenous cultures that were rooted in New Orleans long before colonization.”

Despite her love of fashion, Richard has big ambitions for the next phase of her music career, as she revealed to Essence what fans can expect to hear from her—and evolution is a large part of it.

“I want to evolve as an artist,” she said. “I want to push myself to be the best I can be, and I also want to push myself to explore things that haven’t been touched. Every era for me is about evolution.”