Fashion Designer Christian Joy Discusses her Decades-Long Collaboration with Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Over two decades, Brooklyn-based Fashion Designer Christian Joy has created some of the most visually arresting, DIY garments worn by one of music’s most electrifying performers: Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Their collaboration has evolved during this time and continues to push boundaries. Polyester speaks with Joy about Karen O and finding inspiration for her outfits in everything from found objects, trash and graffiti as the classic indie sleaze band tours around the globe this year with a new album on the horizon this September.
Just a quick wellness check: how are you feeling today?
I’m good, yeah yeah.
Could you tell me about the costumes you designed for Karen O on this current Yeah Yeah Yeahs tour? How did you dream up concepts?
I only made the one outfit: the screen-printed one. The one with the big cape with the holes in it. Karen had requested something that looked like ‘Fever to Tell,’ the earlier stuff where it’s more hacked up—like an art project gone wrong. She sent me references of some older costumes that I made before like the skeleton suit and ripped and torn ones. I was having a hard time coming up with a concept because sometimes she’s open to what I want to do which is great but at the same time daunting because you’re like oh no, what am I going to do? She wanted it to look a little rougher. So I came up with a print a while ago for a cape that said, ‘Yeah New York’ on the back and it was all done with masking tape.
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Where do you shop in New York City for materials to make Karen’s costumes? How does New York City inspire you?
Most of her stuff comes from The Spandex House because I learned from the beginning: She moves like a maniac. I’ll try to put in pieces of found objects or go to the Dollar Store and add to it. For this one, I had a bunch of La Croix cans in my studio and I added them to the shoulders. That’s something I always like: garbage-y. She had this one costume during the lockdown: They had this 20 year anniversary and played in a closet. That costume was made from stuff from the Dollar Store. Birthday party stuff, balloons, table cloths and napkins. Lots of stuff I source here in New York in the Garment District. I screen print everything so all the graphics have a one-of-a-kind look to them.
As for New York City, there’s like graffiti and trash and that hectic energy. I love graffiti and seeing it everywhere. I try to put those elements in the stuff I make. I love the city and the way it looks: the trashiness of it.
What’s one of your favorite Yeah Yeah Yeahs tracks? How does their music have influence on your designs for Karen?
My favorite one is ‘Date with the Night’. I love that energy of their playing and Nick’s (Zinner) guitar and that has this driving feeling. I lived in Chicago previously to New York and shoegaze was in there. I remember being so bored. I moved here and here was this thing I was living, dying, waiting for all my life. It has that super hectic energy. I was there for the early stuff so that guides me: That feeling of seeing them in small clubs.
When you start designing for Karen, what’s your process like?
She would say, ‘I would need a costume,’ and I would just show up with it right before they played. So now I ask her a little bit more, ‘Do you have any more ideas?’ And she always sends the record and whatever the inspiration is for it. Sometimes it can get overwhelming because where are we going with this?
She’ll send some books, but I never show her anything. I tried to in the past and she’s always said, ‘I don’t want to see it.’ It’s like you look at it half made and it looks crazy and you can’t see the vision. She allows for the vision to come through which is an amazing thing to do. Kudos to her for being so willing.
“It’s all about using creativity or going to the dollar store or using newspaper and tape them. Or just looking at ways to paint your clothes or use a sharpie marker. Just follow your gut instinct.”
As you’ve been working together for over two decades, how do you feel like you’ve defined her onstage identity? How have your designs evolved over this time?
At one point—this was around ‘Fever to Tell’—she fell off the stage. When ‘Show Your Bones’ came out, that changed the way she became onstage. In the beginning she was insane—she’s crazy now, but she was totally insane. For ‘Show your Bones’, we still went crazy but it wasn’t hectic like ‘Fever to Tell’. It’s like keeping the looks moving forward: cool, contemporary but also her identity as Karen O. She pushes me along like, ‘So ok now I want suits.’ And I’m like, ‘Suits?’ I’m fortunate I have a tailor to work with. She definitely challenges me and the designs which is good because you could fall into doing the same thing over and over again if you’re not challenging yourself or have someone else challenge you as well.
Do you produce multiples of Karen’s costumes or are all costumes one of a kind?
They’re all one of a kind. I don’t even know how they do it. They must wash them. I wonder about that. I’m actually curious what her assistant does. I should ask her. Maybe I won’t put certain things on it that I know are gonna fall off in the washing machine. There haven’t been a lot of mishaps. Well, there was definitely one where I tried to use a different type of ink that I never used before and her assistant at the time texted me in the middle of a show and was like, ‘Karen’s outfit is melting.’ Oh no, it’s like a conceptional art piece.
If someone wanted to get Karen’s look based on the costumes you’ve made for her, how would you suggest starting?
Definitely the earlier stuff was old prom dresses. In the beginning, I didn’t even know what I was doing. I don’t have a degree in fashion. I didn’t really know how to sew. A lot of the earlier stuff was stapled, covered in fake money or packing tape or redone old clothes. I tried to teach myself fashion design so I bought home patterns and I would reconstruct the patterns and that taught me how to make clothes. I then taught myself how to make patterns for the clothes and sew. It’s all about using creativity or going to the dollar store or using newspaper and tape them. Or just looking at ways to paint your clothes or use a sharpie marker. Just follow your gut instinct.
How would you describe your own personal style?
I tend to wear a lot of color and jumpsuits because I work a lot so I’m always in coveralls. I like sporty, boyish style ever since I was a little kid. Kind of utilitarian. I like handmade stuff, or little weird things. I have a shirt that’s all made out of silver tops of cans. I love all of that “not quite right” stuff.
Interview by: Sabrina Cooper
