Knock It Off
First things first. I have an almost unhealthy love for Rihanna. Her music, her style, her attitude, those Puma creepers, her Marie Antionette shoot for CR Fashion Book. All of it.
Second things second. I love Kehlani. The new kid on the scene with a fresh sound. Her album, Sweet Sexy Savage, has been long awaited by my TLC-loving, Rihanna-badassery, R&B-slow grinding, woman empowering ears.
Paper Magazine featured Rihanna on the cover of their Break The Rules Issue. Her wardrobe was high end (duh) punk-inspired in an everyday environment- a convenience store. Y'all, it's fire.
Galore Magazine featured Kehlani on the cover of their Sisterhood of Sound issue. Her wardrobe was high end (duh) punk-inspired in an everyday environment- a convenience store. Y'all, it's fire.
Now, let's talk business. 2 brands (Rihanna and Kehlani) in the same industry (music/style) with a similar product (HBIC all day anthems), have merged into the exact same thing. I get it. The style teams, editors, etc, are trying to prove that one brand is just as cool as the other, or these brands are equal, or competitors, or companions. But in actuality, one is the original, and one is now, no matter the intention, a knock off.
When it comes to your personal brand, your image, your look/feel/vibe, you cannot allow yourself to be reduced to a knockoff. We all source inspiration from various mediums, but let it be, just that, INSPIRATION. Interpret and analyze your inspiration down to the core, and decide what it is that attracts you.
I once read a book (that's right, can't remember the name) that said the second a business/idea/brand compares themselves to another brand, you are proving your lack of innovation and originality. Example: "we are like the XYZ brand of the whatever industry".
So, KNOCK IT OFF but not KNOCK IT OFF. Don't be a knockoff. Do you because everyone else is already taken. Use your words. Use your imagination. Use your brain. I'm watching, and noticing, and so is everyone else.