Abundant snake motifs and a harder, sharper sound aren’t the only defining characteristics of Taylor Swift‘s “Reputation” era: Gone are the brightly colored matching sets of her “1989” days, to say nothing of the retro dresses and pearls she favored while promoting “Red.” In their place? Oversize hoodies, cargo pants and plenty of camouflage print.
French label Faith Connexion has played a key role in Swift’s recent style reinvention. The star first began wearing its pieces last fall, while previewing her then-unreleased album for fans during her famous “Secret Sessions.” Since then, the brand’s designs have popped up in her “End Game” music video, as well as in most of the backstage snaps from the “Rep Room” where she greets her “Swifties” after each tour stop.
“She’s really become an ambassador,” Faith Connexion president Maria Buccellati told Page Six. “Her stylist [Joseph Cassell] comes in and out of our Soho store almost every month to see what’s new. And we deal with her directly, too, choosing and picking different pieces. She’s been requesting more and more, because she loves it.”
As for the specific pieces Swift gravitates toward? “She really likes the military look — the jackets, the cargo pants,” Buccellati said. “And I know she bought a bunch of the wrap skirts. She loves those.” The president added that despite Swift wearing the label on a near-weekly basis, it’s “still a surprise” whenever she’s photographed in its clothes.
Founded in 2004, Faith Connexion is designed by a collective of artisans — all of whom choose to remain anonymous — rather than one star couturier, which is why Buccellati prefers to call it a “tribe” rather than a traditional fashion house. And now that Swift’s embraced its clothing so wholly, Buccallati says, she’s “part of the family.”
But for a musician once famous for her “red lip, classic” look (immortalized in the lyrics for her “1989” single “Style”), Faith Connexion — with its distressed, studded, rock ‘n’ roll vibe — represents a sharp shift. Asked why she thinks Swift is leaning so heavily on Faith Connexion to shape her “Reputation”-era aesthetic, Buccellati immediately points to the clothes’ comfort.
“When you’re an artist like her, I think you want to feel really comfortable in your own skin,” Buccellati said. It helps, she added, that the brand is “so in tune with music people” — artists like ASAP Rocky and Swizz Beatz are also fans, and “Beyoncé’s stylist came in just the other day to buy a dress for her.”
At prices ranging from about $300 to well over $3,000, Faith Connexion designs come with A-list price tags, too. Still, high-caliber celebrity placements can add up to big business for a fashion brand regardless of its price point, and Buccellati confirmed that the “Delicate” singer’s support has “absolutely” helped from a sales perspective.
“It’s key,” she said, adding that “other stylists will often start asking for those same pieces, too.”
Ironically, one of Faith Connexion’s earliest superstar supporters happens to be a famous foe of Swift’s.
“One of the first big celebrities who loved the brand — he even came and visited our showroom — was Kanye West,” Buccellati recalled. “He wore one of our shirts, and the style’s been a top seller ever since. We actually renamed it the ‘Kanye West shirt’!”
To that end, don’t be surprised to see a “Taylor Swift skirt” for sale sometime soon. After all, says Buccellati, “our creatives are inspired by the people who wear our clothes — and Taylor really wears it well.”
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