When Fashion and Anonymity Collide: Talking Style With Elohim

Elohim is the Hebrew name for God. It’s also the stage name of one of 2016 most enchanting and mysterious new acts. While she may have emerged out of anonymity, her identity remains a mystery, and likely will forever. Even during phone interviews, the artist uses vocal manipulation tools to hide her voice. Her debut tracks have gone nothing short of viral; synth-pop gems like “Xanax” and “Hallucinating” were blogosphere darlings upon their release, and has catapulted Elohim into the realm of promising emerging artists. Despite her desire to stay covered up (she does this to feel uninhibited as opposed to using it as a marketing ploy), Paste caught up with Elohim to discuss her style and choices around physical representation.

Paste: Have you always been into fashion or is it a new interest?

Elohim: I have always had an interest in fashion. When I was five, I would wear four headbands on my head at a time… it was my thing. To my surprise, all of my friends and cousins started doing it as well. When I was growing up, my family didn’t have much money so I would create my own style out of things I already had. To this day I like to manipulate everything from my shoes to basics to make them my own. Those one-of-a-kind pieces of clothing are what I feel the most me in, and when I feel like me I can live comfortably.

Paste: Who are some of your style idols?

Elohim: Young Bob Dylan always looked incredibly fresh. I really love mens fashion; I find it to be quite inspiring. Yves Saint Laurent has always sparked my intrigue as well. Right now, I enjoy wearing silhouettes in the vain of Y-3 and Junya Watanabe. I really admire anyone that looks badass, interesting and confident.

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Paste: Is there a movie, TV show, music video, etc. that you remember in particular as having amazing fashions?

Elohim: I remember going to the school library and looking at a lot of fashion books. I love the order and unique costume design of Wes Anderson’s films. He could have a runway show for each of his movies. Jean-Paul Gaultier really nailed it in The Fifth Element. I also love the way the vampires in the Buffy The Vampire Slayer movie look.

Paste: Do you dress any differently on stage than you do in your day-to-day life?

Elohim: I wear pretty much a different version of the same thing everyday, on and off stage. I’ve done every show in the last year in this white Prada jacket that I added xaax to. After this last tour, I decided to retire and preserve this jacket and create a new updated one… maybe a few.

Paste: How do you balance expressing yourself through fashion with also wanting to keep yourself somewhat hidden or anonymous?

Elohim: Art and photography are a huge part of expressing fashion for me. Just like I love manipulating sounds and clothing, I love manipulating photo and video. It’s crazy how a color manipulation can distort our reality purely through a chemical process. But there is also a relationship behind the image. The moment in time when we make that photo is significant and represents more than just the interpretation of my physical presence. So for me, the balance comes from self expression through art in all forms. My peeking eye is a small part of the creation. They all come together to help me fully express who I am.

Paste: What’s your go-to outfit for the winter?

Elohim: I just got this wonderful green NikeLab jacket. It is long and hooded… simply heavenly. I haven’t taken it off since my purchase. I have since added some of my touches. In the winter while in California I’ve been wearing black pants folded at the bottom, customized black boots, cozy socks, black shirt, black xaax hoodie, my green jacket and a nice pair of black sunglasses.

Paste: If you had to sum up your style in three words, what would they be?

Elohim: Unique, inspired, and carefree.

Paste: What’s the worst fashion trend that ever existed?

Elohim: To each their own… 🙂