Moose Knuckles and Verso invite raw talents Miss Angel and Tirino Yspol.
Miss Angel wears Wrath Puffer available at Verso store.
Tirino wears Wrath Puffer available at Verso store.
Recently, Canadian outerwear brand Moose Knuckles launched their capsule collection, “Seven Deadly Sins”. Together with the brand and Antwerp-based store Verso, we’ve encompassed the scorching sinfulness of WRATH. Alongside Blu Samu and Darrell Cole, we’ve also asked highly ambitious artist Miss Angel and all-round multi-talent Tirino Yspol to show us what this sin really means. During the shoot, Glamcult sat down for a brief chat with the upcoming artist and stylist.
Ferocious rapper Miss Angel is the fiery goddess of wrath, in the best way possible. She’s on a conquest for female empowerment, one wherein rappers like her get the recognition they deserve without the focus being put on their gender. Miss Angel in the heavens—Angela Agyei for family and friends—started off as a dancer in the all-female dance crew Navitas, before she started spitting for the collective Female Takeover. She draws inspiration from UK grime, old-school rap and female MC’s, and below we chat on all things style, music and, well, SZA.
Can you remember your first conscious encounter with music? What was it like?
The first contact that I had with music was when I was 16 or 17, doing open mic. I used to write lyrics and people thought they were poems, or like slam poetry in a way, because I didn’t know how to contact any beat makers or whatever. So, the first time I started was at the open mic, but I did everything acapella.
Miss Angel wears Wrath Puffer available at Verso store.
Does challenge play a role in your creative process?
It does. Everything is a challenge, to be honest; every show is a challenge, every new beat is a challenge. I want to surpass everything, you know. If I get a beat and I really like it, I want to be better than the beat. Even if I have a new show, or if I perform in a new city with new people, it’s always a challenge to get them with me.
Describe your style.
I’m very laid back, a bit tomboyish, a little bit of ‘90s involved, but I can be chic too. But I’m not the type that wears stiletto heels, and you would never see me with a purse either. But what I was wearing for the shoot, I love that: high boots and little dresses. It just has to fit on me. I can look weird really quickly. I think because I’m such a tomboy in a way, sometimes it just clashes and looks awkward.
Did dancing influence the music you make now? If yes, in what ways?
Yes, for sure, dancing is where it all started. It helps me to understand music better, because when you dance, you create choreography on music, so every beat catches differently, you watch out for details that not every person hears for the first time. That really helped me. So, now when I write, I’m used to listening to the background sounds more and then I bring them more to the front.
SZA wants you at her New Years party this year. You can bring a +1, who will it be? And what do you wear?
Ooh, SZA! Okay, she’s cool. I would bring my home girl Sandra, because she loves her. And I would probably go tomboy chic, maybe wear oversized jeans and block heels, maybe a cute little crop top or turtleneck, and a big, oversized jacket on top.
What are some changes you wish to see in 2020, be it in your own field of artistry or the world as a whole?
I would like to see more acknowledgement. I’m not going to say people are not acknowledging what I’m doing, but I still see people who are confused about how I got here, or how fast it went, instead of them being actually supportive. They can’t believe that I did all this in one year. I’m also one of the few black women who’s making rap, so everyone is always like, “We’ll see for how long it stays”. They’re just so confused.
What I’d also like to see change is: people need to stop with that female thing. Women have been making music for forever, so just stop it. I’ve got breasts, a vagina, and I know how to rap. [Laughs] It is what it is. People say, “Because she’s a female, she got here”, or “There are so few female rappers, she would be famous anyway”. But I’m a fucking good ass artist, that’s why.
Tirino wears Wrath Puffer available at Verso store.
Stylist, creative director and model, Tirino Yspol, is ready for take off with an ultimate dream of his: a personal clothing brand. Having started off with doing shoots in his teenage years, he has swiftly made a name for himself. Yspol has already worked for Bonne Suits and rap collective Veldentaal, Patta has him as the brand’s go-to model, and a Yspol-directed OBEY shoot was done in collaboration with SMIB—a collective he’s also part of. His aesthetic-focused eye mostly gets its inspiration from hip-hop and punk culture, with the occasional (but essential) DIY elements. Get to know the multi-talent below.
What is it about garments and styling that drew you to this field/world?
Ever since I can remember, I’ve been obsessed with clothing and my looks. Then, at the age of 16, I discovered that there was a whole industry through which I could express my style by dressing other people. I was instantly sold.
What are some challenges you face in your creative process, and how do you overcome them?
Realizing the looks I have in mind and making these a reality, while dealing with the restricted resources my environment offers. I overcome these challenges by working with what I’ve got and just pushing to prosper and to grow bigger, so I can eventually get these recourses (e.g. labels, publications, network).
If we could describe your personal style, it’d be Post-Apocalyptic meets Casual Cool, would you agree? Can you elaborate more on what makes up your own style?
I wouldn’t say post-apocalyptic, but I can see where you’re coming from, looking at my DIY mentality. I do find myself in the Casual Cool part. [Laughs] If I would have to describe my style, I would say it emerges from the street and hip-hop culture that I grew up in, but I was also influenced by military wear, punk music and, later on, by my interest in tailoring. I’ve never lost touch with any of these factors.
If there’s a historic figure, dead or alive, that would be your dream person to style, who would it be?
Haile Selassie.
If you weren’t a stylist, or in fashion at all, what else would you be doing?
I’d either be baking really good bread, making cutlery, or designing doors. Craftsmanship vibes.
What are some of your hopes for change in the fashion industry?
I hope the gap between society and the industry will keep on diminishing, giving less fortunate creatives—who inspire the industry in the first place—the chance to have a stage. Oh, and less collections per year. We don’t need more clothing, we’ve got enough!
Words by Glamcult
Photography by Ramona Deckers
Styling by Lissa Brandon
Hair and make up by Chris Volkers
“Seven Deadly Sins” is now available at Verso store.