W Magazine is dedicating its April 2016 cover to “Dream Teens.” The cover features Zendaya, Willow Smith and Kiernan Shipka, teenagers who are each making strides in their respective careers while creating a name for themselves in the fashion industry.
Lensed by Willy Vanderperre, the three beauties pose in couture looks by Alexandre Vauthier, Givenchy, Chanel, Valentino, Versace, Dior and Gaultier. Inside the issue, they discuss everything from fashion to music to film. Check out excerpts and video interviews below.
Zendaya on her special-edition Zendaya Barbie:
After my Oscar moment, Mattel contacted us. They specifically wanted to make a Barbie that looked like me, in my exact outfit from the Oscars. I was so excited that Barbie wanted to diversify their brand. Now all little girls can have a Barbie that looks like them. My Barbie is in a box. I never let anyone touch her.
On whether she played with Barbies as a child:
I didn’t. They didn’t look like me, so I didn’t play with them. As a kid, my main interest was dancing. When I was 8 years old, I was in a hip-hop troupe.
On the film that makes her cry:
Fruitvale Station. Coming out of Oakland, the story of Oscar Grant III, who was killed by a police officer, had a lot of resonance for me. And my mom taught at Fruitvale Elementary School. I remember his death. They had to shut my school down because of riots. I think it’s important for people to see that film.
Willow Smith on using safety pins as hair accessories:
That was my idea. I was in my bathroom yesterday and saw some safety pins on the counter and was just like, ‘Let me stab a dread real quick.’ When I did it, I was, like, ‘Oh, this is dope.’
On her greatest fashion inspiration:
My mom. When she was on tour with Ozzfest, she was very raunchy. I loved watching her onstage. I think the first song that ever made an impression on me was my mom performing Bleed All Over Me. I would sing it over and over.
On Bruce Springsteen’s version of Whip My Hair performed on Jimmy Fallon:
It was so freaking amazing! My parents were ecstatic! They woke me up and said, ‘Willow—this is the craziest thing.’ I can’t believe such an iconic person liked my song. But I don’t sing it anymore. It’s not in my heart anymore.
Kiernan Shipka on her audition for Mad Men:
I was 6, and before any audition, I would get so excited. I was obsessed: I liked learning lines. That was fun for me. I remember my first day on set. I was supposed to run into the scene with a plastic bag over my head, and my mother on the show says something like, ‘Your clothes better not be on the floor.’ No one seemed to worry about the potential safety hazard of a 6-year-old with a plastic bag over her head! That was probably a little bit of foreshadowing, the darkness that was ahead for Sally.
On how Mad Men changed her perspective on fashion:
Mad Men introduced me to the power of fashion. I realized that style could tell a story. In the last season, Sally wants to impress a boy, so she dresses up. In the scene, I had to smoke a cigarette—and I’m not a pro in the slightest. They used these herbal cigarettes, and during the first take, I smoked it backwards.
[via W Magazine]
