In the midst of New York Fashion Week, Irving Plaza was an unexpected destination for style inspiration. This wasn’t a runway. It was a concert, an Elyanna concert, to be exact.
The 22-year-old Palestinian-Chilean singer from Nazareth has been a topic of conversation in pop culture since she played a monumental set at Coachella and earned sets at Governors Ball and Lollapalooza, for her captivating vocals and distinct style. Best known for her thick, curly hair, henna-painted arms, and stacks of gold jewelry, Elyanna has created an unmistakable signature aesthetic.
The influence was palpable on Feb. 10 at Irving Plaza, where droves of fans filled the sold-out venue dressed in their best Elyanna-inspired outfits — think coin jewelry, lace, curly hair, and bold eyeliner. To much anticipation, Elyanna took the stage in an ethereal white mock-neck dress with sheer balloon sleeves and a lace-trimmed slit skirt complete with matching leg warmers.
“This was my first tour ever, so I was really trying to explore and see what I like onstage and what I don't,” Elyanna tells Teen Vogue. “And we wanted to build a whole theme for it in every aspect, honestly, when it comes to the stage production, when it comes to the music, when it comes to anything in the Elyanna world.”
Creating that world is not a one-person job, but rather a family affair. In fact, the words she uses to best describe her world—“sad, angry angel”—are borrowed from her siblings. While her brother helps Elyanna craft her music, her style is entrusted to her sister, Tali Marjieh.
“When it comes to the styling, the fashion and everything, to me it's like no one knows me and no one knows my body, and no one really has an eye when it comes to being onstage,” Elyanna says. “And it's not easy to design something for someone onstage because you have to take care of all the technical things. It's not only about, ‘Oh, it looks pretty’ No. It's about being super technical, which I know that Tali worked so hard on. But it's very themed-out, and it's very intentional, and I know that Tali was super detailed about it.”
To many, the prospect of working with siblings, especially under the conditions on tour, like close quarters and short timelines, might sound like a struggle. But these two seem to have it all figured out.
“Usually, I'll bring the idea because I think it looks nice,” Marjieh tells Teen Vogue. “She tells me more of what her body would feel comfortable in and what she thinks would look better onstage.” Their collaborative system relies on creativity and a knack for the arts. “Yes, I design and I draw, but she designs too,” Marjieh says. “We have a whole sketchbook, and then I start drawing, she starts drawing, we put it all together, and that's how we start. But she trusts me with fabrics and the details.”
However, they both admit that they do fight a lot. Marjieh explains, “We're both very stressed. She's stressed over a lot of things. I'm like, Okay, how do we make her happy?
“It's a fun process, but I got to tell you the bad and the good,” Elyanna says, joking.
It’s understandable. New York City was just one stop of 10 on Elyanna’s less-than-one-month tour in the United States. The team traveled from city to city together in a van. Though they took it in jest — even using the van as a backdrop to show their trendy off-stage style too — with just hours to cross state lines and prep for the next show, there were plenty of challenges.
“There were some times where she had to create a fit in one day,” Elyanna says, referring to Marjieh. “So, it was very exciting and inspiring to see.” Being short on time, however, doesn’t mean there’s any less thought put into it. For the tour, Elyanna wore three looks and the grand finale was a drapey, sheer, black lace dress adorned in gold coins. “Even the black look was more of a story, and we did it in two days,” Marjieh says. “We're like, ‘Okay, let's go. I'm going to get fabrics. Tomorrow, the girls are going to come. You try it on, we're going to cut it on you.’”
People often say, “It takes a village.” Sometimes, a village isn’t where we physically are, it's a shared culture that connects us miles apart. Such is the sisters' case. Their work and success have inspired many young Arab creatives. And they helped Elyanna’s world come to life, just like her family.
“I think in every city, we found fashion students and they were mostly Arabs and they just wanted to do it and they were so happy,” Marjieh says, about their open call for fashion students who were interested in being styling assistants for the shows. “I felt like all of them know Elyanna by now. I know that they watch the videos. I know they watch her live. They know. It feels like once I start the sentence, they just finish it for me. Like, ‘Oh, she moves like this a lot, so maybe we should make this tighter.’”
The looks are indeed customized for Elyanna. Marjieh has a ready list of her sister’s needs. Throughout the interview, she notes everything from her hair-care tips for Elyanna to her dynamic with her backup dancers, belly dancing, and her habit of jumping, although she jokes that she doesn't quite understand why Elyanna does the latter. At times, the observations that Marjieh shares shock even Elyanna. As a stylist and a sister, these are details that Marjieh has seen firsthand for years because they've been doing this for quite some time.
“I remember being back home and being in Nazareth, I used to do some covers,” Elyanna recalls of her early childhood in her birthplace. “Tali would style me. My brother, he had a camera at that time, he wanted to [record] things for fun. And we would be in our backyard and we would be putting the craziest looks together for no reason.”
Perhaps at the time, the reason wasn't clear. But years later, the greater purpose of the siblings’ work was evident as young fans stayed after the concert at Irving Plaza. They were calling Elyanna’s name and extending their arms as far as they could to grab her attention and give her the bracelets they had made. She enthusiastically accepted them with a warm smile and an expression of gratitude, evoking bright smiles on the children’s faces.
