Hey, I Like Your Style! Inka Williams on Tumblr, sarongs and red carpet dressing
IMAGE VIA @inkawilliams/INSTAGRAM
AS TOLD TO DAISY HENRY
“I love colours, sparkles, overdoing it and having fun.”
We know personal style is a journey (I’m looking at you, Tumblr years) and our series Hey, I Like Your Style! dives into the fashion psyche of our favourite creatives. We’re talking the good, the bad and the 2007.
These are the stories behind the wardrobes, exploring how we develop our own personal style. There’s a brilliance behind the way we choose to express ourselves and at FJ, we know every outfit has a story. This week, we’re diving into the wardrobe of French-Australian model Inka Williams.
For more fashion news, shoots, articles and features, head to our Fashion section.
Although Inka has worked with a long list of coveted brands, including Chanel, Isabel Marant and Saint Laurent, OG bloggers will recognise her from her Tumblr days. Having grown up in Bali, her photos, often taken by the beach wearing bathers and denim shorts, would effortlessly amass hundreds, if not thousands, of notes. “I miss Tumblr, lol,” she says. (So do we).
Now, Inka splits her time between LA, Australia and her home in Bali, modelling and running both her clothing brand, She Is I and vintage store, Lonely Hearts Club. Her wardrobe is a combination of iconic vintage pieces, comfortable styles and pieces from her mum. “As a kid, every time I wanted to buy something, my mum would say, ‘I’ll just make it for you’. So, I’ve learnt to do the same,” she says.
While she can’t ever bring herself to spend too much money on clothes (though she wouldn’t pass up an unlimited store credit at The Row), Inka’s sarong collection is unmatched. From Batik to handwoven styles, she has an entire section of her wardrobe dedicated to them. “I also collect them from many different places – from the Seychelles, to Lombok, Fiji, Tanzania, India and Bali,” she says.
Beyond sarongs, travel outfits and red carpet looks, Inka’s approach to style is grounded in confidence, fun and feeling. “I like things that others don’t and in my opinion, I end up rocking them. Some days I dress like my inner child and other days I dress like a grandma.”
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Fashion Journal: Hey Inka! Tell me about yourself and what you like to wear.
Inka: I love animals, I love the sun, I love clothes and colours, but I also love a chic black dress! I love to wear iconic vintage pieces, and my style is sometimes super random. I like things that others don’t and in my opinion, I end up rocking them. Some days I dress like my inner child and other days I dress like a grandma.
Take us back to your teenage years. Who or what was influencing your style at the time, and are there any looks you still think about now?
My mum definitely influenced my style, because that was around the time she started bringing out the archives she’d had on lock for over 20 years. She kept so many of her pieces, including ones she produced and designed. They’re still in perfect condition and there have probably been over 200 boxes she’s brought out over the years. To this day, they make up most of the pieces in my closet.
I’m mostly influenced by the ’90s but have also always loved ’20s and ’50s to ’70s style.
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Some people will know you from the early Tumblr days. What outfit or item sums up that era the most?
The pictures I would post back then were mostly at the beach, so I would mostly just be in a swimsuit, denim shorts or a sarong. I also started a crochet brand, Akoia Swim, at that time with my best friends, so that’s mostly what I would wear. I miss Tumblr, lol.
You spent a lot of your childhood growing up in Bali – what do you love about Balinese style?
Balinese style itself culturally is lace and sarongs for praying at the temple. I was dressed in that on special occasions. But on a normal day, it was mostly a big T-shirt or a comfortable dress, or a sarong. Easy, simple, comfortable and minimal.
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What are the biggest differences between LA and Australian fashion? Do you dress differently depending on the city you’re in?
I don’t dress differently depending on the city, I dress depending on the occasion. I’ll always be in something comfortable or minimal for comfort reasons. But obviously, when I have a special occasion, I do love getting glammed up and looking gorgeous. My closet is full of the most amazing pieces. I’m either going all-out, or I’m comfortable and baggy.
Who or what influences your style today?
No idea… myself, I guess. I will have visions or see something I like – sometimes it’s very particular, sometimes it’s something that awakens my inner child. I love colours, sparkles, overdoing it and having fun. It’s more of a feeling that inspires me than a person. I like feeling good, feeling hot, and feeling fun.
In saying that, my mum (and actually my dad) inspires me but I think she’d agree with all of the above.
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What are some of the ‘investment pieces’ in your wardrobe?
Gosh, I have no idea. I haven’t spent that much on clothing. Again, as a kid, every time I wanted to buy something, my mum would say, “I’ll just make it for you”. So, I’ve learnt to do the same. I do love to invest in a piece if I can use it as a sample and remake it for myself. If I do buy something expensive, it’s usually a designer vintage handbag.
What’s your favourite secondhand or vintage find?
I got myself a huge, vintage denim 2006 Chanel bag and that’s definitely my favourite.
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Is there something in your wardrobe you don’t wear, but can’t let go of?
There are too many of these! I have so many iconic pieces my mum made and wore but they are so crazy, I would need a very specific party to wear them to.
What pieces do you wear on repeat?
Sarongs! Batik sarongs, rayon, cotton and silk. I live in them. I wear them as dresses or skirts, or use them to lie on the beach. They’re usually sold by the women at the beach. Some are hand-woven and some are stamped with Batik stamps. I have a section in my closet dedicated to sarongs. I also collect them from many different places – from the Seychelles, to Lombok, Fiji, Tanzania, India and Bali. I am obsessed.
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How does red carpet dressing work for you?
It depends. In LA, my boyfriend’s stylist helps me and we usually do a fitting a couple of days before an event. Otherwise, I just style myself. In Australia, my manager, Greta, helps me. She gets my style and I actually always text her for advice, no matter where I am in the world.
I usually like to be in control of the vibe of what I wear, so when I do work with brands, it’s always a collaboration. I don’t feel like myself if something is just sent to me; it really needs to feel organic.
Whose wardrobe would you steal if you could?
No one’s! Between my mum, my boyfriend and my besties, I’m pretty set. But I wouldn’t mind an unlimited store credit at Saint Laurent, Tom Ford or The Row. I just can’t bring myself to spend so much on clothes. But it doesn’t mean I’m not obsessed with them.
Keep up with Inka here.
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