Hey, I Like Your Style! Inside the wardrobe of Australian-Ghanaian model and social worker, Jasmin Amma
IMAGE VIA @jasmin.amma/INSTAGRAM
WORDS BY CAIT EMMA BURKE
“If I couldn’t find a particular item of clothing in a mainstream store for my body, I would emulate it by altering my op shop finds.”
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.
While the internet has made our fashion icons feel closer than ever before, even the most effortless of outfits came from a closet with some (well-dressed) skeletons. Clickable product tags, photo archives and lives chronicled in 30-second clips just don’t tell the full story.
For more fashion news, shoots, articles and features, head to our Fashion section.
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. For this instalment of Hey, I Like Your Style!, we enter the wardrobe of Australian-Ghanaian model and social worker, Jasmin Amma.
Growing up, Jasmin had trouble finding clothing that fit her body in mainstream clothing stores, so instead she turned to op shopping. An expert at finding standout pieces, to this day her wardrobe is an expertly curated mixture of secondhand and pricier investment pieces from labels like Prada, Maison Margiela and Jean Paul Gaultier. Read on to hear about her style journey so far.
Who are you and what do you like to wear?
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My name is Jasmin Amma, I’m an Australian-Ghanaian model and social worker. I love to wear a mixture of pieces, regularly reaching for my riding boots, fun dresses, marshmallow platforms, mini skirts, vintage denim and leather jackets. I dress to my mood, from femme to masc, business to party, sexy and outgoing to relaxed and low-key. I enjoy combining elements, like sports shorts with a heel, or a androgynous boot with a lingerie dress. One of my favourite tips when dressing is to wear the unexpected shoe.
What has your style evolution looked like? Do you feel like you’ve gained confidence in the way you dress?
I have always used my style to express myself. When I was younger I regularly op shopped and played around with wearing men’s pants, ties and oversized shirts mixed with skirts and dresses. I learnt early on that clothing was a powerful way for me to be creative and connect with others. Being curvy and brown I felt different growing up and I took this in my stride.
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If I couldn’t find a particular item of clothing in a mainstream store for my body, I would emulate it by altering my op shop finds. I had so much fun with clothes from a young age and through this I gained the confidence not to care as much about what others thought of my outfits and to experiment.
Personal style is a journey. Have you ever felt like you needed to fit into a particular fashion box?
Yes, a lot of it was rooted in me finding my feet as a proud Black woman and building my confidence to celebrate my body. By no means a linear process, I also treasure many of these memories as they were all stepping stones to now and I’m likely making many fashion-related decisions [now] that I could look back on later and have a laugh.
Take us back to those awkward teenage years. Do you have any fashion regrets?
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I have plenty of awkward fashion moments from my teen years however I don’t feel regret. It’s all part of the adventure through adolescence. I can remember trying to create the two strings of hair at the front of my face to tuck behind my ear. At the time I so badly wanted to be like all the girls with straight hair. I have an afro and I would have to put so much gel in my hair to unsuccessfully slick the strands down, by the end of the day I looked pretty dishevelled.
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I also recall when low-rise jeans were big in the early 2000s and the sizes at the time were so limited and didn’t work for my body. I wanted to fit in and wear the trend at the time, which meant uncomfortably wearing very tight jeans and needing the three layers of Supre tops to attempt to avoid revealing my butt crack to the world.
What are the most expensive and least expensive items in your wardrobe?
I’m more focused on creating a long-term wardrobe, with forever pieces. This means I have a mix of designer items, vintage pieces and random op shop finds. TBH I still buy some fast fashion. I try to do this mindfully, picking items that I can wear frequently and for a long time. I splurged on my black knee-high Maison Margiela Tabi Boots. One of my favourite items that was not expensive is my Nike basketball shorts I thrifted.
What is the most meaningful fashion piece you own?
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My jewellery. I wear the same pieces every day. My gold thumb ring, which my aunty bought for herself when she went through a divorce and passed it on to me 20 years ago. It represents strength, womanhood and independence. My gold bangle my mother gave to me. She wore this every day when I was growing up. I can remember the sound of it taping on the kitchen bench while she made dinner. My gold necklace my dear friends gifted me for my birthday. These pieces are very special to me.
Who or what influences your style?
I am really into looks from the ’90s supermodel era, the early seasons of Sex and the City and ’90s R&B music clips. Some of my style icons are Paloma Elsesser, Solange Knowles, Grace Jones and Chloe Sevigny.
What fashion piece are you saving for right now?
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I have been on the hunt for the perfect fitted cropped zip-up leather jacket.
What are the wardrobe items you wear on repeat?
Vintage Prada riding boots, Givenchy platforms, Prada Monolith lace loafers, Levi’s jorts, Tommy Hilfiger jeans, my selection of Dion Lee tanks, Jean Paul Guiltier mesh tops and my Nike basketball shorts.
Who are your favourite local designers?
Some of my favourite local designers are Halcyon Eyewear, Dion Lee, Karlaidlaw, Studio Marlene, Jungles Jungles, Emily Watson, Raga Malak, Oats the Label, Frisson Knits and Surfe Placid.
You can follow Jasmin here.
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