“I want to inspire people to be vulnerable – to look inside and really work with ourselves – because when we do that, amazing things will come,” the Danish-Swedish, LA-based designer says of her musical venture
Fashion mogul Anine Bing is ready to sing to her own tune. Since launching her eponymous label in 2012, the blogger-turned-businesswoman has been busy, flitting from Paris to New York to Barcelona to Sydney with her Cali-Scandi aesthetic. But as her company has continued to grow, the 41-year-old mother of two has found herself gravitating inward, toward a source of deep nostalgia: music.
Bing sang in a choir and played the violin when she was growing up in Sweden. “Music was always a big part of our home,” she says. “We were five siblings, and one of my favourite memories is all of us singing Christmas songs and harmonies together. Singing has always been my happy place since I was a kid.”
Now, after a 14-year break, the Los Angeles-based fashion designer is stepping back in front of the microphone, this time with a studio album titled Therapy. (It was in speaking to her therapist that Bing discovered just how much she missed making music – and how much she needed it.) In many ways, it represents a return to form: Before launching Anine Bing, Bing was in a band called Kill Your Darlings. “It’s funny because it’s a next chapter, but it’s also an early chapter,” she says.
Enlisting the help of esteemed music producer Wendy Wang and an incredible all-female band, Bing found her groove. While Bing’s heartfelt lyrics consider life’s challenges and triumphs, the music itself blends melancholic tones with soft, soulful harmonies set against calming acoustics.
A scene from band practice. Photo: Courtesy of Anine Bing
A pre-practice meeting and tune up. Photo: Courtesy of Anine Bing
“I’m nervous but so excited,” Bing says. “I want to inspire people to be vulnerable – to look inside and really work with ourselves – because when we do that, amazing things will come.”
Whether they knew it or not, Anine Bing fans were treated to a preview of her new project when she slipped some of her tracks into her anniversary campaign with Kate Moss. The worlds of fashion and music are, to her, entirely complementary. “I get so inspired when I’m in the music studio to go back to the design studio and bring back my style of music through style as well,” she says. “It’s an exciting chapter for both the brand and for me as a person.”
Every time I go into the studio, I put on a pair of skinny jeans, a rock and roll tee, and a pair of boots. And that was exactly what I used to wear back in my early music days.
Anine Bing
Asked to compare the process of designing a new collection with working on her debut solo album, Bing explains that “it’s actually a very similar feeling, because I love designing clothes; I get very excited when I know somebody’s going to wear a piece and feel empowered. While getting together with the band, I feel empowered being surrounded by these incredibly talented women. I hope our music will inspire women – and men, of course. And hopefully, some of the lyrics and melodies can help them with whatever they’re going through.”
The cover art. Courtesy of Anine Bing.
The special bond between an artist and fan is something that Bing holds close to heart. She reels off some of the bands that have inspired her, or been a guiding light during dark times: “God, I love The Cranberries. I just think Dolores’s voice is incredible, and I love her haunting, kind of sad melodies and lyrics,” Bing gushes. “I think Mazzy Star is amazing, too. Of course, I adore The Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel because I love their harmonies. So, I guess I love a lot of music, but the music that really stands out to me is people that write from within their soul and make it feel real.”
To celebrate the album’s launch on May 2nd, Bing gathered her close friends and family for an intimate listening party at the Chateau Marmont. There, Bing and her band performed live for the first time.
How does her signature style translate on the stage? Bing’s plan is to keep things simple. “Every time I go into the studio, I put on a pair of skinny jeans, a rock and roll tee, and a pair of boots. And that was exactly what I used to wear back in my early music days,” she says. After all, this new era isn’t a rebrand—it’s a release.
Originally published on Vogue.com.