Enfnts Terribles

For the final show of his Italian tour, Ghali wore a look created by Valentino’s creative director, Alessandro Michele. The look was composed of a red crepe de chine shirt with puff sleeves and black satin buttons, a black moire silk double-breasted vest, and black wool trousers embellished with bronze details.
The look is complete with a butter silk chiffon gorget with pleated ruffles, lace gloves, and black leather Valentino Garavani VLogo Signature loafers.

As he held the final 2024 tour performance in Italy on Friday, ENFNTS TERRIBLES exclusively interviewed Ghali about his relationship with fashion and Alessandro Michele.

In your Vogue interview, you credited your mother for instilling a love for dressing up. What influenced your further style development as a musician and performer

Ghali: My mother definitely planted the seed for my love of fashion, she always made an effort, even in the smallest details, to dress well. Growing up, I was influenced by different cultural icons, like Michael Jackson, who used clothes as a way to express their identity and tell a story. As I developed my music career, I realized that style was another language for me, just like my lyrics. Collaborating with designers like Alessandro Michele, I found new ways to push boundaries, merging elements from both street culture and high fashion. It’s been about finding that balance and staying true to myself while evolving.

What role do clothes play when you are performing on stage?

Clothes are part of the performance itself. They help to set the tone and amplify the emotion of the music. When I step on stage, the outfit I’m wearing helps me embody the energy I want to convey to the audience. It’s almost like wearing an armor or a second skin that lets me transform, especially in those intense moments. Whether it’s something structured and powerful, or something more relaxed and fluid, the clothes are there to connect with the mood of the song and elevate the whole experience.

Intertwining North African and European cultural codes in both music and style, do you feel that one is more dominant than the other, and how do you find harmony between them?

I don’t see one as more dominant than the other;  they coexist within me, and that’s what makes my identity unique. My roots in North Africa give me a deep connection to tradition, rhythm, and storytelling, while my upbringing in Europe has shaped my sense of modernity and innovation. It’s like a dance between the two; sometimes, one steps forward more, depending on the context or the project, but I always aim to find that harmony. It’s about respecting the heritage while embracing the present, and that balance is what I try to bring into both my music and my style.

As the world divides further and further in views and values, what would be your message to the people who struggle with understanding different cultures? 

My message would be to stay open and curious. We often fear what we don’t understand, but there’s so much beauty in the differences between cultures. Music, fashion, art:  these are universal languages that can bridge those gaps if we allow them to. It’s about listening, learning, and finding common ground instead of building walls. We live in a world that’s more connected than ever before; we should embrace that connection and use it as a tool for empathy and growth. In the end, it’s our diversity that makes us stronger, not weaker.

Photos by Antonio De Masi and Francesco Prandoni (header)