For the cover of her anticipated sophomore album, Am I The Drama?, Cardi B wore a striking red bodysuit from Danish brand Han Kjøbenhavn. We speak to creative director Jannik Wikkelsø Davidsen about this major fashion moment
Earlier this week Cardi B dropped the art for her sophomore album, Am I The Drama?, announcing a September 19th release date. It was a thrilling moment, and not only because we’ve been waiting for the followup to her explosive debut for seven long years. On the album cover itself, which finds Cardi being circled by a murder of crows, the rapper wears a structural red bodysuit custom-made by Danish brand Han Kjøbenhavn. She completed the look with red fishnets and Vivienne Westwood platforms.
“Cardi is very distinct in the way she expresses herself – both her personality and through her art,” says Han Kjøbenhavn creative director Jannik Wikkelsø Davidsen. “No f***ing around – that’s something I really value in all people and creatives.” That same descriptor could be easily applied to other stars who have worn custom Han Kjøbenhavn – most notably Julia Fox and Beyoncé.
For Wikkelsø Davidsen and his team, it isn’t simply about putting a look on an A-list celebrity, but about creating a major aesthetic moment with a likeminded creative. “When I connect with people on a project, it’s important for me that it’s more than ‘just’ a specific talent. It has to be more than that, and Cardi is that,” he says. “There can be no doubt about the fact that she really defines a unique emotion, a very specific voice and expression.” (Anyone who has chatted even casually with Wikkelsø Davidsen about his work knows that his favourite word is sit that: emotion).
This isn’t the first time Han Kjøbenhavn has collaborated with Cardi B and her team. In 2023, she was spotted out and about the brand’s daring blade boots (a casual Mother’s Day look) and since then the process of working with the rapper has become, as Wikkelsø Davidsen calls it, “organic”. “We are in contact frequently and talking about creativity and opportunities that could make sense both,” he says when I ask how this opportunity came about, adding, “Cardi is always a good fit for us.”
Photo: Han Kjøbenhavn
When it came to bringing this piece, which mimics the sculptural show looks found on recent Han Kjøbenhavn runways, there was a creative dialogue between Cardi and her team and Wikkelsø Davidsen and his. “In terms of brief, it’s never set in stone, its fluent – its shapes and emotions,” he says, noting that the piece is born of the brand’s core DNA.
As ever with major custom projects, the biggest challenge was timing. “On a creative level, we already connect and know what we want,” says Wikkelsø Davidsen. “But the timing, making sure we somehow can actually create the piece we envision, with the time we have on hand – that's
a real challange.”
Needless to say he pulled it off, delivering a killer look. How did it feel to see the cover for the very first time? “Felt good,” he says. “Satisfying.”