Ashanti is a beloved singer, songwriter, actress, and model. That last title may translate more on red carpets than runways, but Ashanti has always been one of the most well-dressed women in R&B. Her swimsuit game is rivaled only by the likes of Mary J. Blige and Bella Hadid. Despite being the poster girl for vacation wear and always rocking revealing things beachside, it appears not every designer is in a rush to give Ashanti clothes to parade online. Let’s take a look at her fashion history and unpack what one designer had to say about her.
With over 20 years in the public eye, Ashanti is an easy case study for fashion trends over the years. Several sites have done deep dives on her evolution from the girl next door charm of her debut to edgier and more high fashion looks of her later work. This included a dress made of glass shards in 2004’s video for “Only U.” She channeled the late Olivia Newton John’s character Sandy from Grease in the video for “Mesmerized” featuring JaRule. In her last official video, “2:35 (I Want You),” she modeled a host of sexy outfits against a wall under projections of stars.
Over on IG, she is even more clear about her high fashion addiction. In her last post, Ashanti modeled a long flowy pink, peach, and sheer outfit while overlooking new york city. “Transparency is key,” she said in the caption. For her 20th anniversary celebration for her debut album, Ashanti did a high fashion spread with the folks over at Hello Beautiful, where she modeled some edgy looks, including a silver dress with a sculptured top piece that looked like something straight out of an art museum.
Ashanti is one of the most successful R&B stars of all time, thanks to a perfect storm of hit records and songwriting credits in the early ’00s. As a result, she’s got money to burn and told Fashionista in 2019 that she can spend up to $30k in an impromptu shopping spree. “I really just wanted to come in and get one thing. How am I leaving spending $30,000?” she laughed. She told the magazine that around her second or third album, she became synonymous with a signature style that people would call an “Ashanti thing.” “I would always wear a Kangol, and then I had a long crooked heart jewelry piece that was a signature. People would always say, ‘oh, that’s the Ashanti heart.'” She credits her fresh style to her young stylist, who manages to incorporate things from her fashion heyday while keeping her fresh and on-trend.
Ashanti’s fashion history is so extensive that she was able to review some of her most signature looks in an interview with Watch What Happens Live’s Andy Cohen in 2019. They rated her Roberto Cavalli corset dress from the American Music Awards in 2001 and asked if the look still made her feel “happy” or “foolish.” She was a fan of the belly chain she rocked in another image from the early ’00s saying, “I would keep that.” Ashanti remembered every designer and admitted to still having a lot of the pieces, including a Dior white mini skirt and tan top from the 2002 Kids Choice Awards. When it came to a colorful fringe ensemble from a BET Awards ceremony, Ashanti drew the line. “Imma have to throw that one out!”
While it seems she’s got a lot of love for the more iconic fashion brands, a small fashion boutique tried to call Ashanti out back in 2017 following her stylist returning a loaned outfit in bad condition. Aidan Euan is a Mexican stylist whose IG features images of Euphoria star Alexa Demie and Drag Queen Naomi Smalls modeling his work. Ashanti modeled a custom Swarovski crystal-embellished bikini from Euan to shoot a Ciroc campaign that year. Euan claims that Ashanti’s team returned the bikini in poor condition and then ignored him when he reached out for reimbursement. He said he lost work due to this because he could not loan the bikini out for other shoots despite already promising it to other clients.
Ashanti’s camp fired back, saying that Euan ran to the public before speaking to them, refused them the right to buy the bikini outright, and did not inform them that the piece could not get wet or had a body make-up restriction. They claimed Euan refused their request to have it dry cleaned, claiming he had a special soap for the bikini. The fit retailed on his site for $700. No word on if he and Ashanti ever resolved the issue after he went to the public. Check out his full comment below.
