ALEXIS & NATASHA BADIYI
Photography by Clémence Poles
Q: Name, Age?
Alexis: 35
Natasha: 33
Q: Big 3? (sun, moon, rising)
Alexis: Taurus, Libra, Scorpio
Natasha: Leo, Pisces, Capricorn
Q: Where do you reside?
Alexis: Brooklyn NY
Natasha: Brooklyn NY
Q: Occupation?
Alexis: stylist, creative
Natasha: producer, storyteller
Q: What did you want to be as a kid?
Alexis: a designer
Natasha: a filmmaker
Q: What inspires you? What keeps you creating?
Alexis: Connecting with nature, watching old films, wandering through a familiar museum, my daily meditation,visiting markets in new countries, deep conversations with good friends
Natasha: Mysticism, meditation, discovering old films that feel like they’ve been with me forever, a chord in a song that stirs a proustian memory, familiarity in the unknown and spontaneity in all the familiar places and faces.
Q: A New York must see, taste, experience?
Alexis: A day uptown, Emma Scully Gallery, Albertine books, Orsay long lunch.
Natasha: Abraco coffee and baked goods, Roxy Cinema, S+P Diner, downtown yarns, Strauhs Studio
Q: Something that never fails to put you in a good mood?
Alexis: A good laugh
Natasha: My grandmother's reaction when I wake her in the morning
Q: Favorite holiday tradition?
Alexis: An elegant day uptown with the family. An extra long lunch, holiday windows, revisiting old favorites.
Natasha: It doesn’t truly feel like the holidays without a holiday movie, I’m a sucker for It’s a wonderful Life but any December adjacent film will do.
Photography by Clémence Poles
Q: What’s an ideal Sunday look like for you?
Alexis: I typically enjoy having my Saturdays be more eventful, leaving Sunday to take it slow, reflect and reground before the week starts again. The day would begin with a slow morning meditation followed by NYT crossword and espresso in bed. Then a late breakfast made from farmers market goodies from the day before. I enjoy loafing around a bit and catching up on any lingering emails before Monday, ending the day with an early dinner.
Natasha: My Sundays are somehow my most social day of the week. I begin with meditation, morning pages, and pulling a tarot card then head into the city for a coffee date at Abraco followed by some cozy time with my mom and grandmother, lunch at Cafe Mogador or sandwiches in Tompkins Square Park. Then I’d run an errand or two in the village before heading back to Brooklyn to meet friends for dinner and a movie, usually Locanda Vini, Thai takeout or cooking together at home followed by a film, currently we’re making our way through Rock Hudson’s oeuvre.
Q: Favorite place you’ve traveled & a dream destination you’d like to visit?
Alexis: Pantelleria Italy on the shoulder season. I hope to someday visit Tehran.
Natasha: St Barts on a friend's family boat, I think of it often and hope to return. I've been dreaming of Greece for the past 2 years.
Q: What was the inspiration behind the Rag & Bone campaign?
Alexis: Rag & Bone has a nostalgic quality to me, reminding me of the excitement from when I first moved to New York. We wanted to capture that feeling of coming into your own in this city, falling in love with it for the first time. Our father was a filmmaker, photographer and storyteller, we learned a lot about expressing ourselves through these mediums from a young age.
Natasha: Rag & Bone is so nostalgic for us. When Alexis asked me to be a part of this shoot I immediately started thinking about the ‘story’, crafting a character with a backstory, a desire and a conflict. Whether or not it fully comes through, my filmmaking background kicks in when creating these fashion forward shoots.
Q: Something you’ve done that you’re proud of this year?
Alexis: Internally: a lot of deep healing work. Externally: signed with an agency.
Natasha: Internally: Beat cancer ha! Externally: Working with my sister, like we’ve always dreamed.
Q: What are you dreaming about?
Alexis: I've been dreaming about floating in nature, my next chapter, downloads of inspiration that are still taking form.
Natasha: So much joy in the unknown. A quantum leap. Collaborating with family, friends and people I’ve yet to meet.
Photography by Clémence Poles