Vibes Guide: Goth Shakira on Her Favorite Art, Holiday Gifts, and Astrological Placements

The gothic Shakira in Acne Studios dress and gloves, Kachorovska shoes and Jéblanc earrings.

(Jennelle Fong and Yasara Gunawardena / For The Times)

One could follow the goth Shakira for her “whimsical cryptonun” looks posted from Tom Bradley's bathrooms, for her poetic interpretations of digital existence, for her Spanish darkwave deep cuts and stunning art images, or for being a long-standing OG. she forms queen of the confessional meme (a contribution that has been the subject of academic studies). The digital director is known for a specific type of production that feels uniquely Shakira's gothic: one that combines an esoteric gaze with an artistic one: a keen observation of the world around us and the worlds beyond us. An Aquarius whose supreme gifts of space and freedom can't be bought, goth Shakira takes her own path. The rest of us just want to follow along.

Name, occupation, neighborhood: Dre, aka Goth Shakira, digital director of Koreatown.

Ascetic, observant and karmic. They are three words that describe my essence.

My mantra for the end of the year is “Am.”

The gift I would buy myself that matches my astrological sign: Aquarius' supreme gifts of freedom and space cannot be bought, they can only be given or received.

An artist from Los Angeles whose work I want in every room of my house: My decoration is very simple and minimalist because I like my house to look like a hermitage. I don't really like having things on my walls, but I appreciate sculptures and found objects, or works made with earth elements. A silver breastplate or lacquered body made by a multidisciplinary artist. Holly Silio It would be a dream, as would a work by Lizette Hernández in dissolved salts and stoneware.

The designer/brand I wore the most this year: I almost always wear a piece from a Latin-owned, Los Angeles-based brand. Gil Rodriguez. Her Trinity zipper catsuit is one of my favorite pieces I've ever owned: I wore it on a 16-hour flight with slippers and to a party paired with vintage Prada stiletto boots. They are elevated basics that I know I will have for a long time; They feel like the new crop. The pieces are also very compatible with the Los Angeles lifestyle because I can wear a Gil outfit to cover up at the pool or the park, and it's so stylish and well-made that I don't have to drive home to change if so. I decide. to go to a gallery opening or have a few drinks afterwards.

The gothic Shakira poses with her hands on her face

The gothic Shakira stands with her hands on her hips next to a red sculpture.

I consider the item of clothing in my closet to be great art: A vintage black wool Comme des Garçons skirt that I bought in Kyoto earlier this year. It has an incredible structure that allows it to transform into an off-the-shoulder dress and culottes. I travel for work and only bring carry-on luggage, and I end up packing this piece a lot because of its versatility and masterful design. I hope to enjoy it for many more years.

Breathwork, daily meditation, kundalini yoga, morning pages, and at least seven to ten white botany candles burning in my apartment at any given time. It's the spiritual practice that's been grounding me lately.

What's been in my online shopping cart for months: This silver “Charliese” nail ring by Ann Demeulemeester sits over the top knuckle and looks like a wabi-sabi acrylic.

What I will give to the people I love this season: My Aquarius placements do not subscribe to massive holiday capitalist gifting obligations, because my Capricorn placements always give small gifts to my loved ones throughout the year. My favorite things to give are candles, books, love notes, birth chart readings, money, dinners, job opportunities, time, loyalty, space, active listening, my healing skills, and surf trips.

The only thing I wish the people I love would join in and buy from me this season: Okay, I'm not a subscriber to Christmas gift giving, but I could accept two things, and two things only: a Moog Etherwave theremin and the August 1995 issue of Playgirl with the editorial by Peter Steele. She is a gay goth/grail girl.

The fanzine/book/article on my coffee table that I want people to see: “Surf and climbing in California in the fifties” and “AfroSurf”. The first is a rare find I got on eBay, and an important piece of history in terms of photography, but it features all white people, despite the presence of black Californian surfers, like black Mexican boatman Nick Gabaldon, who went to great lengths to surf in Malibu during the era of beach segregation. To counter the predominantly white canon of surf documentation, “AfroSurf” is a gorgeously crafted, historically rich celebration of surf culture in Africa, featuring everything from photographs to essays, poems, playlists and ephemera. It is a book that every creative should have.

Image Vibe Guide Photography by Jennelle Fong and Yasara Gunawardena

I will never stop swinging my Darling vintage black leather trench coat with fur trim that I bought in perfect condition in Montreal about 10 years ago.

The cause or organization I am currently supporting: Trans Community Network is a defense group for Colombian trans communities. Red Condor Collective is a Colombian diaspora initiative that ensures material support for activists in Colombia, including those protesting against the genocide in Gaza.

The sounds that fuel my creativity right now are Deftones B-sides, pretty much anything shoegaze/distorted/DIY coming out of Arizona or Texas right now (glixen, locked in bed, Teethe), Cocteau Twins live at Ministry of Sound in 1996Demo cuts from the Smashing Pumpkins studio sessions for “Gish” and “Pisces Iscariot.” Mix of “casted in caves: black moon lilith” by Natalia Mantini for Dublabambient Dungeons & Dragons videos that I project on my wall, the same sound file of a 20-minute singing bowl repeated for eight hours, field recordings of waves receding over rocks in tide pools, the sound of the small solar powered garden fountain outside my window <3.

I am manifesting a project in 2024 with: There is so much amazing shoegaze/goth/darkwave/ambient/experimental music coming from Latin artists in Los Angeles right now. closed tear, beli and wisteria, For example. I love to see independent designers in Los Angeles also have more presence, like the Latina-owned brand. always, also known as World of Always. Locally owned and operated Venice surf archive project and streetwear brand central lords It's one of my favorite visual inspirations lately. On the wellness and skincare front, I'm really interested in what Latine property northoto botany it does: their scrub is one of my favorites. I've had my eye on the leather clothing brand humanoidand they're one of the most exciting beauty initiatives coming out of Los Angeles right now.

The food I'm cooking on rotation right now: I am on a lifelong mission to create anything that at least resembles my grandmother's ajiaco, but I must confess that I am a total disappointment to my ancestors in the domestic department. At least I have the neighborhood broth to warm my heart in the meantime.

This is the very specific thing that inspires my style lately: Black trans women and non-binary people and older people. Always.

The color I'm dreaming/obsessed with: It's always the lipstick shade I've been wearing for about half my life at this point: MAC Diva, a deep, cool-toned burgundy that's almost black. It's also the same shade that Courtney Love wore in the '90s. It's so melancholic, elegant, vampy, and earthy all at the same time.

The 2023 crash that I missed and that still haunts me: The Stüssy x Our Legacy “Surfman” jacket that released earlier this year. I had it in my cart, but I didn't pull the trigger to control myself, because I already have a pretty solid Stüssy collection. But I think about that jacket all the time and now it's on resale sites for three times the retail price (and of course never in my size).

All of 2024 I will smell like: Byredo's De Los Santos eau de parfum, with a little Aesop's Hwyll layered on top and, inevitably, a touch of hinoki and palo santo incense that I always burn in my house.