Alt-pop duo Coco & Clair Clair on style, Atlanta and being comfy girls

When I saw Coco & Clair Clair at SXSW earlier this year, they were on their third set of the day, and their fifth gig of the Austin, Texas music conference. On the bill with Coco Jones and Chloe Bailey, the Atlanta duo hyped the crowd, cycling through their aloof and addictive debut full-length Sexy (with a turn via Dido’s “White Flag”). Over airy, reverb-y beats, Coco delivers confidently barbed rap, while Clair’s cutesy, twinkly vocal sucker-punches with bitchy, brazen hooks: “Chloe Sevigny / I’m the new IT girl”, “Realest bitches in the room always, me and Clair”. Dripping with deliciously deviant, deadpan humour, they skulked the stage in snakeskin, oversize leather, chunky boots and face-eschewing sunglasses. “Everyone here looks so sexy,” Coco drawled.

That flash-in-the-pain run of shows was a snapshot of a booked and busy year so far, preempting a summer of showcases, festivals, and tours across the US and Europe. While they’ve levelled up from first meeting on Twitter and their early days of bedroom rap and the house party performance circuit, Coco & Clair Clair (real names Claire Toothill and Taylor Nave) maintain a distinct charm, sardonic attitude and committed sense of style. Peep their Instagram for stage and promo fits that oscillate from black corsets and sequins, to double denim, XXL hair bows and kitten heels, cycling shorts and Chanel booties. They’ve recently been tapped for Urban Outfitters and Champion’s Autumn collection campaign. In visuals set to the duo’s earworm-y “Pop Star”, Coco and Clair model puddle pants and sweats, hoodies, and vintage-inspired collegiate polos, adding their own touch to the classics with preppy loafers and heeled pumps. Their merch is pretty sartorially aligned to their vibe too – “Coco & Clair Clair threw a bottle at me and I loved it”, one shirt reads.

When we log on to Zoom, Coco is back home in Atlanta and Clair Clair is in Joshua Tree – we chat about their UO x Champion campaign, personal style, Stardoll and The Sims.

Hey Coco and Clair Clair! What’s it like seeing your Urban x Champion campaign IRL? Were you mall girls?

Clair Clair: I’m realising now it’s pretty back-to-school vibes – preppy, cute, sweet. And we are very comfy girls. We’ll not get dressed if we can get away with it. Don’t get me wrong – we love to dress up, but there was just something about doing a photo shoot that leans into our comfy and cosy side that wasn’t just our psycho aesthetic. That’s good – sometimes. Champion is a classic too – my parents know what it is, they wore it, they can tell people about it. I’m proud to have a lot of people really relate to something we’ve done.

We both spent so much time shopping in Urban Outfitters in Atlanta growing up. That mall experience is really influential. I would get obsessed with their catalogues too, save them, look over them again and again.

Coco: The nostalgia! And it’s sick to be in somewhere that stocks our vinyls too. I spent so much time hanging around the vinyls in Urban Outfitters.

You’ve spent a lot of the last few months on the road and travelling across Europe. Has that inspired your style?

Clair Clair: I am so last minute when I pack for tour. For me, it’s whatever I found at the thrift store the day before. When we started touring properly after COVID, I feel like we went through what I guess was a style evolution, in that I just wanted to wear silk pants and t-shirts everywhere. I got really into jewellery because it was an easy way to feel fancy. I get so much inspiration from Coco and how she styles the things she performs in, ideas she brings to photoshoot.

Coco: I hate packing. If our flight is at 8am I’m up packing at 5am. On this tour, I’ve been a bit more casual. I also see some growth in my style in how I’ve learned to incorporate basics. I used to buy these crazy pieces that didn’t go with anything in my closet, so they’d just sit there. Now, I’ve got a good mix of simple and crazy.

Clair Clair: On our last tour we were sharing clothes with our DJ. The night of a show we’d be rummaging through each other’s things and putting together pieces we would just never normally wear in a really fun, easy way. Like, oh yeah, I can wear this swimsuit as a top with a guy’s pair of jeans and slippers – cool. The hectic nature of tour brings out this style in me.

There’s a juxtaposition in your fashion choices – the sweats and the heels.

Coco: Sweatpants and heels are the way to go. Casual, hot, without looking like you just rolled out of bed. I’m really into those little touches that make a good look.

Clair Clair: I love overloading on accessories.

What’s your best vintage find?

Clair Clair: Coco just got an amazing dress on eBay. She’s been getting a lot of good stuff on there. 

Coco: Yeah, we’re going to a wedding in Nairobi next month, and I found this chocolate brown sequin dress with a low scoop back I’m going to wear. It just arrived. It fits perfect. And Claire just got some Chanel boots!

What’s thrifting like in Atlanta? 

Coco: Pretty good. Even at my favourite thrift stores, it doesn’t feel like the TikTok girls have found them yet.

Clair Clair: The suburbs are the best.

“What I think comes across in our music is that we prioritise having fun and making sure we’re both happy – that doesn't mean we compromise artistry or creativity” – Clair Clair

Your music is indebted to the internet – what internet subcultures and platforms influenced your style? Like, were you on Stardoll or into MySpace scene kids?

Clair Clair: Oh my gosh – all of it. We were just talking about those dress-up doll games the other day.

Coco: I was on all of that. The Sims was my shit. I loved MySpace but more for the music because even then I knew everyone was dressing like shit. Neon jeans... yeah, no.

If the historical throughline the current trend cycle is following is to be believed, scene kids will soon rise again.

Coco: I really, really hope not.

Who inspires you with their looks right now?

Clair Clair: We have the same couple of influencers and models we obsess over and send back and forth to each other. I have a little saved section on my Instagram that’s just for people’s cool outfits.

Coco: We love Paloma Elsesser.

Clair: An icon. Paloma is so cool – she dresses quite casually most of the time, but always looks epic. I mostly look for and feel inspired by people who can look comfortable and casual in something that’s a little daring, that encourages me to try something new too. 

Your attitude is inherent to the experience of Coco & Clair Clair. How have you crafted that?

Clair Clair: What I think comes across in our music is that we prioritise having fun and making sure we’re both happy – that doesn't mean we compromise artistry or creativity. You can do both. So much of our music relates back to our friendship, decisions we have made and committed to together. It’s down to the shows we choose to play – will we enjoy it? Who’s gonna be in that crowd? What can we give the people in that city?

What’s your relationship like to Atlanta now?

Clair Clair: We’ve developed a mature relationship with Atlanta. The house show scene we knew has died on its own, but we’re not really partying like we used to. I’ve realised how good the food scene is. We’ve found our own studio space. We feel like we have our own, real lives here. I feel like I live in Atlanta now. I think growing up, I felt like I was just here to figure out shit and go somewhere else, but I really love Atlanta. 

Coco: It’s been nice to get back into our studio. Tour definitely inspired us a lot. Playing the same songs every single night makes you want to make and play more songs to see how people react live.

And we’re in fashion month now – what would be the song that you would strut down the runway to?

Coco: It has to be “World Class Sinner” by Lily Rose Depp from The Idol. 

Clair Clair: “World Class Sinner” is on repeat. 

Coco & Clair Clair for Champion is available exclusively at Urban Outfitters

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