“I don’t ever take these things for granted.” Little Simz on becoming the UK ambassador for Miu Miu Beauty.
Miu Miu has announced Little Simz as the latest UK ambassador for Miu Miu Beauty, fronting the brand's new Fleur de Lait fragrance campaign. We caught up with Simz to chat about becoming the face of Miu Miu Beauty, how she balances work and life, and of course her favourite ice cream flavour.
Perfect: What was it like when you were first approached by Miu Miu Beauty?
Little Simz: “I was super excited to have been approached by Miu Miu Beauty. I love Miu Miu as a brand and have for a very long time. I had the great honour of being able to shoot campaigns for Miu Miu in the past and walk the fashion shows, so I was happy that they wanted to keep the relationship going and asked me to be a part of this campaign for beauty.”
“The last time I went to the show, they left me the Miutine perfume in the room and I've been using it ever since. It's my go-to. I genuinely like Fleur de Lait and I genuinely wanted to be part of the campaign.”
Perfect: How does it feel to be the face of such an iconic brand?
Little Simz: “It feels pretty crazy. I don't ever take these things for granted and I'm super grateful that Miu Miu Beauty feels that I can represent the brand and the products. I think you can kind of feel when something feels genuine and aligned with brands and artists for campaigns, and the relationship between us has been years of building, so it's nice to get to a point where we're still working with them. It's really, really cool.”
Perfect: Do you have any fun memories from being on set for this?
Little Simz: “It was a long day, but it didn't feel like it. I think the energy was just infectious. I remember the photographer, Marili Andre, brought her toddler who was super chill and brought a different energy to the set, which was nice to have. Sometimes when you do photoshoots, videos, and voiceovers, it feels really, really intense to do that all back-to-back, but the team was super cool and made it feel really light.”
“I loved what I was wearing, so that always helps as well when you like the fit. The food was great, the catering was good. It was a good day. I think I have a really good chemistry with Marili, she was brilliant. She was so funny, and just made it really light, and not intense.”
Perfect: 3 words to describe the scent of Fleur De Lait?
Little Simz: “Floral. Wholesome. Protective. It feels like I've got my armour on. “
Perfect: What do you look for in a fragrance like this?
Little Simz: “I look for something that makes me feel safe, I guess. That makes me feel even more feminine, and that lasts for a long time. Even though it's nice to top up, I do like long lasting scents.”
Perfect: What makes you confident?
Little Simz: “What makes me confident is the belief I have in myself to want to do and achieve great things. I'm definitely someone that backs myself 100%, and I think I've always done that from a very early age, and that's given me a quiet confidence as well. I don't think confidence always needs to be in your face, it's just a knowing within yourself that you possess something special, and that you have something special to give or offer people through whatever medium. If it's art, or whatever it is, it's some confidence in yourself.”
Perfect: What's your favourite ice cream flavour?
Little Simz: “My favorite ice cream flavour? I like salted caramel.”
Perfect: How do you balance your personal life and work?
Little Simz: “I try to stand firm in my beliefs and what I prioritise. I always find that one always informs the other. So the more I'm able to get fuel and a recharge from my personal life, the more I'm able to perform better in my work life. If my personal life is suffering, like I've not seen my family, I've not caught up with my friends, and I've not had that time to get my charge where I need it from home, it's only gonna show in my work.”
“That means having to sometimes be firm on what I want and what I need. I think I haven't always had the best balance of that. I've definitely overworked or isolated myself, just putting so much into my work, and I don't actually find happiness in that. So I'm trying to have a better hold on getting what I need in my personal life and then bringing that over to work.”
Perfect: What is Perfect to you?
Little Simz: “I actually think it's imperfection, to be honest. It can really be whatever you want it to be. Sometimes if I'm recording a song for example, there's been many, many times when I’m working with a producer or session musicians, and they play the wrong thing and I'm like ‘do not change it, do not re-cut it, that's perfect’. It's not whether it was the right chord to go to or not, it's a feeling, for me, that is unshakable. It's whatever you want it to be, whatever resonates with you. It's not about what it should be on paper. It's just whatever feels right.”