If Avril Lavigne didn’t inspire your punk/goth/emo middle school years, you’re lying. Lavigne was personally responsible for my 13-year-old obsession with super chunky skate shoes that never *once* touched a skateboard and her angsty albums perfectly captured the emotions of my first heartbreak. Naturally, hearing that she was collaborating on a pop-punk clothing collection really hit hard.
To celebrate the twentieth anniversary of her debut album Let Go, Lavigne teamed up with alternative fashion brand Killstar for a drop that teenage me would have swooned over. After wearing Killstar’s rocker-chic pieces for years, Lavigne is giving the brand her own stylish touch. Including clothing, loungewear, and accessories, this line features a black-and-pink color story with a smattering of classic punk-rock motifs.
“This collaboration is a mixture of me over the years,” she told Bustle. “I've always loved skulls, so we have skeletons and bones in this collection with barbed wire. The pieces are sheer and sexy — it's like a perfect balance of sexy rock-and-roll and a little goth.”
Ahead, Lavigne dishes about the inspiration behind the collection, how her style has changed since her “Sk8r Boi” days, and what looks she would bring back (read: jelly bracelets).
How does your style now compare to your style in the 2000's?
On my first album Let Go, I was more tomboy: super baggy pants, fat skate shoes. On my second album Under My Skin, I went into bondage pants and got a corset and dyed my hair black underneath. The Best Damn Thing album, it was very hot pink and black and stars and skulls and fun icons. Now I'd say it's just a combination of it all, really. I'll wear baggy cargo pants, but they're high waisted with a cute crop top. I like to have fun with leather jackets and spikes.
How has the punk look changed since you were a teenager?
It was really hard for me to find anything edgy at a mall. If I wanted to find a T-shirt that had a skull on it — forget about it, it was impossible. That's why I really liked shopping in Tokyo, because you could find unique pieces that were really rock-and-roll with spikes and skulls. The malls here in North America, everything was just so plain and it was really hard to get edgy stuff. Fashion has taken a turn and everyone's appreciating it more. Online makes it more accessible too. Before, I used to just wear the same sh*t over and over, [but] you can go online and find a spiked jacket anywhere now.
Would you pull any looks from the archives to wear now?
Maybe jelly bracelets. I need neon orange, hot pink, and black ones.
Do you have a favorite trend at the moment?
I used to wear a lot of sets on my second album. I would wear them with like tutus and Doc Martens. Corsets have just come back, so I'm loving a Vivienne Westwood corset right now. I still love DC, Doc Martens, Dickies, and skate shoes, but now I also really appreciate Versace, Alexander McQueen, and other high-end designers. I mix and match.
What piece from the collection would 2002 Avril wear?
The Suspense Joggers, because that's the most tomboyish. Baggy pants and fat skate shoes and the hoodie, I will still rock to this day.
