After an unconventional career path behind the scenes, the Danish creative is ready to stand out. In an exclusive interview with Vogue Scandinavia, she discusses her Nordic upbringing, distinct approach to streetwear, and styling some of the biggest names
"I don't like to talk all the time,” says Veneda Carter at the beginning of our chat. We’re both in our respective LA home offices, meeting for the first time over video conference, and she’s letting me know why she normally declines interviews. “I get a little bit anxious about saying too much. I’m a visual person.”
That said, there is much I’m curious about (as is the rest of the internet): her upbringing in Copenhagen, her modelling days, how she came to work with Kanye West at Yeezy, and later Kim Kardashian – and why she doesn’t anymore. Plus, her new eponymous jewellery brand that’s been making the rounds on my feed. So, after a bit of small talk and a promise that I’m not here to just collect celebrity soundbites, but rather, learn about her story, she starts to open up.
Now based in Los Angeles with her husband Weston Carter (who works at Supreme) and infant daughter Bobbi, Carter’s beginnings in Denmark are humble. Her Polish parents moved to Copenhagen for better opportunities and quality of life before she was born. Along with her older brother, the family lived in council housing and was on government assistance while her father finished his studies and her mother worked as a cleaner. “Obviously, we couldn't afford much, but I never felt that we were in need of anything growing up either.”
Opportunities to model brought her to Berlin and New York in her late teens, where her athletic build and sportif style weren’t exactly in-step with the times. This was the 2010’s, afterall, and “it wasn’t about personal style, it was about showcasing your body,” she says, alluding to the era when skin tight skinny jeans, miniscule motorcycle jackets, and platform booties were the preferred model uniform. “I was tomboyish but still very experimental. I would wear heels, as I do right now, but with baggy pants,” she says. “I had a lot of guy friends, and they were all really into clothes and new sneakers. So I think naturally, it rubbed off on me too.”
Equally influential was her time spent on-set, albeit mainly commercial and catalogue jobs that didn't expose her to the world of high-fashion, but did educate her on outfit proportions and how to make basics sing through the power of styling. While the genre of modelling she was stuck in left her ultimately unfulfilled, it sparked something within. “I believe personal style is such a big part of your whole vibe as a person. I'm sad that it wasn't as significant back then in the industry. It was only about looking a certain way.”
As Carter fazed out of modelling, she found a more rewarding outlet on Instagram, growing an audience who admired her ensembles, which are at once futuristic and yet gamine. And in 2016, Kanye West took notice and his camp got in touch. Within days, she was in Los Angeles and an integral part of Team Yeezy. “He definitely was the first big person to discover my potential,” she says of those formative five years in West’s creative incubator working on concept, research, and styling.
“I always think about my opportunity with him as school. I've learned so much not only about the industry, but he gave me the platform to express myself through styling beyond what I could have ever imagined.” Having heard enough insider stories about what it’s actually like to exist in Ye’s world, it could not have been easy. Uncompromising, stressful, and unstable even? Carter remains referential. “I don't even know how to describe him. He's such a genius. So him believing in me felt very special.”
In 2019, at West’s suggestion, Carter began working as his then-wife Kardashian’s personal stylist. Dressing the most photographed woman in the world might send most into a tailspin. But not Carter, who just saw the opportunity. “I knew that this was another challenge where I could learn even more.” And for a couple years, she did. “I was so grateful. And, you know, at first it was scary and surreal, but I was not doubting myself. She was so open to trying new things.” Her and Kardashian found their rhythm and Carter adjusted to the warp-speed routine of dressing someone with 330 million Instagram followers.
It was a period of trial and error for both Carter and her client, resulting in some of Kardashian’s more subversive, forward, and ultimately divisive looks. The resulting online criticism was oftentimes personal and painful for Carter to read. Reflecting now, she recognises her work didn’t always click with both Kardashian nor the mainstream media, but boundary-pushing was the point. “My aesthetic was far from what she liked at first, but we got really close and built a great relationship.”
By 2021, Kardashian was making life changes on all fronts and they amicably parted ways. Meanwhile, this year Carter has, unsurprisingly, been busy, working with rapper Jack Harlow for New Balance, Madhappy, and Stussy. She’s also turned her attention to a new form of creation: becoming a mother and recently launching a jewellery collection of rough-hewn 14 karat gold vermeil staples meant to be layered and worn everyday.
“I’ve been collecting [fine] pieces over time from my mom and grandmother, and I know they can be really expensive. I want everything I do product wise to be something that everyone can afford, even if it's just one piece – great design, good quality, and unique.” It’s clearly resonating, with fans already including Bella Hadid and Halsey, and stockists such as SSENSE picking up the brand. “My designs reflect a lot of me being from Copenhagen. It’s this nugget style you don’t see a lot in America. These shapes and textures come from the more Danish side of me.”