STREAM EXCLUSIVE ORIGINALS

See The Magazine Cover Alicia Keys And Her Rainbow Braids Landed

We exclusively caught up with hairstylist Marcia Hamilton to discuss.

Alicia Keys has a new Elle Brazil cover — and the internet is totally freaking out about it! 

A.Keys has not one but four collector’s edition covers featuring her bold, braided look. Of course, she needed to know more, so we reached out to the women behind her hair switch: Marcia Hamilton. 

“The braided look on Alicia was inspired by a Maison Margiela runway look created by hairstylistist Eugene Souleiman — which was originally done with yarn,” explains Marcia, who also works with Tinashe, Willow Smith, Jaden Smith, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Taraji P.Henson, Keke Palmer, and Tracee Ellis Ross.

“I’ve been obsessed with it for months, and Alicia and I thought it would be a fun ‘summer vibes’ feel — so we tried it! We both really loved the rawness of the look of the yarn woven into the hair and really wanted to maintain that organic element while using synthetic hair," she continues.

“I kept the colors a bit more uniform than the colorful inspiration, but still had fun by playing with bright orange, yellow, and pink tones [for an ombré effect]. The look took approximately six hours because I’m not traditionally a braider," Marcia admitted. 

If you recall, Alicia made headlines last year when she pledged to stop wearing makeup. She’s definitely made good on her promise, she’s been hitting the red carpet (and the stage) without a lick of product. *Googles her skincare routine*

Which cover do you think A.Keys slayed the best? Hit us up in the comments below. 

Latest News

Subscribe for BET Updates

Provide your email address to receive our newsletter.


By clicking Subscribe, you confirm that you have read and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge our Privacy Policy. You also agree to receive marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers) and other information from BET and the Paramount family of companies. You understand that you can unsubscribe at any time.