"My mom always was like, 'You should wear black,'" BANKS says. "Even when I was younger. Even when I didn't want to wear black. That's why I always gravitate towards it. I feel like it has every color within it. It encompasses everything: it's powerful, it's dark, it's universal and [while wearing it] I feel just like me."

With her own style well defined, we asked about her icons and reference points - aside from the maternal. She mentioned Grace Jones, Helmut Lang, Chanel and one of her close friends, whom she called "a good witch."

More interesting, though, is her idea of what makes a style icon. "A style icon is somebody who is just fearless in being them[self]," she explains. "Like Missy Elliot is fearless. She wears space suits."