Avril Lavigne Talks Her Killstar Collection, Tour Life, & Her Love Of Jelly Bracelets

Avril Lavigne has always been a fashion icon. When I first saw her in concert in 2004, my best friend and I wore our dads’ neck ties, chokers, and wrists full of black jelly bracelets to commemorate the effortless skater punk and flat ironed-hair of her Let Go era. Later, Lavigne’s style veered into pink-and-black gothic, with lace-up corsets and tutus. In 2008, she even started the clothing line Abbey Dawn, which you can still find in the corners of Depop, which included things like yellow and black-checkered shorts and studded tartan heels. And with the release of Luv Sux, she’s back to her signature glam-punk style, with studded corsets and lace-up leather boots.

“Honestly, I just dress for myself,” Lavigne tells NYLON. “I just try to be comfortable. I love baggy pants. I love skater shoes. And I love, like, a little Gothic and then just like classic rock and roll and leather.”

Now, Lavigne has a new collection out with Killstar, a punk-goth lifestyle brand with an eye towards the occult. The collection, which fondly recalls the pink-and-black color palette that dominated teen fashion in the early aughts, features maxi dresses, bodysuits, and crop tops, with enough skeletons and barbed wire illustrations to outfit a small coven.

The only thing missing from Lavigne’s Killstar collection, notably, is her signature early aughts black jelly bracelets – but the star said she would consider bringing them back, maybe even as soon as the VMAs red carpet later this month.

“I just saw one of those jelly bracelets in my drawer the other day,” she said, while Googling photos of herself wearing jelly bracelets. “And I was like, "Oh my God, this is crazy." Maybe I should f*cking bring the jelly bracelet back.”

NYLON chatted with Lavigne about her punk Killstar collection, the upcoming Sk8er Boi movie, and about her year-long celebration of two decades since her masterpiece Let Go.

The ‘Avril Lavigne by Killstar’ collection will range in pricing from $14.99 to $59.99, and in sizing from XS to 4XL. The collection will be available to shop on www.killstar.com starting August 24.

This partnership with Killstar is very exciting. Can you talk just a little bit about how it came about?

Basically, I wear Killstar and love it and I've been a fan. They asked me about doing a collab. It definitely felt like that would be really fun to put together and it made sense fashion-wise because I definitely wear that type of style. We just got together and talked about the colors I like and any icons and visuals. Basically, the collaboration that we came up with was hot pink and black skull and barbed wire. It's very on brand with what I wear. I love rock and roll fashion with a little twist of goth, and I would definitely say that's the vibe of this.

Were you looking to kind of have it have this nostalgic feel, or did you want something that felt more contemporary? It almost reminds me of what girls were wearing in 2004, 2005, that era, which makes sense, because fashion trends are on roughly a 20-year cycle.

I feel like it is in line with what I'm wearing now and fashion trends, and I feel like it is just edgy and sexy.

It's been 20 years since Let Go, which is a milestone that a lot of people are celebrating this year. How does it feel to see your fans be just as excited about that album today as they were 20 years ago?

It's been such an amazing year of celebrating the 20th anniversary overall, just with also putting out Love Sux and getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at the end of the month. Just going out on tour and singing all the classic songs and everyone's still either discovering them, or everyone's singing along to the old classic songs and the new stuff.

I feel so blessed to still have a career and to be working on music, fashion, other adventures, movies. Any type of way that I can be creative, it's always so much fun. Doing this collab with Killstar just felt like a no-brainer. It's really cute, the pieces. They're reflective of my personal style, the colors that I like. It's black and pink, rock and roll. It's sexy, but it's still edgy. Overall, I feel really grateful to just be here, still being creative, because this is like what I love to do.

You mentioned the movie. Has there been any movement on that, or where are you at in that process? I know that's something I'm so personally excited about.

I am, too. It just takes a long time. I'm working on the storyline with the director and the writer right now. I’m really excited to be making Skater Boy into a film. It's something I've wanted to do for a very long time.

I mean, talk about such a timeless story! I really do feel like that's something that people, both your back in the day fans, like me, and new ones too, are all definitely going to be able to relate to.

Yeah, and I definitely think it has a good storyline and message to it for sure. I can't wait for that.

How has it felt for you to be singing these songs and revisiting this time now that it has been 20 years? Does this music mean something different to you now?

I've been very blessed to have hits on the radio, so they're really strong live and I've been able to play all around the world and people know them. It's a really special, rare thing, so I feel like it's been really rewarding for me 20 years later, to play these songs that people sing every lyric to. It's actually a really humbling experience and I've been able to just reflect and feel proud of what I've achieved, and it feels good.

Not a lot of people have been able to make that happen. It's very hard to do. Sometimes you're lucky and you get one hit. I really have this amazing fan base who really understood me and really they invested in me, and my music moved them. I feel just so extremely grateful for that and thankful every time I'm on stage. I reflect on the past 20 years; I reflect on every album cycle, every tour and all these beautiful people connected to my music. Makes me feel really good.

What is it about you and your music that you feel is so timeless or that people really gravitate towards still in such a strong way?

It means a lot to me now because the songs have stood the test of time. But I think that honestly, I was just really genuine. I wrote the songs. They came from my perspective and my view in life. At the time I was like, geez, like a teenager, what I was going through. And right now, like my new album Love Sux, it's like it evolved.

I have pivoted directions here and there. On my last album Head Above Water, it was more dark and introspective and emotional. Then this one, Love Sux came back out just like full blown, rocking out, loud guitars, live drums. And I feel like this album is so me, and I have different sides to me.

This album was so fun. I was just on tour with Machine Gun Kelly the whole summer on the Mainstream Sell Out Tour. Playing the songs live, the new songs and the old songs, it's been a blast. I went to Canada on tour in May. I'm going to Asia, South America, and traveling all around this whole year, touring.

So amazing.

My songs just always have been really honest and real.

I think you're 100% right.

Along with my fashion, I guess. Today, everyone's asking really deep fashion questions and then honestly it's like, "Oh, who is your fashion icon?" Honestly, I just dress for myself. I just try to be comfortable. I love baggy pants. I love skater shoes. And I love, like, a little gothic and then just like classic rock and roll and leather. And I think that this really sums it up.

Do you feel like your iconic ties and black jelly bracelets are ever going to be back in the mainstream? That was always my favorite look.

Oh my God. I just saw one of those jelly bracelets in my drawer the other day. And I was like, "Oh my God, this is crazy." Maybe I should f*cking bring the jelly bracelet back. Jeremy, should I wear some fucking jelly bracelets on the red carpet at the VMAs? I think so.

Yes. Avril, please do that. I saw you in 2004. It was my first concert and my friend and I stacked black jelly bracelets on our wrists and wore ties. We were like, "This style is everything."

Oh my God. I got to bring it back. Dude, I would walk outside and there'd be, like, fans and stuff to greet me and I'd pull little bracelets off and give them to them.

That's so cute. Bring that back too.

Let's do it.