Zayn Malik’s With Gigi Hadid: The Story Behind “Pillow Talk”

One Directioners, rejoice! Despite the band’s hiatus, its former fifth member, Zayn Malik, just released his debut video as a solo artist. The video for his song “Pillowtalk” features a familiar face to fashion fans: none other than Gigi Hadid. While the video—which features boxing female nudes and a lot of exploding floral imagery among a swirl of retro graphics, kaleidoscope and shattered-mirror effects—is causing a buzz with its racy undertones (Hadid and Malik are shown in various intimate clinches), its wardrobe is decidedly on point. And that is due to the ongoing collaboration between Malik and his post-1D stylist, Jason Rembert. “He’s a person who knows what he wants and knows what works for him,” said Rembert, via phone from Paris.

Since the duo started working together, Malik’s personal style has undergone something of an evolution, as the former boy bander replaced goofy grins and sporty jumpers with sleek silk bomber jackets from Louis Vuitton and shirting from Saint Laurent. “It’s keeping his aesthetic in keeping with his integrity of what his brand stands for and what he’s trying to do in this next chapter of his life,” said Rembert, and the next page appears to be one with a decidedly grown-up (read: sultry) subtext. The video, which was released at midnight on Thursday, has already garnered nearly 3 million views on YouTube. “It’s definitely edgy,” said Rembert. “It’s classic, minimal, cool. It’s dark.” And Rembert’s styling stayed true to all that, putting Malik in bomber jackets from Raf Simons and denim pieces from Tom Ford. “For the most part, it’s tailored,” said Rembert. “It’s a bit more grown-up and adult.” And while Malik might cut a mysterious figure in some all-black ensembles, he does have one bit of color: a ring with a blue stone. “[He’s] really into rings right now,” said Rembert, and Malik’s not alone: “He’s into bracelets and stacking jewelry—he kind of experiments a lot with jewelry. He’s edgy at heart—the same way Pharrell and Kanye West experiment with accessories.”

Another component in the video that needed little help was friend of Malik and model-of-the-moment Gigi Hadid. “She’s a bombshell,” said Rembert. “She’s naturally sexy. To keep her sexy is redundant,” said the stylist, who opted to put the 20-year-old runway regular in looks from Versace’s Spring collection and Lever Couture, a new Berlin-based label. “We wanted to keep her edgy and keep her true to what Versace means and what it stands for,” said Rembert, which didn’t provide much of a challenge, as Hadid is one of the newer faces of its most recent campaign. “[Versace] dresses the body. It’s legs and cleavage. We wanted to keep that feeling.”

That mood will no doubt translate into Malik’s forthcoming album, Mind of Mine, due out on March 25, a full year after his departure from One Direction. And here’s hoping the videos are as equally fashionable as they are catchy. In a grown-up way, of course.