Yasmin Finney On Her Edgy Style, The Path To Equality And Her 'Warrior' Fans
It’s not an exaggeration to call Yasmin Finney an unstoppable force. The 21-year-old Mancunian (and former ELLE UK cover star) is best known for her role as Elle Argent in hit Netflix series Heartstopper, which debuts its third season on October 2.
Between that, her role as Rose Noble in Doctor Who, and her Tiktok stardom, amassing a community on the platform sharing her experience growing up as a trans woman in Manchester, she’s a fast-rising star on a path to becoming one of the UK’s most influential voices of her generation.
This week, she took a break from acting to join the likes of Olivia Dean, Ziwe, Tina Kunakey and Elsa Hosk at a special H&M party to kickstart Paris Fashion Week and celebrate the Swedish brand’s new AW Studio collection, which lands in stores on September 26.
Ahead of the event, she sat down with ELLE UK to talk about fashion, fame, and her go-to clubbing spot for a good night out.
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On her outfit for the evening
'It’s honestly my favourite look of the new H&M collection. It's this mini black dress with a built-in corset and padding. In the fitting and literally screamed, it was a magical moment. It’s very feminizing as well with the way it shapes my body.'
On her personal style
'I like to be as authentic as possible to how I'm feeling on the day. I think for me, within my transition, I used to always wear dresses, but as I've gotten older and a bit more comfortable with who I am, I wear tracksuits or jeans — just whatever I want. That’s the beauty of fashion, the power of how it makes you feel.'
On her off-duty wardrobe
'My style goes from edgy to comfy. On my Instagram, I give off a certain look, but that's not always the case. It's not always red carpet looks. Most of the time I'm in joggers and a hoody, which is my favourite [outfit], to be honest.'
On her favourite designers
'I love Donatella Versace, I would love to work with her. I love Jonathan Anderson, he's incredible. I love Louis de Javier as well, an upcoming designer. His corsets are to die for, it's a latex, edgy look.'
On being an actor
'The industry has just completely changed me as a person. It’s made me well rounded and humbled, and has really taught me a lot about myself. It’s crazy, I never saw myself in the industry, it was something that I'd dreamed of when I was growing up, but I actually thought to myself, there's no way that this industry is going to want to have someone like me acting within it. And that's obviously not the case. So I'm very, very blessed to be knocking down these doors.'
On her fans
'I see them as warriors, and I see them as my community. When I was growing up, I never had someone to look up to, who is my age, who I could really put my hope into; for me to be that person for some people, is it's a real blessing and a gift.
'The Black queer community is always on its knees, and it's always tested by everyone, and to be a part of something—it's not even a fan base, I see it as a movement. We're all on the same path: to have equality.'
On her go-to spots in when she’s back home
'Manchester has a really big nightlife scene for the [queer] community, which luckily I was able to find myself within. Every time I go back, I always end up going out.'
'My friend runs this nightclub called Hidden, and that's insane. They do these events called Homo Block, and now Homo Electric, which Luke Unabomber runs. It's like pretty much the largest queer festival in the UK, and that's coming up in November. That’s really exciting.'
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