Presenter and seasoned Glasto-goer Clara Amfo shares what to wear
FORTEEN YEARS AGO, in 2010, Clara Amfo experienced an important ‘first’ – one that, with hindsight, proved to be as seminal as it gets considering her future career trajectory: she went to Get Loaded in the Park, the sister festival to South London’s SW4. Actually, it might have been Lovebox, she can’t quite remember, but, as well as meeting her future best friend, she recalls thinking ‘wow’ about her inaugural festival experience. Now, of course, Amfo has gone from punter to presenter, playing host at Glastonbury, alongside Lauren Laverne, Vick Hope and Zoe Ball for the BBC. In fact, proving her status as something of an authority on the subject as we chat on Zoom, she pulls open a drawer and shows me old ticket stubs and passes, keepsakes of almost every festival she’s attended.
She’s come a long way since the start of her career in radio and TV – Amfo used to forgo Glasto, citing the cost and the fact she couldn’t pass up weekend radio shifts – so her current gig, slap bang in front of the Pyramid Stage, watching artists such as Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar and Adele, has seen her come full circle. And although she’s all for dressing to a theme – the festival edition of the current red carpet trend for ‘method dressing’, if you like – she draws the line at one item that’s become the nadir of festival style. ‘Listen, the day you see me with a rose crown on my head, something is afoot, I’ve been overtaken by the festival bodysnatchers because that’s just not me. If that’s your thing, I love it for you. But me? Nah.’
Instead, you’re more likely to spot her in cult streetwear brands, such as Undercover (she wore the label’s bomber jacket last year, pairing it with a silver mesh dress for Elton John). ‘I love tailoring with a fresh pair of trainers but then, you know, I love a chunky stacked heel with a band T-shirt.’ The Elton look was paired with gold Nikes; essential footwear, along with a rotation of reliable boots, for wading through the crowds of Worthy Farm – as long as they’re not brand new. ‘One of my early Glastonburys, I did wear some fairly new trainers and it was very muddy. I was like, “Clara, you absolute idiot.” They went straight in the bin; there was no salvaging them.’ The Ghanaian flag’s colours also feature in her outfits; in 2023, she paired a glass bead clutch bag that featured red
