THERE is a certain electricity that follows AJ Odudu into any room. She has the ability to command attention with an unspoken assurance that she is a woman focused on her task, yet unafraid to invite glamour into it. For close to two decades, the Blackburn-born presenter has carved an undeniable path through British television, from hosting Channel 4’s The Big Breakfast and The Big Interiors Battle to most recently, spearheading The Big Brother franchise.
Her rise has been marked by a rare blend of warmth, wit and unshakeable professionalism that she has imbued from prime-time live broadcasts to backstage reportage. Odudu has become one of this country’s most magnetic presences. However, beyond her skill set, she and stylist Thomas George Wulbern have curated an ongoing style identity that is equal parts playful and polished.
Reflecting on her looks from the latest series of Big Brother, AJ and Thomas sit down with GLASS to talk us through the inspiration and decision behind each.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WORKING TOGETHER? HOW DID YOU MEET?
AJ: “We met at a mutual friend’s birthday party on the dancefloor and the rest is history – we connected straight away. Thomas was like, “I’ve actually been trying to get in touch with you”, and I was like “Great, because I have been loving your work from afar”. We knew instantly that we connected personally which made our relationship organic and more fun”
SO YOU’VE WORKED TOGETHER FOR THREE YEARS NOW, HOW HAS YOUR STYLE EVOLVED IN THAT TIME?
AJ: “I definitely feel like it’s more consistent now. I’ve always been very willing to try new things, I’d say. I love experimenting with different shapes, different silhouettes, and different textures. I’ve always been really experimental in that respect. But since working with Thomas, he’s really elevated my look, really defined it, made it feel more strong when it needs to be, made me feel comfortable in every scenario, whether it’s a red carpet, a live television look or a pre-record look. I feel like it feels a bit more timeless now. It feels strong and powerful. There’s more timeless elements that I know that I can look back on in years to come and be like, “Wow, that was amazing.”
Thomas: “We knew we wanted to make an impact with the looks we were doing and create a bit of a statement. And I feel like as we’ve kind of progressed, we’ve kind of gone more chic”.
DO YOU APPROACH DIFFERENT SHOWS WITH A DIFFERENT MINDSET THAT REFLECTS WHAT ITS ABOUT, OR DO YOU MAINTAIN A SINGULAR AESTHETIC NO MATTER THE PREMISE?
AJ: “It’s a combination of the two because the running thread is me at the end of the day. We’re very passionate about: I need to wear these clothes, the clothes can’t wear me. I guess everything does have its own language in that respect. You know, Big Brother is a live TV show, and it’s relentless and it’s unforgiving as we film it outside. And as a result, the outfits need to read 360 in every single scenario. I need to be able to move in that outfit. It needs to look good from the front, the back, the side to top, and the bottom; the camera movements are really dynamic. It needs to look good under different lighting and under different weather conditions.
Regardless of what I’m doing, I always want to feel like we are turning heads, that we’re inspiring with our looks. It does become a bit of a talking point. I feel like women’s fashion, wherever they are, it’s always a talking point – especially if it’s in the public realm. Why not have people talking positively about the things that you represent and the way that you move and the way that you feel in your outfits?”.
Thomas: “Yeah, I completely agree. For me, I want to make a woman feel confident and sexy and all of those emotions, even just elevating what they already feel. I want the clothing to almost kind of be like an armour”.
DURING BIG BROTHER, YOU COMBINED A MIXTURE OF RECENT RUNWAY LOOKS WITH VINTAGE PIECES. WAS THIS A CONCERTED EFFORT?
AJ: “For me, it’s always been an ambition of mine, especially just my background and where I’m from in Blackburn, coming from a very working-class family. I looked at these brands and these designers, and it’s been a real dream of mine to be able to one day touch these clothes. Never mind being able to wear them and express myself in them. So, yes, it’s always been a goal. And additionally, whatever I’m wearing, I always want to feel like the main character. That’s how I feel like I best present”.
Thomas: “For us, fashion’s always been such a form of escapism and we want people to see those looks and feel the fantasy and feel that excitement that we feel when we’re fitting and in the process of putting them together”.
Look 1: McQueen Spring/ Summer 2023
Photographs: Stefan Bertin and India Bharadwaj
Thomas: “I think for us, the first show always has to start with the bang and having a huge of pop of colour just draws everyone’s attention in. It’s still chic, but it’s still sexy. We’ve also had our eye on it for a while, to be honest, when we found it within the archives we knew this has to be for the launch”.
AJ: “I guess from my point of view, I remember getting the job for Big Brother for the first series. It was back like never before. It was the first time it was on ITV. It was the first time they’ve had a female black female presenter. It was the first time it was a double header, and that launch night, we had to sell it to them. I walked out in a blue latex catsuit with inches of hair down to my feet, and it really was a showstopper. So what I really wanted to do this series was give a nod to that playfulness, but give people something different – but represent an evolution.”
Thomas: “And we love a snatched waist!”
Look 2: Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello Autumn/ Winter 2024
Photographs: Stefan Bertin and India Bharadwaj
AJ: “I really wanted a full gold power moment. It was just beautifully sculpted and sleek and really glamorous, and then the suspenders added like a subtle edge, a little bit rock and roll. It was kind of like an old Hollywood meets like modern day boss and I just loved it. I felt super confident and super feminine there, and I just felt like I was in full control”
Look 3: Gianni Versace Couture 1994
Photographs: Stefan Bertin and India Bharadwaj
Thomas: “We’ve wanted to do a Versace look for such a long time, but it was just finding the right look. Versace just do glamour for me, like nobody else, especially those old Gianni Versace days. It’s unmatched and as soon as we saw the look we knew this was it.”
AJ: “It was strong and sexy and playful with the leopard print. I could move and it’s kind of very Absolutely Fabulous. It felt like Patsy”.
Look 4: Gucci circa 1970s
Photographs: Stefan Bertin and India Bharadwaj
Thomas: “We worked in a very different way this year. We always do mood boards and work on it like three, four months before rather than going straight into fittings. This time, we did a shopping day and
went around loads of different stores in London. We just tried things and really wanted to get a feel for the fabrics, a feel for the looks and then kind of base everything else on that. On that day, this Gucci coat came about”.
AJ: “The texture was absolutely beautiful. It’s vintage ostrich leather and it had an amazing retro Gucci lining inside. But don’t be deceived it was cold outside. I had nothing on underneath and I was freezing. But, you know, anything for the look”.
Look 5: Mugler Autumn/ Winter 2025
Photographs: Stefan Bertin and India Bharadwaj
Thomas: “I think Mugler’s cut and tailoring when Casey Cadwallader was at the house is just impeccable. The details in the way it snatches and what it ultimately does to a woman’s silhouette is just stunning”.
AJ: “Mugler has a built-in confidence. I love that one because I felt like a superhero, you know? It was so unapologetic. It was the energy was just what we wanted”.
Thomas: “Also the thing is with Big Brother is that you’re not just commanding the audience at home, you’ve got a crowd of like a thousand people in the room so you’re speaking to the crowd as well. So you have to command them, as well as the camera at the same time and I feel like that look just cut it”.
Look 6: Alex Perry Ready-to-Wear
Photographs: Stefan Bertin and India Bharadwaj
AJ: “What you might not be able to read is that outfit is completely sheer. I was in a completely sheer catsuit and it’s just so sexy. Mixed with my darker skin tone, I didn’t feel too exposed. And really I just love a catsuit. I feel like every single series, I always want to have a signature catsuit moment, and I’m a big fan of Alex Perry. I feel like the silhouettes that they create are so flattering and, you know, I feel just so strong. It fit like a glove too!”
Look 7: Tom Ford Autumn/ Winter 2025
Photographs: Stefan Bertin and India Bharadwaj
AJ: “I always want to feel like I mean business. Thomas has done a really amazing job with bringing that side out of me. Offstage, I am that person who wants to be in her trainers, I want to be my trackies, I want to be able to move and run around. But when I’m doing my job, I’ve previously always wanted to just lean into super sexy and super glamorous. Thomas has taught me that actually, you know, you can still be covered head to toe with like gloves on with a suit and still feel sexy and glamorous at the same time”.
Thomas: “It kind of leans back into our concentration on textures. The shirt is made of leather, its in the detail”.
Look 8: Alaïa circa 1990s
Photographs: Stefan Bertin and India Bharadwaj
AJ: “Previously, I’ve always wanted to wear a dress and feel, you know, a bit more obvious, a bit more on the nose glamorous. Whereas actually this season it was like, right, this is like Arctic weather. It’s so cold. I just want to wear a big coat and this silhouette was just perfect. It’s functionality meets high fashion and the belt cinches you in in all the right places. It’s got no buttons and no zip, so it feels really risky.
Thomas: “The finals always really tricky one because we’re outside the whole show. So as much as we want to be really fashion forward, we have to be practical which sometimes can be a tough balance, but I think we’ve really kind of nailed it with this look”.
AJ: “When I put on these outfits, I stand taller. I literally walk differently. I talk differently. I feel strong. So regardless of what look I’m moving in, that’s what I want to feel like on a night. And I definitely felt that power in this look”.
by Imogen Clark