Essence Fashion Digest: Zales Taps Black Designers, TheRealReal Launches New Soho Exhibit, And More
This week in fashion was filled with moments that we want to highlight. First, Zales has unveiled a new collection with two Black designers, Dorian Webb and Nungu Diamonds. The designer edit highlights the talents of emerging designers and gives them a platform for growth. Next, Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS is set to open five new locations as a strategy toward an IPO, an initial public offering, taking the company from private to public.
Calvin Klein is also setting sites in more store locations with a new space opening in Paris. The brand announced its return to the runway recently along with a new creative director, so a new chapter was born. In equally exciting news, the French luxury brand Jacquemus celebrated its 15th year in business with an anniversary runway show in an utterly gorgeous setting in Italy. The designer credits a film shot in that location as the catapult to start his brand.
Additionally, Tyler, The Creator’s brand Golf le Fleur is venturing into new territory with a collaboration with Parachute Home for a bedding collection. TheRealReal opened an installation with an event filled with stylist guests and a conversation about faux luxury products in New York City. Lastly, jewelry brand Tuliza has unveiled a new collection with SOKO featuring pieces inspired by the Swahili word “peaceful.”
Keep scrolling to know the fashion happenings of the week.
Two Black Designers Debut Collaborative Collection With Zales
Zales has tapped two Black brands to debut a new collection. The “Designer Edit” program that the brand has created provides emerging designers with the necessary platform to grow. The two brands are Nungu Diamonds, a husband-and-wife team based in Africa, and Dorian Wedd, a California-based jeweler and designer. Both are debuting a variety of high-quality pieces from necklaces, earrings, rings, and bracelets in 14-karat yellow gold. Both brands have distinct design codes with Nungu’s style celebrating the beauty in symbolism while Webb’s highlights the beauty from within the wearer. Additionally, the Zales x SHAHLA line that was launched earlier this year has expanded with jewelry inspired by architecture and the urban wonders of the world.
“The Designer Edit was created to lift up emerging and established designers while expanding our product offerings to provide our customers with the styles they’re looking for when purchasing jewelry,” shares the Zales president Kecia Caffie. “Zales is excited to partner with two more designers who each bring their unique point of view to Zales, enhancing the shopping experience and aligning with consumer preferences to find styles that make every day a little more special.”
SKIMS Announces Five New Store Locations
SKIMS is set to open five new store locations in an effort for an IPO. The locations, according to WWD are Georgetown, D.C., Aventura, Florida, Austin, and Houston, Texas, in addition to Atlanta, Georgia. These brick-and-mortar locations are major shopping hotspots. The first store in Georgetown reportedly spans 3,300 square feet and features all the women’s products from the brand first with men’s on the horizon.
The doors of the space were designed in collaboration with Willo Perron’s Perron-Roettinger with a sleek interior with rounded displays and shimmering countertops. The brand has grown from its pop-ups in Los Angeles and New York back in 2021 and 2023. Going from a cult online store to having permanent physical locations is a positive change for SKIMS.
Calvin Klein Opens A New Store In Paris
Brick-and-mortar stores are growing in popularity. Now, Calvin Klein is opening a new three-story location in Paris. This location will serve as the brand’s first global flagship reports WWD. The store ranges at 6,500 square feet with apparel, accessories, eyewear, and fragrances available on the floor. The full space is a cream color with Calvin Klein’s new “Chalk” color concept centering that choice. It’s a turn toward minimalism a la the new creative director Veronica Leoni who cut her teeth at The Row.
Head to Avenues de Champs-Élysées if you find yourself in Paris to shop at the new Calvin Klein flagship. The boutique officially opens on June 14.
Jacquemus Celebrates 15 Years With An Anniversary Runway Show
In Italy this week, luxury French brand Jacquemus celebrated its 15th year in business with a runway show inspired by the film Contempt. This beautifully filmed movie based on an unhappy married couple prompted designer Simon Porte to commit to launching his now-successful brand. The collection was displayed in the same area where the film was shot to commemorate its huge influence on the designer. Light flowy fabrics, billowing gowns, and terry cloth coats and dresses were seen on the runway with a backdrop of a clear blue sky and the vast ocean. Porte’s ability to choose the right location for a show is remarkable, this presentation is proof of this notion.
Golf le Fleur Ventures Into Homeware
Tyler, The Creator is taking his design talents to homeware with a new collaboration with Parachute Home. The new collection focuses on bedding for the summer. This collaboration was born from the brand making custom bedding sets for the rapper years before.
Tyler had visited the headquarters and a new collection came into the works organically. The collection will feature the classic preppy Golf le Fleur colors and aesthetics of pastels from blue, yellow, green, and so on. Other pieces aside from bedding also include slippers, a circular pillow, and a throw blanket made from Alpaca fur.
The new Golf le Fleur and Parachute collection is available now on parachute.com. Prices range from $69 to $449.
TheRealReal Opens A New Installation In New York
In New York City on Canal Street, TheRealReal, the luxury resale platform has opened an installation posing the question “What’s real?” This was a conversation about the counterfeit crisis. Canal Street is known for its sidewalks filled with fake luxury items so we venture to say that this is a calculated choice by TheRealReal.
Guests that attended the installation included actress Laverne Cox, playwright Jeremy O’Harris, Selah Marley, Meadow Walker, and Katerina Tannenbaum. Drinks served from Normadica and Ghia with dishes by Danny Bowien’s Mission Chinese were given to guests. Meanwhile DJ Lumia Nocita’s playlist was humming in the background. In the installation were displayed “super fakes” to tour led by TheRealReal authentication team members.
SOKO Unveils The New Tuliza Collection
Tuliza is a rising jewelry brand that offers an array of gender-neutral pieces. The designs often incorporate movement that helps ease the stresses of daily life. Each piece in this collection with SOKO is hand-cast with a diamond-shaped accent that spins or slides to keep you cool, calm, and collected throughout the day. The collection offers pendants, a spinner bangle, midi slide earrings, and a spinner ring that all convey the Swahili word for “peaceful.” In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, this new collection’s offerings center the consumer in a new and authentic way.
