007: Your Faves Fave & Celebrity Dressing

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DISPATCH 007 —

This week, we’re digging deep into celebrity dressing and its halo effect on emerging and established brands. Then, we’re keen on hearing potential trade secrets from an award-winning designer and a new category launch by a beloved swimwear maker. Curious on what to do in Paris? A beauty co-founder shares her favorite spots. But first, the womenswear label behind Beyonce’s latest look…

YOUR FAVES FAVORITE

For the eagle-eyed journalists clocking every custom look from Beyonce’s Renaissance World Tour, there is a new crop of designers making their mark on the main stage. Besides the mega watt brands pulling off bespoke couture for Mrs. Carter, this new class of emerging creatives includes Maximilian Davis of Ferragamo, Ib Kamara of Off-White, and relative newcomer Feben (behind her eponymous label). Her mixed metallic encrusted look graced the RWT stage in Amsterdam this summer and brought a major spotlight to this young UK brand.

The rest of Feben’s celebrity roster is as eclectic as you can imagine — from Kelela and Jorja Smith to Erykah Badu and Michaela Coel — these women represent a new wave in music and film pushing the boundaries of what was once considered ultra-feminine or subversive and everything in-between. The aesthetic is supremely figure flattering with a twist — fundamentally supported by her use of technical fabrics. There is a wrought-ness that enhances the body (versus overwhelms) and the varied textures and printed overlays have steadily become a signature trademark. It’s a powerful way to cultivate a singular voice in a sea of sameness.

Founder Feben graduated from Central Saint Martins during the pandemic and she counts Ib Kamara (stylist extraordinaire) and Liz Johnson Artur (legendary photographer) as close collaborators. If you were to look at her works from earlier years, in particular her masters’ collection, ‘it’s not right, but it’s ok’ the designs have only matured, which goes to say that persistence and pivoting are mandatory ingredients to survive in this business.

On a deeper level, her works deal with nomadism and surrealism in a way that has its own meaning from a diasporic perspective. Born in North Korea to an Ethiopian mother and raised in Sweden, Feben brings a multifaceted perspective that resists constriction. She has even lent her talents beyond fashion into costume design for “Brown Skin Girl” on BLACK IS KING. With stockists including ssense and Browns, Feben is well on her way to building a formidable business. www.feben.co 

THE BUSINESS OF CELEBRITY DRESSING

Beyond their primary talent, celebrities are in the business to dress. Stadium takeovers, music videos, and magazine covers serve as platforms to generate millions of eyeballs and a boost to sales as well as driving that ever-so-elusive desirability that can feed a brand in the long-term.

For diaspora designers, the effects can be even more concentrated with the well-documented mainstream dominance of Afrobeats globally. Burna Boy took the stage in custom BOTTER for his Arnhem stadium concert alongside custom Louis Vuitton and custom Burberry at other stops. Whether one wants to acknowledge it or not, there is an all-important signaling taking place on the stage (exponentially magnified via social media) between these mega-cultural tastemakers and their fans.

In South Africa, media personality Bonang Matheba was seen wearing an oversized faux leather coat from Ntwana that garnered over 125,000 likes. Fresh off the cover of Glamour South Africa, Matheba paired the piece with over-the-knee boots by Steve Madden and a Lady Dior handbag. Her look conveyed a sophistication and a pride that is all centered on this brand new homegrown label.

While we cannot confirm the sales impact, the soft power impact is undeniable.

AN AFTERNOON IN PARIS

New York-based beauty entrepreneur Marie Kouadio Amouzame (by way of Ivory Coast and Paris) co-founded her skincare company Eadem on the premise of clean beauty with melanin in mind. Such ‘melanin-safe’ products include award-winning Dew Dream Hydrating Cleansing Balm and Milk Marvel Dark Spot Serum. As part of her annual summer stay in Paris, we rounded up her shopping recommendations — take a look!

1. OMOL

Known for wardrobing cool and irreverent women, OMOL offers a made in Africa label with stunning prints and iconic textures. Eadem recently collaborated on a made-in-Cameroon makeup pouch. In our opinion, it’s giving the energy of a Bottega Veneta Pouch at a much more accessible price point. www.weareomol.com

2. MAISON OMANI

Tucked in the Menilmontant area, Maison Omani is esteemed for its ultra chic objects from across Africa. Think serving spoons from Mozambique, Mauritian water jugs, and carpets from Morocco. www.maisonomani.com

3. KEUR

A tiny curated shop in Pigalle filled to the brim with authentic and colorful objects and accessories entirely made by Senegalese artisans. www.keurselection.fr

ON OUR RADAR

FIFA Women’s World Cup collaborations continue. Martine Rose is back again, this time with a kit in partnership with Machine-A. (Link)

Lots of designers have begun expanding into footwear — could it be those higher margins? Andrea Iyamah, best known for swimwear, is taking her turn with a first-ever shoe. The mule has “an iconic ball shaped heel” and follows in the tried-and-true strategy to own a highly recognizable design despite near non-existent IP protections. (Link)

Utterly obsessive over these hand-moulded objects made from low-fire terracotta clay by UYAI Vessels. Designed by Lagosian architect John Asuquo, the vessels recall biomorphic forms reminiscent of the human body that would pair nicely with a vase by Simone Bodner-Turner. (Link)

Bianca Saunders is spilling her trade secrets. Well, something like that at the next session of The Sitdown at Bradmore House in London on August 19. With a swell of accolades under her belt, including Forbes 30 Under 30 (2020), ANDAM Grand Prize Winner (2021), and dressing Usher for the 2023 Met Gala, don’t miss this opportunity to hear straight from the source how she built her business. (Link)