049: Botanical Skincare & Custom Ferragamo

WELCOME BACK FRIENDS ☀️

…to another week highlighting the best of fashion, beauty, and culture from the diaspora and beyond. The heatwave continues in New York and elsewhere. Here’s hoping a cooldown from the sweltering is on the way. As always, any tips or questions, reach out at [email protected].

DISPATCH 049 —

This week, we’re celebrating those shaping America’s creative landscape, saving the date for textile talks in Cape Town, and sharing an open call for HBCU ephemera. Plus: custom looks for Rihanna and Serena. But first, the evolution of African botanical skincare…

“FROM THE TREE TO THE SKIN…”

R&R Skincare has relaunched with an elevated visual identity and positioning. Founded by Valerie Obaeze in 2010, this clean beauty brand has survived twists and turns, but faced inevitable challenges through the pandemic that forced Obaeze to reevaluate the brand’s future.

In partnership with Kojo Yeboah, founder of branding agency SOLVNT, R&R Skincare looks entirely different from its original incarnation, but many core elements remain the same: its focus on generationally resonant beauty traditions, its vertical integration, and its natural ingredient storytelling.

In addition to the packaging changes, the brand’s existing retail footprint has been reimagined, starting with a new look for its Accra flagship this week. Even the staff uniforms were upgraded by Accra-based label Ajabeng. A renovation of its Lekki flagship store in Nigeria is soon to follow by end of month. This chapter also puts a spotlight on global distribution, with US and UK e-commerce now available. With over a decade under its belt, R&R Skincare is charting a powerful path forward and offers an encouraging lesson in how to keep the core of what makes a brand distinct in a renewed-and-improved package.

ON OUR RADAR

Congratulations are in order for those highlighted in the 2024 Wallpaper* USA 400, an annual recognition of “people defining America’s creative landscape” issued last week. Notables include Little Wing Lee, Norman Teague, Germane Barnes, and Mark Brattan amongst others. (Link)

Spotted in the latest Fenty x Puma campaign was custom work by Jamaican brand-to-watch Francesca Lake. Styled by Savannah Gee Baker, Rihanna graced her Back To School campaign for the new Phatty Creeper wrapped in a decadent ribbon headpiece and deconstructed uniform. (Link)

Abuja-based creative director Nkwo Onwuka will present a keynote address ‘The Last Square Loom’ as part of the African Textile Talks taking place in Cape Town on August 15. (Link)

Here’s your invitation to a last chance summer sale courtesy of Diotima featuring select Spring 2024 and archival pieces. Take a look this weekend at 41 Elizabeth Street, #200 in downtown New York. (Link)

Besides all of the antics at the ESPY Awards hosted in Los Angeles last night, one sartorial standout came from none other than Serena Williams, who glowed in a custom burgundy oversized fish-scale paillette and feather gown by Maximilian Davis for Ferragamo, styled by Kesha McLeod. (Link)

Grace Wales Bonner and Dr. Michael Ralph of Howard University announced an open call for visual and written records for a forthcoming print project commemorating HBCU culture and aesthetic expression. (Link)