Essence Fashion Digest: Second Black Carpet Awards Gala, Kate Spade And Eloquii Launch Plus-Size Capsule – Essence
This week in fashion was filled with moments that we want to highlight. First, fashion brand Kate Spade and plus-sized label Eloquii have launched a plus-sized collection. Meanwhile, French fashion house Louis Vuitton’s Neverfull design has gotten a new look—it’s excellent. Next, the esteemed Black Carpet Awards have announced its well-deserved winners.
Fine jewelry brand Lola Ade, known for its responsibly sourced diamonds, has launched its new engagement collection. And the New York City-based Brigade has revealed its newest collection following a recent pop-up.
Lastly, the Fashion Pact initiative has focused on decarbonizing the fashion industry.
To learn more, keep scrolling to know the fashion happenings of the week.
Kate Spade And Eloquii Launch Plus-Size Collection
A new collaboration that is exciting in this age of fashion is Kate Spade and Eloquii joining forces to launch a plus-sized ready-to-wear collection for the first time. This new 12-piece collection features polka dot skirts, cocktail dresses, and bow-detailed dresses all in the size range of 14 to 32. This partnership will continue through February with Valentine’s Day styles.
“Designing the collaboration for Eloquii and Kate Spade New York was the perfect fusion of two distinct yet complementary worlds — blending Eloquii’s impeccable fit with Kate Spade New York’s signature prints and playful sense of style. This partnership allowed us to create something truly special, where timeless elegance meets modern, fun fashion,” said Yesenia Leigh, vice president of design and creative director at Eloquii.
Shop the limited-edition Eloquii and Kate Spade collection exclusively on eloquii.com.
Lola Ade Unveils Engagement Ring Collection
Lola Ade, founded by designer Pamela Adewoyin James, has launched a new line, a 14-piece engagement ring collection. This collection is infused with her Nigerian roots as storytelling is at the forefront of her design ethos. The word “heart” is found throughout each piece such as the Libi Ring, named after the Amharic word for “heart” spoken in Ethiopia. Each ring is crafted with conflict-free and responsibly sourced natural and lab diamonds. The founder has used her legal background to vet diamond suppliers to ensure the ethos is solid in her brand as human rights, safe working environments, and fair wages are of the utmost importance to James. Proceeds from each ring sale will be going toward bRINGing Good, a social impact initiative aiming to provide clean water and essential resources to affected African regions.
Shop the new Lola Ade engagement ring collection on lolaade.com. Pricing starts at $995.
New York Label Brigade Releases Latest Collection
After a two-day pop-up store in Manhattan, New York City-based streetwear brand Brigade has revealed its newest collection. Inspired by NYC the brand’s latest arrivals are a celebration of founder Aaron Maldonado’s Puerto Rican and Dominican heritage. The collection includes a bold motocross jersey, graphic leather jackets in addition to quilted double-knee carpenter pants, graphic knitted hoodies, and more.
Brigade’s new collection is available online and also in-store at the following stockists: Aigo (Boston), Bend (Tokyo), BOONTHESHOP (Seoul), Concepts (NYC), Extra Butter (NYC), Goldeneye (Des Moines) and Shoe Gallery (Miami). Pricing starts at $88.
Louis Vuitton’s Neverfull Gets An Updated Look
Louis Vuitton has dropped an updated iteration of its beloved Neverfull bag. The square-shaped bag has been a popular silhouette for almost two decades and is now reimagined as the Neverfull Inside Out. The bag’s new design gives you two bags in one as you can flip the bag whichever way you want to have whatever finish you’d like to display. The outside shows the classic LV monogram while the inside showcases a striped design. The luxury bag comes in the sizes MM and BB with an adjustable strap and an inner zipper pocket and hooks to turn the square shape into a hobo shape.
Shop the new Louis Vuitton Neverfall Inside Out on louisvuitton.com.
Black Carpet Awards Hosts Ceremony At Milan Fashion Week
The second Black Carpet Awards commenced during Milan Fashion Week at the Teatro Manzoni, an iconic and historic venue in Milan. The event promotes and celebrates leaders changing the fashion narrative through diversity and inclusion featuring five award categories with a total of ten winners, chosen by a jury and the public. The award ceremony hosted by Tamu McPherson included a new addition, the one-time Virgil Abloh Award, a special recognition dedicated to young creatives of color in the industry.
“I am filled with pride and emotion,” shared Black Carpet Awards founder Michelle Francine Ngonmo. “This event is so much more than just an awards ceremony; it is a powerful platform to celebrate and uplift those who are often invisible in our society. It is a reminder of the importance of visibility, recognition, and the profound impact that diversity, equity, and inclusion have in the creative industry.”
The winner of the Leader of Change Creativity People’s Choice Award was Cinzia Adanna Ebonone and the winner selected by the jury was Danielle Madame. For the Leader of Change Community, the winner in People’s Choice was DEI Futuro Antirazzista, while the jury selected Johann Affricot.
Under the Leader of Change Entrepreneurship people’s choice was Afroricci and the jury selected Ada Ugo Abara. For the Leader of Change Legacy, the People’s Choice Award went to Miyuki Yajima while the Jury was Justin Randolph Thompson. The Virgil Abloh Award was won by Romy Calzado while the New Wave winners included Sabrine ZD, Phan Dang Hoang, Lina Giselle, Imad Shkairi, Bernadette Gouba, and Kaze.
The Fashion Pact Aims To Decarbonize The Fashion Industry
Founded in 2019 by CEO Eva von Alvensleben, The Fashion Pact is a non-profit aiming for cross-industry action toward net zero. The non-profit is launching the Unlock program to assist in decarbonizing the fashion industry as in which raw materials are obtained can be harmful to the environment due to not enough low-impact raw materials. The Unlock program is an initiative in partnership with a sustainability consultancy 2050 and climate innovation NGO Future Earth Lab, according to Vogue Business.
This program will give financial incentives to farmers as brands invest in regenerative farming so that more eco-friendly practices in extracting cotton are widely used. It is partnered with Better Cotton, Climate Beneficial Verification Programme and Staple Cotton Cooperative Association.
