Black in Style: Kobe Bryant’s custom-made ring sparks controversy
This week in style, celebrity memorabilia hits the auction block, Black women-owned fragrance hits Sephora, and more.
Four years after his tragic death, basketball fans and non-fans alike continue to honor and reflect on the impacts of Kobe Bryant’s legacy. Throughout his legendary career, Bryant acquired a number of accomplishments, including five NBA championship rings. Since his passing, fans have especially cherished any memorabilia honoring the basketball Hall of Fame inductee. Now, they have a chance to buy a custom duplicate of Bryant’s 2000 NBA Championship ring.
Unlike most dupes that may exist, this ring was designed by Bryant himself as a gift to his father, Joe “Jellybean” Bryant. Recently, the late basketball player’s father posted the ring for bidding through Goldin Auction, reigniting an old family rift. After they opposed his 2001 marriage to wife Vanessa Bryant (née Laine), the Lakers star’s relationship with his parents further spiraled in 2013 when Bryant took his parents to court for trying to auction off his high school memorabilia without his consent. While they reached a settlement in court, the relationship remained strained as his parents missed his 2016 championship game.
“Our relationship is s–t,” Bryant told ESPN in 2016. “I say [to them], ‘I’m going to buy you a very nice home, and the response is ‘That’s not good enough’? Then you’re selling my s–t?”
Despite the controversy, bidding for the 14-karat gold diamond ring is currently sitting at $141,000, and the auction ends on March 30.
Rare items of Richard Roundtree, Prince, Muhammad Ali, Cardi B, Whitney Houston, and more Black icons to be auctioned
While the late Richard Roundtree’s most well-known role is arguably none other than Detective Shaft in the 1970s “Shaft” franchise, he eventually traded in his black patent leather jacket for a Stetson hat and cowboy boots.
Roundtree starred in the ‘70s Western film “Charley One-Eye” and later in the ‘80s series, “Outlaws.” For anyone looking to stay ahead of the cowboy-core curve, items personally owned by Roundtree during that era are set to be auctioned off by GWS Auctions as part of its upcoming “Artifacts of Hollywood and Music” auction. The collection includes a leather belt holster worn by the actor during “Outlaws,” several different hats, including fedoras and a Stetson, one-of-a-kind Western-inspired David Yurman jewelry, and more.
In addition to Roundtree’s items the “Artifacts of Hollywood and Music” auction includes items by some of Hollywood’s and history’s biggest names. Other stand-out items include a glove worn by Michael Jackson, Prince’s “Purple Rain” tambourine, a boxing glove and shoes worn and signed by Muhammad Ali, a dress once owned by Whitney Houston, the black latex dress Cardi B wore in the “Bodak Yellow” video, a signed photograph of a young Dionne Warwick, a pair of sunglasses, bracelet, and ring Jamie Foxx wore while co-starring in “Dreamgirls,” and so much more.
According to a release, a portion of the proceeds will benefit an organization important to the late Roundtree as well as lead auctioneer Project Row Houses. Online bidding is already underway with live bidding set to kick off on Saturday, March 30, at 7 a.m. PST.
A new Black woman-owned fragrance brand debuts at Sephora
Brown Girl Jane is celebrating another milestone. This week, the Black woman-owned fragrance brand and 2023 Sephora Accelerate alum made its debut on sephora.com.
“We have always been about creating a community and a brand that we wish we had when we were out in the world — one that both spoke to a wider audience and told stories of people who are oftentimes left out of the conversation,” co-founder Nia Jones said, per WWD. “We started the brand on sisterhood and that continues to be our North Star.”
Introducing their fine fragrance brand at Sephora, Nia and her sister and co-founder Malaika Jones are joining the retailer’s catalog of Black-owned brands, including Rihanna’s Fenty, Forvr Mood by Jackie Aina, Chris Collins, and more. In honor of its Sephora debut, Brown Girl Jane released a new exclusive scent: Carnivale Eau de Parfum ($102). With fruity floral notes like Caribbean mango, whipped musk, and vanilla, Malaika describes the fragrance as “the best party in the Caribbean, in a bottle.”
Click here to discover Brown Girl Jane fragrances.
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Warby Parker x Theophilio
Edvin Thompson, founder of Theophilio, teamed up with Warby Parker to create an eyewear design honoring his Caribbean heritage. Inspired by a pair of sunglasses worn by his father in an old family photo, Thompson designed the “Shaunie” sunglasses in tribute to his childhood nicknames, with an oversized, rectangular silhouette that is both modern and nostalgic.
“These sunglasses are like a memoir for me,” Thompson said in a statement, per Warby Parker. “I see my adolescence and my parents in them, but I also see the shape of things still to come. This collaboration is all about where I’m coming from as a designer and where I’m going next.”
In addition to the three Jamaica-inspired colorways available on Warby Parker’s website — Shade (black), Lemon Slice (yellow), and Sorrel (red) — Warby Parker and Theophilio also collaborated with Black Fashion Fair to curate an exclusive color, Soursop (green).
Learn more about the collection at blackfashionfair.org and warbyparker.com
Áwet New York partners with UPS to spotlight emerging BIPOC designers
UPS is helping move fashion forward — and not just beyond its mailroom. Recently, the courier company teamed up with fashion designer Áwet Woldegebriel of Áwet New York to launch a unique opportunity for designers of color.
Livewear, a New York City storefront, is described as a luxury space where emerging fashion, accessories and jewelry designers (and more) can apply to showcase their work. Understanding the financial disparities minority-owned businesses often face, UPS and Áwet’s year-long partnership will cover operating expenses for participating designers to be featured in-store, allowing designers to retain 100% of the profits generated from their participation. Additionally, the creatives chosen to appear in Livewear will get an opportunity to design the next UPS “Be Unstoppable” collection, which not only highlights the winning designer’s creativity but also focuses 100% of its profits back into funding the next generation of fashion creatives.
“Community has been the cornerstone of our brands since the beginning. From day one, we’ve been passionate about supporting BIPOC brands, knowing firsthand the challenges of building a business. Now, with our partnership with a leading company like UPS, we’re poised to elevate our efforts and dedication to fellow brands,” Woldegebriel said in a statement shared with theGrio. “We’re eager to see the positive impact we can make in giving more exposure to BIPOC brands at 57 Bond St, that have historically been overlooked. We recognize the various barriers preventing BIPOC-owned brands from being discovered, such as limited access to space or the inability to afford retail storefronts – challenges we deeply empathize with as a small brand ourselves.”
Click here to learn more.
Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz collaborate with Pinterest to highlight Black artists
Last month, Alicia Keys and her husband Kasseem Dean, popularly known as Swizz Beatz, debuted their impressive art collection at the Brooklyn Museum. In an exhibit coincidently named “Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys,” the musical couple displays 98 pieces by 37 Black artists — including Nick Cave, Amy Sherald, Lorna Simpson, Ernie Barnes, Derrick Adams and Arthur Jafa — from their personal art collection. In addition to highlighting the notable Black artists in the collection, the couple has joined forces with Pinterest to virtually spotlight Black art.
“We want people to see themselves, to feel inspired,” Keys said, as previously reported by theGrio. “Every person that’s hanging on the walls is just like you and I. We want you to see that you are also a giant: special, incredible, unique.”
Chioma Nnadi’s debut British Vogue issue as head of editorial content has arrived
British Vogue is officially in a new era — one now helmed by a Black woman.
After succeeding Edward Enninful as head of editorial content in October 2023, Chioma Nnadi’s debut issue has arrived. The April issue stars FKA Twigs on its cover in the famous “pin needle” dress by Loewe; inside, the entertainer gives an intimate look at her life in an interview with Nnadi. The new issue also includes a viral feature celebrating the style of actress and screenwriter Ayo Edebiri and more.
In her editor’s letter, Nnadi explains that after spending the last 20 years rising through the ranks at Vogue as a fashion editor in the U.S., upon returning back home to the U.K., she was reinvigorated during Fashion Week.
“…Back on home turf with the new responsibility and supreme honor of taking up the mantle at British Vogue, I knew my first cover star needed to be someone who defined that inimitable spirit. Luckily for me, it was an easy choice. FKA Twigs is an artist who represents the ideal of the modern British eccentric: she is a shape-shifter who rejects conformity and takes real joy in clothes,” she wrote.
Other Black covers we are loving right now include Regina King as she stuns on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar and opens up about grief and perseverance; iconic supermodel Iman on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar Arabia; Kevin Hart on the cover of Wall Street Journal magazine, and Black women in the beauty industry on the cover of Essence.
(Photo: British Vogue)
(Photo: Harper’s Bazaar)
(Left to right) Maya Allen, Achieng Agutu, Tahira White, Aaliyah Jay, Karen Young, Jessica, Keewana Grant and Chizi Duru (Photo: Essence Magazine)
(Photo: Wall Street Journal)
(Photo: Harper’s Bazaar)
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