BlackStyleFile

Joan Smalls lands Lauder Campaign

Puerto Rican born Joan Smalls has landed a campaign with Estee Lauder according to Vogue. The 22 yr old who recently walked over 40 shows during her debut season, has made quite an impression on the fashion community this past year.

Smalls joins the likes of Liya Kebede who was named a face of Lauder back in 2003, as well as others namely Gwenyth Paltrow and Carolyn Murphy.

And what did she do when she found out? Vogue reports.

“When I found out,” says Smalls, “I was in my hotel room in Milan during Fashion Week. I started jumping on the bed like a little girl. The hardest part was keeping it secret—even from my parents.”

“Obviously she’s beautiful,” says Aerin Lauder, senior vice president and creative director for the brand, “but she’s confident, happy, elegant, well-spoken, and grown-up—and it really comes through in her pictures. When we pick someone to represent the brand, it’s about her personality, too. It’s not just the face. You find yourself not being intimidated by her beauty, but drawn in by her warmth.”

What a difference a year makes. Kudos Ms Smalls!

Click here for a slideshow of Joan Smalls in Vogue.

Jeffrey Wright, Mos Def and others celebrate peace and show pride in Sierra Leone

 

If you hear the name of the West African country of Sierra Leone and instantly think of Kanye's lyrics from 'Diamonds' , you are not alone. Images of child soldiers and the war torn country have been depicted in not only songs but in movies like Leonardo DiCaprio's "Blood Diamond" and books like A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. The struggles that they have had over the years are the only associations many in the international community have with the nation. The President of Sierra Leone, Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma and ambassadors of the country are aware of this and they are on a mission to change this perception.

BSF was honored to be in attendance at the 50 Years Forward - Celebrating a New Sierra Leone event held November 21st, 2010 at an exclusive reception at the Tribeca Cinemas in New York City. Famed Golden Globe and Tony Award-winning Actor Jeffrey Wright was introduced as the Sierra Leone "Peace by Piece" Ambassador and the premiere of the compelling documentary Sierra Leone: Road to Change, produced by M3 Films was screened at the theatre as well.

The intimate event, hosted by award-winning journalist and political commentator, Jeff Johnson, was sponsored by VeeV and included more than 100 international key influencers, such as Ambassadors to Sierra Leone and the UN, Mos Def, and Best-Selling AuthorIshmael Beah (A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier). There were also performances by Sierra Leone's most prolific Hip Hop group Bajah + the Dry Eye Crew and by R&B singer/songwriter Carolyn Malachi.

The highlight was hearing Wright recount stories and memories of his 14+ trips to the country. In a melodic love letter to the country he talked about about the food, the people, and the countryside and the reasons he keeps going back. It was his affinity and dedication to the country that led him to the Peace by Peace campaign.

Those in attendance and others have pledged to join Jeffrey Wright, to serve as host committee members on behalf of the "Peace by Piece" campaign and to spread Sierra Leone's good news to at least 50 people in honor of their "50 for 50" campaign and to help attract long-term investors and sponsorship for the momentous occasion. The theme of the celebration is "50 Years Forward - Celebrating a New Sierra Leone." April 27, 2011, will mark fifty years of independence from British rule.

For more information about Sierra Leone and its 50th anniversary celebrations, visit www.sierraleoneat50.gov.sl

 

Kicks and more by Kehinde

Famed contemporary artist Kehinde Wiley and Puma Africa have teamed up with with a new collection of footwear, apparel and accessories.

Known for his graphic prints, and realistic portraits depicting African Americans, Wiley has long been recognized internationally for his work. This New York native has a MFA from Yale and his works are featured in museums nationwide.

The Puma collection can be previewed online and to learn more about Kehinde visit his website.

Italian Vogue launches 'Vogue Black'

Black is in at Vogue Italia who recently launched a website called Vogue Black which highlights blacks in fashion and profiles icons like Grace Jones and models like Tyra Banks. There are even beauty articles on embracing natural hair and celebrity profiles of Forrest and Keisha Whitaker.

Bethann Hardison is reportedly the Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Black...which leads BSF to believe that the Vogue Black site isn't just in celebration of Black History Month. Does this mean that it is here to stay?

We hope so - but let's just say we'd like a little credit for knowing that blacks have been en vogue forever and dare we say we thought of the idea first?! 

Dirie's 'Desert Flower' gives Kebede her lead debut

 
Liya Kebede has been tapped to portray supermodel Waris Dirie with the starring role in the independent film, Desert Flower. An adaptation Dirie’s bestselling autobiography, the story recounts Dirie’s rise from childhood in the Somali desert to the catwalks of the international fashion business.

Waris Dirie was born in 1965 into a nomad family living in the region of Gallcaio, in the Somali desert near the border to Ethiopia. At the tender age of five, she underwent the inhuman procedure of genital mutilation. This horrible tradition is still practiced worldwide today, both by Muslems and Christians. According to estimations of the United Nations, more than 8 000 girls become victims of this cruel crime every day.

At the age of 13 Waris fled from a forced marriage to a man, who could have been her grandfather in age. After an adventurous escape she arrived in London and worked there as a housemaid and at McDonald’s. She was discovered by the British top photographer Terence Donovan as a model at the age of 18 and became an international celebrity.

She was given a part as a James Bond girl in the movie ‘The Living Daylight’, side by side with Timothy Dalton.The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, appointed her as UN Special Ambassador for the elimination of Female Genital Mutilation. She travelled the world for the UN, participated in conferences, met with presidents, Nobel Prize winners and movie stars and collects enormous funds for the UN.

1997 Waris Dirie’s biography ‘Desert Flower’ was published in New York. The book became an international bestseller (in Germany, for example, the book stayed in the Top Ten list of best-selling books published in the magazine ‘Der Spiegel’ for a total of 120 weeks). The book appeared in more than 50 licensed editions and became number 1 of the best-seller lists in many countries. Till today, there were 11 million copies sold worldwide.

Visit the movie website and learn more about the foundation to fight FGM,

 

Save The Date - Joburg Fashion Week

Fashion Rules the Night in New York City

   

As if you needed a reason to shop  - Vogue,  NYC & Company, the City of New York, and the Council of Fashion Designers of America are gearing up to give you about 700 reasons more.

In an effort to lift the consumer spirit and boost the fashion industry locally and globally - the fashion capitols of the world  along with thousands of fashionistas will gather for a night of celebration coined Fashion's Night Out.

Everyone from Bergdorf's to Bebe, and Patricia Field to Payless will throw open their doors for shoppers to spend what they can, no matter what the price point.

As Vera Wang stated  "To put it bluntly, if people don’t shop, people lose their jobs."

Pop up stores such as Rachel Rachel Roy will be open for the special night which also happens to kick off New York Fashion Week - so you know the celebrity quotient will be in full effect.

Diddy, Pharell, the Olsen twins, Hugh Jackman, Joy Bryant, and Cindy Crawford top the list of participants so be sure to keep your eyes open and your camera phones ready for pics to tweet to your closest followers!

As if it couldn't get any better - as part of Fashion’s Night Out, a citywide Clothing Drive will take place, encouraging New Yorkers and visitors to donate new and/or gently used clothing. The donated clothing will be given to the NYC AIDS Fund, which is administered by the New York Community Trust. The collected clothing will then be distributed to approximately 24 AIDS-related charities throughout NYC’s five boroughs.

Shopping with a purpose - what better way to take the "guilty" out of the pleasure! Tres Chic!!

For more visit Fashion's Night Out.

Gap Features Pop Illustrations by Kari Moden in (Product) Red Campaign

Bringing unique style and diversity to the perfect t-shirt, Gap introduced original designs from 12 artists for its fall (PRODUCT) RED Artist Edition T-Shirt collection.

The featured artists range from the established to the up-and-coming and include James Jean, Geoff McFetridge, Non-Format by Kjell Ekhorn and Jon Forss, Deanne Cheuk, Keiko Itakura, Kari Moden, nomoco, James Joyce, Stephen Kelleher, Stina Persson, David Hollier and Celia Calle.

Swedish illustrator Kari Moden is a BSF favorite. She is inspired by pop art, fashion, and South American poster design. With a great sense of color, she uses her bold and expressive style to mix simple shapes with type.We love her illustrations that feature brown girls awash in pop colors like pink, purple, green, and blue.

Thanks to Gap for bringing her work to our attention and to continuing to give back to Africa in such creative and innovative ways.

Go (Product) Red!

Obama, Roy,& Keyes Make The Cut

Vanity Fair released its 2009 International Best Dressed List and it is no surprise that Michelle Obama tops the list.The categories, which include First Ladies, Women, Men, and Professionals were chosen by the editors of VF.

Other celebs that made the cut; - Alicia Keyes, Rachel Roy, Tiki Barber, and President Barack Obama,

The Black Issue - Part Due

Last year Italian Vogue made history by featuring an all black cast of fashion models for its August issue. Not only did the issue spark the debate of a "white out" in magazines and runways where people of color are grossly under represented, but it was one of the best selling magazines in Vogue's history.

While some may argue all this issue did was keep more black models out of work, it is hard to deny the creativity, art direction and amazing photos that capture Black Barbie in everything from swimsuits and stilettos to sequins and street attire.

Check out a few pics from the issue in the slide below.