First…

Whether you’re a tactile Saks Fifth Avenue shopper or more prone to clicking the ‘Add To Bag’ icon on their e-commerce platform, you’ll be happy to see a new Rock-fab addition to the luxury department chain’s jewellery selection!

Saks now carries pieces from Mateo New York, the fine jewellery brand helmed by Montego Bay-born artisan Matthew “Mateo” Harris. The brand was launched in March of 2009 with a focus on men’s jewellery. After the success of the men’s collection, a women’s capsule collection was introduced shortly after. In 2014, a strategic decision was made to refocus the brand, and thus the women’s fine jewellery collection was launched. Today the brand is sold in some of the best retailers worldwide including Net-a-Porter, Matches Fashion, Browns, Farfetch, and 1stDibs, to name a few. Saks is the latest retailer to join the clan.

And…

In more Mateo news, it’s good vibes only as the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle added sparkle factor to her all-black ensemble at The New York Times DealBook Online Summit last Tuesday with the 14kt Gold Diamond Eye of Protection Bracelet from the brand. The hand-painted piece retails on mateonewyork.com and comes with quite the claim. “Ward off undesired energy with this bracelet and attract good vibes only,” says the website description. Harris gave SO further insight on the inspiration behind the delicate piece in an interview Tuesday, minutes after it was revealed whose bracelet the Duchess was wearing.

“The eye of protection was inspired by my love for art and great artists such as Salvador Dali. I have been obsessed with Dali’s eye for over a decade. I wanted to pay tribute while adding my personal touch. I modernised the eye by adding the Mateo touch of simplicity. My goal is always to make great personal jewellery; pieces that won’t sit in a jewellery box but are worn daily. The eye of protection is made of solid gold, hand-set with diamonds, and finished with enamel by our skilled craftsmen. Meghan personally purchased this piece and wears it quite often,” Harris told SO.

There’s More…

Grammy award-winning artiste Alicia Keys stuns in Mateo New York’s 14kt Gold & Pearl Ball Drop Earrings for Glamour magazine’s AW 20/21 issue.

Also…

DOC NYC’s Documentary New Leaders initiative honours individuals whose efforts and fresh thinking on distribution, sales, festivals, and marketing bring greater inclusion and equity to the field. Chloe Walters-Wallace — a Jamaican-bred creative with a passion for travel, anthropology, dancehall, and installation art — is among the 18 recipients being honoured. Recipients hail from 12 cities across the United States and reflect the honourees’ broad range of experiences, including roles in funding, journalism, grassroots organising, distribution, and film festivals. Walters-Wallace is the daughter of legendary film and television producer Maxine Walters.

The 2021 selection process began with an open call for submissions; more than 100 nominations were received and reviewed by a six-person selection committee. The programme is co-presented by American cable network A&E.

Then…

Gallerist Nicole Vassell’s rise to success is spotlighted by Uniqlo Global.

“Truly awesome to be a part of Uniqlo Global celebrating 15 years in NYC! Soho is where it all began, for them and for me. Alongside a group of terrific creative forces, including my former boss Jeffrey Deitch, I reminisce in an article by downtown legend Carlo McCormick about early days on the scene and leaving both feet on the gas! Double pleasure is having this wonderful portrait captured by wunderkind Ryan McGinley.” — Nicola Vassell

Next…

Oscar-award winning actress Regina King — who plays Trudy in the new-school Netflix western The Harder They Fall — steps into the limelight in a standout piece from Greta Constantine Spring 2021 ready-to-wear. King’s look was pulled by celebrity stylist duo Wayman and Micah.

Similarly…

American actress Reese Witherspoon slipped into a jumpsuit from the Toronto-based womenswear brand — helmed by Jamaican-Canadian design duo Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen Wong — for InStyle magazine’s Dec/Jan 2022 issue.

CREDITS

Photo: Emma Summerton

Stylist: Julia von Boehm

Hair: Adir Abergel

Make-up: Kelsey Deenihan Fisher

Plus…

Writer Leah Faye Cooper revisits St Lucian free-spirited photog and creative consultant Shala Monroque’s impact on the fashion industry for Harper’s Bazaar. ‘Goodbye to All That’ chronicles the former creative director of Garage magazine days as a fashion show front-row fixture, her sudden exit from the fashion world, and her timely re-entry.

“Before social media ushered in a new age of It girls, influencers who had mastered the art of the candid pose as well as the algorithm, the title was reserved for a select few like Shala Monroque — fashionable women-about-town whose social calendars, style choices, and romantic relationships became fodder for gossip columns and society pages,” writes Cooper.

Monroque, who moved to New York from St Lucia in 2000 after graduating high school, never set out to work in fashion. “She found herself immersed in it through connections forged hostessing at sceney Manhattan restaurants. She held plum positions at Garage and Pop, was a sought-after party host, and dated art-world impresario Larry Gagosian,” Cooper continues.

Monroque was all of those things and also deeply depressed. “Here I am with a career that’s successful, but I’m unhappy in it and I wanted to leave,” she says. Unsure of how to walk away from a life that was seemingly perfect, Monroque grappled with “serious, serious depression” before packing her bags and moving far away, back to St Lucia. Back home, she took up diving and photography while rebuilding her late grandparents’ home.

The former Prada muse and unofficial brand ambassador has since made a few Fashion Week appearances and is currently working with Turkey-based Haitian designer Sophia Demirtas on a capsule collection for Demirtas’s label, Fanm Mòn. Collaborating with Trinidadian designer Meiling has also been occupying her time.

The article appears in the November 2021 issue of Harper’s Bazaar.

Etc…

We’re still reeling at SO alum and Page 2 fave Edvin Thompson’s most recent Rock-star moment. The Jamaican-born designer who helms the Brooklyn-based brand Theophilio claimed the American Emerging Designer of the Year at the 2021 Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Awards.

For those that have just recently become familiar with Thompson, it may seem like his success happened overnight. However, SO has been tracking his humble journey for a while, noting each milestone and accomplishment. His pride for his Jamaican roots has always been admirable as he inextricably fused his culture into house codes for Theophilio.

Nuff love Edvin and congrats again!

Etc Etc…

SO also lauds British-born, Rock-blooded fashion designer Grace Wales Bonner who took home the 2021 CFDA International Men’s Designer Award.