First Things First…

If you know Brother Vellies founder Aurora James, then you know she is going to flaunt Brand Jamaica. The Canadian footwear designer and activist, who has been visiting The Rock since the age of seven, is the cover star for Fashion magazine’s April 2023 issue, and yes, she’s wearing pieces from Rock designers.

For the spread, James took things up a notch in Look 6 from Greta Constantine’s Resort 2023 collection and Look 10 from Theophilio’s SS23 Homecoming collection by Jamaican fashion designers Kirk Pickersgill and Edvin Thompson, respectively. As she chopped it up in an interview with writer Ingrid Williams, she shared, “You can totally mess up everything and still have the exact life you want. I dropped out of high school and got kicked out of Ryerson [now Toronto Metropolitan University] — both signs that were not pointing to me [ever] being one of Glamour‘s Women of the Year,” she says, referring to an honour bestowed on her in 2022.

“But you can’t count yourself out. We spend so much time thinking that we’re just too bruised to be the thing that we want to be or do what other people are doing, and it’s entirely untrue. Your own unique set of experiences actually makes you the perfect person to do the thing you want to do,” she adds.

CREDITS

Photographer: Royal Gilbert

Creative director: George Antonopoulos

Styling: Timothy Luke Garcia

Hairstylist: Jacob Aaron Dillon

Make-up: Uzo for A-Frame Agency

Photo assistants: Huey Tran and Timothy Fernandez

Fashion assistants: Alec Malin, Brooklin Phelps and Anyese Kirkland

Producer: Nalima Touré

Art direction: Leo Tapel

Then…

A bevy of stars lit up the runway at the Hugo Boss fashion show in Miami on March 15.

The queen of the runway herself, British-Jamaican fashion icon Naomi Campbell, took time out to share on IG her moment with our Rock ‘cousin’ Grammy Award-winning deejay and record producer DJ Khaled, who made his runway debut.

The two hit the catwalk in black tailored ‘fits, and on her Instagram feed, Campbell shared, “Together again! So much fun with DJ Khaled mentoring him on his first fashion show for Boss. #BeYourOwnBoss #BossMiami.”

And yet another Jamaican from across The Pond who landed in the mix was rapper and singer Stefflon Don who gave the usual beauty and body, but this time in a custom Hugo Boss gown.

Plus…

American luxury clothing company Tommy Hilfiger snagged Rock-blooded British supermodel Jourdan Dunn for a new campaign. The UK stunner can be seen all over the brand’s socials rocking the Tommy Hilfiger x Shawn Mendes Stars and Stripes Rugby Shirt.

The shirt, from a collection curated by Hilfiger and singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes, is inspired by classic preppy hero pieces. In particular, they looked towards the early ’90s, with a focus on retro silhouettes and fits, and have modernised classic Tommy Hilfiger staples with sustainable fabrics and innovations.

“My mom was obsessed with Tommy Hilfiger, and I’ve just always worn it,” Mendes shared in an interview with Vogue. “So I think it was written in fate that we ended up working together. I was born in ’98 and so the Tommy energy in the ’90s is what I see if I go back and look at photos of my parents. The archive taught me about the shapes, the feeling, the colours and just the energy that was coming off the clothes at that time. It also felt very aligned with how I feel about fashion right now.”

And…

Reggae star Lila Iké’s style game is way up! The Where I’m Coming From singer, who is currently on tour in Japan stepped to the stage at a concert in Shinsaibashi Sunhall, Osaka, on March 18, wearing the Need For Speed (NFS) moto jacket and pants from Berlin-based fashion brand Namilia.

Driven by the revolutionary spirit of youth cultures and movements, Namilia uses clothing as an aesthetic tool as well as a visual platform to proclaim its own beliefs, conflicts and dreams. Namilia demands the empowerment and celebration of a radically new and youthful understanding of feminism.

Also…

Jamaican-born, UK-based actor and BAFTA nominee Micheal Ward is one of the cover stars for Elle UK’s ‘Fashion’s Spring Rebellion’ feature of the March 2023 issue.

In an interview with writer Shannon Mahanty, Ward detailed his journey to becoming an actor. “I can’t learn by sitting down! I liked PE and I liked drama. I didn’t enjoy anything else so I went for it,’ he expressed. ‘There was nobody around me who wanted to be an actor. When I went to [Epping Forest] College to study performing arts, I was the only black guy on my course. Now I get to be strategic about the stories I get to tell: I’m excited to see what that future holds.”

And to up the ante with Caribbean presence, for the opening photo for the mag feature the Top Boy actor rocked Wales Bonner’s Delta Studded Jacket from Rock-blooded, UK-based fashion designer Grace Wales Bonner.

CREDITS

Photographer: Ruth Ginika Ossai

Styling: Ben Schofield

Grooming: Marcia Lee

Hairstylist: JFade Studios

Nails: Sabrina Gayle

Creative Director: Tom Usher

Fashion Director: Avril Mair

Art Director: Zoya Kaye

There’s More…

Elle Decor luxuriates with Jamaican-born Matthew Harris — the creative genius behind fine jewellery brand Mateo New York — at his Lisbon pad. Harris covers the April issue. Stay tuned for more!

CREDITS

Story by: Tanya Dukes

Photographs by: Maureen M Evans

Styled by: Tessa Watson