Pharrell secured his spot amongst top designers with his sophomore collection with Louis Vuitton.

Dubbed the Wild West meets Native American, as Williams sets the trend for the 2024 season.

Several designs stand out to me.

Embroidered:

Turquoise:

Small accents such as the turquoise buttons and random studding pay homage to the western jewel.

The Speedy is a standout favorite.

Earth tones:

Rich dessert clay tones were evident in several pieces.

Animal prints:

Pixilated cow print adorns these pieces.

As well as cowhide bags.

Timberland:

Who can resist a pair of LV Timbs?

Models rocked the runway in cowboy hats, cowhide valises, denim jackets adorned with bull badges and cowboy boots with shiny metal points.

Oversized jackets, including a statement-making gangster-style fur coat, in bold reinterpretations of traditional Western wear.

The soul of the collection is its collaboration with Dakota and Lakota nation artists, a partnership that could be seen in intricate designs on scarves, bags, and blankets with floral and geometric patterns telling stories of heritage and identity.

“Pharrell wanted to bring out the Native American spirit, he wanted to showcase we’re still here, we’re still resilient,” Rebecca Brady, 54, a Native American from New Town, North Dakota, told The Associated Press.

Pharrell’s second show was definitely as jaw dropping as his first.

When I first saw Leon Parham on the runway at Charlotte Seen Charlotte Fashion Week in 2017 I was hooked.

I’ve followed his career ever since.

Recently I had the opportunity to see him at the I’m Possible Inclusion Fest Show and gathered every ounce of courage I had in me to approach him.

I’ve been working on not missing opportunities and I wasn’t letting this chance pass me by.

Surprisingly, Parham didn’t set out to be a fashion designer.

As a teen, he was more interested in writing, singing and acting in plays.

He began a designing his own costumes and eventually opened his own Tailoring Shop.

Being in the small southern town of Petersburg Virginia was an obstacle he quickly overcame.

This is where our similarities begin.

I too escaped my small Tennessee hometown to chase my dreams of writing and fashion.

He studied at SCAD and the Art Institute Of Atlanta.

Let’s go back about 20 yeas to a fashion moment that’s permanently imbedded in my mind.

This Rolling Stone cover featuring André 3000 from 2004 in an outfit left quite an impression on me.

Little did I know, I’d be meeting the designer of it one day.

Yes, Leon Parham is that designer!

I asked how this happened.

He had moved to Atlanta and manifested designing for the Outkast singer.

He had seen André on TV wearing a lime green fedora.

One day, while working at his Salon, he spotted that green hat.

Just as I did with him, he gathered his courage and approached the singer.

He brought him over to look at his portfolio and the rest is history.

We discussed our favorite designers. We share a love of Alexander McQueen and Thierry Mugler.

And we share an appreciation of the impact of hip hop on fashion.

So what’s up next for Parham?

He’s working on a Fashion Film that I cannot wait to see!!!

And he will be working André 3000 again in the near future.

I’m so happy I made the attempt to connect with him. He’s truly an inspiration to me. We’ve had some of the same experiences and seeing his success fuels my desire to succeed.

And all of this, was purely accidental. Or was it simply meant to be?

Contact Leon Parham here for custom made pieces or tailoring.

Special thanks to photographer Craig Muzse for the amazing photos.

What a way to start 2024!!!

I’m pleased to announce that I am now an Express Style Editor!

I will be putting together styles for all of my social media platforms along with direct links to the items.

These will be affiliate links and will provide me with a small percentage of the sales.

I will also be offering styling sessions.

These can be done online, via zoom or in person.

I’m super thrilled to start the new year with an exciting new chapter of my influencing/ content creating career.

Allow me to help pick out some pieces for you! Contact me with any questions or if you’d like personal styling. Men and women are welcome!

Links will be provided soon once I complete all my courses!

You can find me Here on the blog, on Instagram Facebook YouTube and TikTok

Last Weekends Fashion Extravaganza, presented by Face The Magazine, introduced me to a designer I’d never seen before.

Montreal designer Luko Marion’s designs really stood out to me.

His pieces were just as elaborate on the back as they were on the front.

I spoke with him this week and had to know more about them.

“I really like to do a good first impression look from the front but, also when you walk away and people are still looking at you and you give them an element of surprise.” Marion said.

“I’ve been a Visual Specialist for many years at a big retail store in Montreal and was always on a special project or window displays dressing mannequins.”

He went on to add “I really appreciate details and finishing that balance with clothing in a way that makes it different, fun to wear and beautiful to look at.”

Originally from Montreal, Luko Marion been doing Fashion for quite awhile now. Specializing in Powermesh, buttons and metals, this collection is mainly power mesh, neoprene and Athletic Mesh, a bit of leather and suede for jacket and skirt.

A variation of dark shades of blues and black mixed with deep pink and purple, Dark Excellence is inspiring dark shades and texture combinations.

He featured exceptional tops, all hand made from buttons and metals rings.

Luko Marion presented other collections at Montreal Fashion Week and had been doing many projects in the past for breast cancer foundation or prostate cancer foundation.

Truly unique pieces that you will enjoy seeing coming or going!

He credits Woven with helping him grow his brand.

Woven Fashion Incubator is a co-workspace, fashion design classes and apparel manufacturer for underserved students, entrepreneurs and fashion careerists.

Located in Charlotte, North Carolina, the mission of Woven is to create attainable
pathways into the fashion industry. They help the youth, emerging designers, and developed business owners who are passionate about creating with a purpose.

For More Info on Luko Marion

Woven