fashion

  • More for Her: Celebrate the Beauty of Motherhood With the Gift of Black-Owned Beauty

    We know, we know—you’ll always love your mama….she’s your favorite girl (shoutout to The Intruders). But to quote another (world-famous) mama, what have you done for her lately? Mother’s Day is swiftly approaching (that’s May 9, if you’re nasty); if you believe your mother is the best to ever do the damned thing—and looks damned…

  • It Has Been a Week, So Please Enjoy This Palate-Cleansing Homage to Black Excellence From Zendaya and Law Roach

    It Has Been a Week, So Please Enjoy This Palate-Cleansing Homage to Black Excellence From Zendaya and Law Roach

    Y’all, we have missed so much this past year—family reunions, brunches, concerts, the Met Gala, casual hookups (if you’re into that kinda thing—no judgments). I’ve now celebrated two birthdays in this damned panorama, so trust when I say I know of what I speak. As The Root’s resident beauty and fashion editor (among other roles),…

  • The Glow Up 50: In Praise of the Glam Squad

    In this most unconventional of awards seasons, we are proudly closing out our second annual celebration of Black creatives innovating the worlds of fashion, beauty and media, better known as The Glow Up 50. We’re uniquely proud of each of our honorees this year (and hope you’ve taken a moment to applaud all of them…

  • The Glow Up 50: For the Love of Dap

    It’s no small thing to have an award named in your honor, but the designer known as Dapper Dan is no small entity—in fact, he’s larger than life. The journalist turned self-taught couturier born Daniel Day is the epitome of a renaissance man, staging his own reinvention more than once in his 76 years on…

  • I Hope You Already Got That Pair of Kobe's That You Wanted Because If Not, You're About to Pay Stupid Prices For Them
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    I Hope You Already Got That Pair of Kobe's That You Wanted Because If Not, You're About to Pay Stupid Prices For Them

    On December 24, 2020, Nike (and I presume the Kobe Bryant estate, headed up by his wife Vanessa Bryant) decided to re-release the Nike Kobe Zoom 6 Protro in the green apple/black/volt-crimson colorway. The shoes, affectionately referred to as the “Kobe Grinches” (because of their super green color and the additional red laces that come…

  • It Looks Like Kobe, Nike Are Headed for Divorce

    Prior to his tragic death in January of 2020, there were rumors that Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant had every intention of severing his long-standing relationship with Nike. How do I know this? Because psssst…I reported on it in December. And now four months later, ESPN and CBS Sports report that it could be…

  • The Glow Up 50: The Dap Award

    She’s a maestro. She’s a maven. She’s a mutha. For the legions of who worship at the gilded and glittered altar of Pat McGrath, she is indeed the mother of makeup. Already widely recognized as “the most influential makeup artist in the world,” as 2021 began, McGrath’s boundless creativity, coupled with the success of her…

  • The Glow Up 50 2021: Meet the Arbiters of Influence

    The category is: Influence. Who got the juice? When it comes to this year’s TGU 50 Influence honorees, their impact is overflowing. These 10 luminaries aren’t just doing it for the ‘gram; they’re doing it for us—holding companies, cultural institution and entire industries accountable and ensuring inclusion isn’t just a trend. Whether it’s convincing some…

  • The Funk Boutique: Celebrating Successful Black Women, Sustainability, and Sneakers

    Everything’s coming up American fashion! The first Monday in May has always been known as “Met Gala Day,” when the most elite of the elite come out dressed to impress and preview the exquisite annual costume exhibit hosted by Anna Wintour and Andrew Bolton, curator of the Costume Institute of Metropolitan Museum of Art. This…

  • The Glow Up 50 2021: Meet the Phenoms of Fashion

    The category is: Fashion. They are influencers, editors, creators and decision-makers—and they always do it in style. This year’s 10 TGU 50 Fashion honorees are designing a more equitable, colorful fashion industry for us all to see ourselves reflected in. Tellingly, this year’s honorees include several long-overdue “firsts,” some of whom have been doing revelatory…