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https://www.essence.com/fashion/in-the-studio-bernard-james/
By Cortne Bonilla ·Updated January 13, 2024
If you were to take a stroll through Brooklyn, you’d notice two directions: not the north and the south, but the old and the new. Electric bicycles are installed beside skewed cobblestone >Bernard James, fashion’s beloved fine-jewelry designer.
The neighborhood may be changing, but James is setting out to remain faithful to his vision of Brooklyn. It’s a vision based on raw talent, artistic pursuits and, most important, authenticity. His jewelry designs reflect this affirmation, integrating traditional craftsmanship with contemporary forms, spurred by an upbringing surrounded by antiques and aged houses. “As I approach jewelry and design, I think a lot about how objects have a life of their own,” says James. This inquisitiveness, as well as the capacity to see value in the past, is what makes his jewelry stand out. His Williamsburg studio holds the same balance of old and new—with a natural garden he was proud to restore, a skylight beaming with overhead shine, and a warmth that makes friends and customers reluctant to depart.
Rasaan Wyzard
He didn’t start out in the jewelry business. His first pivotal memories of jewelry came from a kiosk at the Green Acres mall, an iconic New York shopping center in Valley Stream—where his sister bought him a basketball pendant—and from an initialed gold signet ring given to him by an aunt. Thus, his love for personal, signature jewelry was planted. His appreciation of longevity and value, however, was instilled long before. “My dad was very much an entrepreneur,” he explains, “and part of his office was an antique store. He was a collector, but one who understood the value of the old world. I think seeing the longevity of objects, and seeing how rare some things had become, was a big interest to me.”
After attending Collegiate, an all-boys high school in New York City, James studied business at Carnegie Mellon, then transferred to New York University to be closer to the energy of the city. Business courses taught James the core values of running a shop, while hands-on experience gave him the confidence, connections and inspiration he needed to strike out on his own. He started small: “I wanted to dip my feet in, and I thought, What’s the smallest thing I can afford and handle from a design standpoint?” For him, jewelry was the perfect medium because of the scale, precision, function and design involved. “I did it casually at first,” he recalls, “making pieces for friends and myself.” Yearning to diversify the jewelry market, he began with a men’s offering, as he had noticed how hard it was to find men’s jewelry that he loved. The silhouette of the signet ring gifted to him by his aunt eventually resurfaced as the Cole signet ring.
Rasaan Wyzard
In a serendipitous New York connection, James’s barber introduced him to his uncle Dennis, who turned out to be an OG jewelry craftsman on 47th Street, the city’s diamond district. From him, James learned the ins and outs of the diamond business and concluded that truly pleasing jewelry stems from the memories and personal stories it conjures. He made his pieces in Dennis’s Crown Heights townhouse for the first couple of years, laying the foundation for what the brand is today.
You can sense the level of his dedication to community in everything James does. He features close friends and loved ones in his Family Portraits campaign, which began in 2020 and spotlights individuals from various backgrounds that have inspired him and the brand. And he has trusted New York–based clientele in and outside of the fashion industry, including Christopher John Rogers, Matthew Henson, Quil Lemons, Telsha Anderson-Boone and more. His clients become friends, and his consumers became family—earning him well-deserved awards over time, such as ESSENCE’s Best in Black Fashion’s 2023 Accessories Designer of the Year. He was also selected for Saks’ Emerging Designer Accelerator Program.
To set his brand apart from the rest, he says, he homed in on “making things that a lot of people enjoy but are very specifically the brand, all without restricting the desire to explore individuality.” That specific, meticulous notion drew a cult-like following eager to embrace the brand—and prompted the Natural Diamond Council to take notice. “I like things that last,” James says. “My jewelry is supposed to live with you and withstand life.”
Rasaan Wyzard
Still based in Brooklyn, James continues to explore the possibilities of jewelry-making with each capsule collection. The first, Pave Flora, is a nod to his growing up across the street from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden —and to the effortless harmony of nature. “For this collection, it’s been fascinating to approach the design process with the diamond in mind,” he says. He sees the collection as another turning point, one that will enable him to play and explore in his own way.
Rasaan Wyzard
As he walks through the sunny studio, he reflects that his desire to acquire a chrome chair he saw for sale in the Hamptons is perhaps an homage to his father’s passion for collecting. It’s akin to the subconscious emotions customers feel when they wear James’s pieces. “I’ve always been obsessed with brands that have a sense of intimacy and community,” he says. “The idea of being connected to someone through brand messaging is how I think of the phrase, ‘If you know, you know.’” That messaging can be seen everywhere in his studio—from the Fungi collection to the sculptural-yet-inviting burgundy Sarah Favreau “Those Who Saw” artwork on the wall (the artist created it as an ode to unrequited love and self-discovery) to the hidden backyard oasis, which is more of a conversation pit than a garden and is the place his community gathers when visiting his studio.
There’s so much coming down the pike for James these days, even as he stays connected to his roots. “I’m always going to be inspired by Brooklyn,” he says.
“I know I want an international brand, beyond the walls of New York City, but the base of the brand will always be Brooklyn. It’s so integral to my upbringing and what the brand stands for. I always want to make sure that I serve the community that I’m in.”
TOPICS: Bernard James best in black fashion awards fashion Fine jewelry january february
The post In The Studio: Bernard James appeared first on Essence.
By Cortne Bonilla ·Updated January 13, 2024
If you were to take a stroll through Brooklyn, you’d notice two directions: not the north and the south, but the old and the new. Electric bicycles are installed beside skewed cobblestone >Bernard James, fashion’s beloved fine-jewelry designer.
The neighborhood may be changing, but James is setting out to remain faithful to his vision of Brooklyn. It’s a vision based on raw talent, artistic pursuits and, most important, authenticity. His jewelry designs reflect this affirmation, integrating traditional craftsmanship with contemporary forms, spurred by an upbringing surrounded by antiques and aged houses. “As I approach jewelry and design, I think a lot about how objects have a life of their own,” says James. This inquisitiveness, as well as the capacity to see value in the past, is what makes his jewelry stand out. His Williamsburg studio holds the same balance of old and new—with a natural garden he was proud to restore, a skylight beaming with overhead shine, and a warmth that makes friends and customers reluctant to depart.
Rasaan Wyzard He didn’t start out in the jewelry business. His first pivotal memories of jewelry came from a kiosk at the Green Acres mall, an iconic New York shopping center in Valley Stream—where his sister bought him a basketball pendant—and from an initialed gold signet ring given to him by an aunt. Thus, his love for personal, signature jewelry was planted. His appreciation of longevity and value, however, was instilled long before. “My dad was very much an entrepreneur,” he explains, “and part of his office was an antique store. He was a collector, but one who understood the value of the old world. I think seeing the longevity of objects, and seeing how rare some things had become, was a big interest to me.”
After attending Collegiate, an all-boys high school in New York City, James studied business at Carnegie Mellon, then transferred to New York University to be closer to the energy of the city. Business courses taught James the core values of running a shop, while hands-on experience gave him the confidence, connections and inspiration he needed to strike out on his own. He started small: “I wanted to dip my feet in, and I thought, What’s the smallest thing I can afford and handle from a design standpoint?” For him, jewelry was the perfect medium because of the scale, precision, function and design involved. “I did it casually at first,” he recalls, “making pieces for friends and myself.” Yearning to diversify the jewelry market, he began with a men’s offering, as he had noticed how hard it was to find men’s jewelry that he loved. The silhouette of the signet ring gifted to him by his aunt eventually resurfaced as the Cole signet ring.
Rasaan Wyzard In a serendipitous New York connection, James’s barber introduced him to his uncle Dennis, who turned out to be an OG jewelry craftsman on 47th Street, the city’s diamond district. From him, James learned the ins and outs of the diamond business and concluded that truly pleasing jewelry stems from the memories and personal stories it conjures. He made his pieces in Dennis’s Crown Heights townhouse for the first couple of years, laying the foundation for what the brand is today.
You can sense the level of his dedication to community in everything James does. He features close friends and loved ones in his Family Portraits campaign, which began in 2020 and spotlights individuals from various backgrounds that have inspired him and the brand. And he has trusted New York–based clientele in and outside of the fashion industry, including Christopher John Rogers, Matthew Henson, Quil Lemons, Telsha Anderson-Boone and more. His clients become friends, and his consumers became family—earning him well-deserved awards over time, such as ESSENCE’s Best in Black Fashion’s 2023 Accessories Designer of the Year. He was also selected for Saks’ Emerging Designer Accelerator Program.
To set his brand apart from the rest, he says, he homed in on “making things that a lot of people enjoy but are very specifically the brand, all without restricting the desire to explore individuality.” That specific, meticulous notion drew a cult-like following eager to embrace the brand—and prompted the Natural Diamond Council to take notice. “I like things that last,” James says. “My jewelry is supposed to live with you and withstand life.”
Rasaan Wyzard Still based in Brooklyn, James continues to explore the possibilities of jewelry-making with each capsule collection. The first, Pave Flora, is a nod to his growing up across the street from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden —and to the effortless harmony of nature. “For this collection, it’s been fascinating to approach the design process with the diamond in mind,” he says. He sees the collection as another turning point, one that will enable him to play and explore in his own way.
Rasaan Wyzard As he walks through the sunny studio, he reflects that his desire to acquire a chrome chair he saw for sale in the Hamptons is perhaps an homage to his father’s passion for collecting. It’s akin to the subconscious emotions customers feel when they wear James’s pieces. “I’ve always been obsessed with brands that have a sense of intimacy and community,” he says. “The idea of being connected to someone through brand messaging is how I think of the phrase, ‘If you know, you know.’” That messaging can be seen everywhere in his studio—from the Fungi collection to the sculptural-yet-inviting burgundy Sarah Favreau “Those Who Saw” artwork on the wall (the artist created it as an ode to unrequited love and self-discovery) to the hidden backyard oasis, which is more of a conversation pit than a garden and is the place his community gathers when visiting his studio.
There’s so much coming down the pike for James these days, even as he stays connected to his roots. “I’m always going to be inspired by Brooklyn,” he says.
“I know I want an international brand, beyond the walls of New York City, but the base of the brand will always be Brooklyn. It’s so integral to my upbringing and what the brand stands for. I always want to make sure that I serve the community that I’m in.”
TOPICS: Bernard James best in black fashion awards fashion Fine jewelry january februaryThe post In The Studio: Bernard James appeared first on Essence.
Photo Credit: Christopher Duggan By Okla Jones ·Updated January 14, 2024
Camille A. Brown and Debbie Allen are kindred spirits, to say the least. The two award-winning dance legends have afforded countless young, Black women with invaluable opportunities, and the tools needed for success in the arts. Allen’s career in entertainment spans over five decades, establishing herself as a true pioneer in her field. In 2022, Brown became the first first Black female to be nominated for a Tony Award as both director and choreographer for a Broadway play in almost 70 years. On January 12 & 13, the iconic duo collaborated to showcase the acclaimed production, ink, at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills.
Created in 2017, Camille A. Brown & Dancers: ink, is an exploration of the unheard aspects of Black life, and examines themes such as self-empowerment, Black love, brotherhood, and resilience. Allen, who serves as a board member at the Wallis, felt that it was important to bring Brown’s play to Los Angeles because of the UNCSA graduate’s immense talent, as well as their deep connection.
Photo Credit: Christopher Duggan “It’s interesting when you see someone that you feel reflects an aspect of yourself,” Allen explains. “Her energy—just that alone. If I didn’t say anything else, when you think about me, and people think about me dancing, they always think about energy and creativity. But also [Camille] is someone who knows how to reach out and make people feel, and she touches you. I’m really looking forward to seeing this work.”
United by a profound mentorship, Debbie’s impactful guidance played a significant role in the Hell’s Kitchen choreographer’s dance career. Together they will present Los Angeles—and its visitors—with a gift that this heralded city has yet to experience.
Ahead of the premiere of ink at The Wallis, Allen and Brown sat down with ESSENCE to discuss their beautiful partnership, Black women and the craft of dance, goals for the new year, and more.
Photo Credit: Christopher Duggan ESSENCE: ink premieres this weekend at The Wallis. Can you speak to me regarding your feelings about being able to give this experience to a new audience?
Camille A. Brown: I think anytime you have an opportunity to share your perspective—it’s wonderful. And then to share it with this community, and also to find out that Debbie Allen is a part of the board at The Wallis. I’m just completely thrilled and honored to be here, and bring a piece that I choreographed back in 2017. So it’s not a new work, but I think it’ll be new to the community that sees it, which is exciting. It’s an amazing feeling.
Since its debut in 2017 have you implemented any changes into the play at all?
Well, the structure is the same, the stories are the same, but the people are different. So since 2017, I’ve had the same cast, and this is the first season that there have been newer dancers stepping into these roles. The roles were crafted to those original people, but that doesn’t mean that the newer people have to stay true to whatever those choices the other dancers did, because my work is about structure, but it’s also about choice-making too. So what you’ll see is the structure of the dance, and whatever the storyline is, but you’ll also see people’s choices, and hopefully people’s identities on stage, which I think is exciting because you get to know who people are without them even speaking.
Why was it important for you to bring Camille’s production to The Wallis in Los Angeles?
Debbie Allen: Because she’s Camille A. Brown, and she is guided like that. She’s one of the most innovative, creative new spirits. When I say new, it’s because people are starting to know her on the West Coast. They’ve known her in New York for a while, but her work speaks for itself, and I actually have been directed by her. I know her work, and I just know we need creativity, and we need new voices in the theater, and in dance, and in the world, and she is one of those. And I’m excited about this work, but also about where she’s going to go. And I hope this will be the beginning of many engagements she’ll have with us at The Wallis. The Wallis is known for their inclusivity. I remember when we brought Alonzo King and LINES Ballet, and that was a big deal. Lula Washington, we welcomed her last year. There’s a lot more work to be done. We’re seated in a kind of a little jewel box in the heartbeat of Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, but we are definitely speaking to the broader community all the time.
Camille, how did you and Debbie connect initially?
Well, I don’t know if Debbie remembers this, but we did a version of Polly. I went to a Bernice Jackson’s dance studio, and we were doing an event for Phylicia Rashad. I was about 11 years old and I remember auditioning for Debbie, and I was so nervous. I was so nervous. And I think they were only picking five young dancers. I think I was the last one to be chosen, and I was just so thrilled and excited. So that’s the very first time that I was connected to Debbie. I don’t know if you remember, Debbie.
I do remember that.
It’s interesting because I’ve been doing it so long, and I’ve had the opportunity to work with so many people as they’ve been children and on their way up—and now they’re flying. Look at [Camille] as one of them. I love that.
Debbie, you have been in the industry for a long time and I wanted to assess your feelings about the representation of Black women in your field currently, as opposed to when you first started?
I’m so happy about it, and I’m glad I have company. I was by myself, but now I look around and there’s so many wonderful people, from Ava DuVernay to Mara Brock Akil to Gina Prince-Bythewood to Morenike Joela Evans, one of our new directors on Grey’s Anatomy. There’s a long list of amazing women now who are getting that opportunity, and they’re in the place to give opportunity. I’m one of those, and I do as much as I can, and that feels really good. We still have a way to go, but we’re climbing up that mountain. We’re going all the way up, honey. Ain’t nobody getting in our way.
Speaking of Black women excelling currently—Camille, in 2022, you became the first Black woman to be nominated for Tony for choreography as well as directing. Did you find it challenging taking on both tasks, or was it less difficult because you kind of had more control over the project as a whole?
I think that whole process changed my life. It was like the Olympics of directing and choreography. I put pressure on myself anyway as a person and the creator, but I felt like there was so much pressure, and I knew that in a sense everybody was watching. I think in that aspect it was more difficult and challenging because I had to shut out the noise, and shut out anything that was challenging, and just focus on the goal. But what was rewarding about it was that, when people ask me what my favorite show to work on, I would have to say For Colored Girls because it did give me the opportunity to direct and choreograph, and to see my vision and what was in my head come to life on stage.
I know that both you and Debbie had challenges early in your respective dance careers. Camille, I wanted to ask what advice would you give to the young Black woman that may aspire to get into this field but doesn’t know how to take the first step?
Well, the first step is believing that you can do it. When people say “no,” you say “yes.” There were a lot of people that felt that, “Oh, you shouldn’t do this,” or “You can’t have a company and you can’t work in theater at the same time. It’s not going to work.” There are going to be people that tell you you can’t. But I think, “Give it a try.” You won’t let the universe decide what is for you. Don’t let other people decide that.
Debbie, you’ve been doing this for so long, and you’re so accomplished in this field. What does dance mean to you?
It’s a very simple thing. Dance is life. And what is life? Life is so many things. It’s energy, it’s joy, it’s pain, it’s all of that. It’s going up, it’s going down. It is moving through time and space and the universe, which is being a celestial body, if you will. To dance is to be.
What have you made your goals for 2024?
I have no idea. I’m going to stay in that world of expressionism and move as the spirit tells me. If there was any goal at all, it would be to take a nap every now and then. It’s just not possible. I just don’t get much personal time, because I’m doing so much between the Dance Academy, Debbie Allen Dance Academy, and the other wonderful things that I do. I just did Mariah Carey’s tour. I have a big movie I’m working on, a big Broadway show I’m working on. It’s just, I guess, I don’t know. The goal would be maybe a little bit of rest, a little more fun.
Camille, how about you?
For me, I’d like to be present in my body how it is now. I wasn’t technically supposed to dance, but we’re in these times where things happen and the show must go on. So, I am dancing at 44, and my friends and my family are telling me to just dance how you are now. Don’t try to do what you did and recreate who you were 20 years ago, live in the now. So that’s what I’m going to work on for 2024. And then what my company has – we have a couple of places that we’re touring.
I’m developing a new work, and it’s called I Am and it’s based off of the TV series, Lovecraft Country. There was an episode called “I Am,” in which one of the characters time traveled, and through her experiences she finally came to naming herself.We’re going to be premiering that in the summer. I’m really excited about that. In terms of my choreography, Hell’s Kitchen is going to be opening on Broadway, April 20th, and it’s music and lyrics by Alicia Keys. I’m the choreographer for that. Soul Train, well it’s called Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical, is coming. So that’s exciting. Directed by Camila Forbes and written by Dominique Morisseau. And I am continuing to pursue more directing opportunities in opera, in theater, and all the stuff that she has in store, and I can only hope that I can do half of that. So, I’m really excited by all the things that are coming this year.
TOPICS: Broadway Debbie Allen for colored girls…who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enufThe post Camille A. Brown And Debbie Allen’s Creative Partnership Brings ‘Ink’ To Los Angeles appeared first on Essence.
One of the most cherished, highly quotable comedies of the 21st century, Mark Waters and Tina Fey’s Mean Girls has stood the test of time as the teen comedy to end all teen comedies. Taking a page out of the recently released The Color Purple’s book, Mean Girls (2024) adapts the 2017 musical back into a film, once again bringing Cady, Regina, Karen, and the rest of North Shore High back to movie theatres.
Despite the fact that Mean Girls adapts not one but two successful projects of the same name, this new reimagining of the movie-turned-musical is a haphazard dud, doing a disservice to the stage production’s musical numbers and lacking the outlandish ferocity of the original film’s humor. Though the mixed-bag of an ensemble cast (led by a fearsome Reneé Rapp) give their best, Mean Girls fails as both a musical and an homage to the original—soulless and utterly plastic.
Mean Girls follows Cady Heron (Angourie Rice), a sheltered teenager whose life flips when her mother (Jenna Fischer) decides to uproot their family, moving from Kenya to Chicago. Clueless as to American teen culture and desperate to fit in, Cady initially bonds with misfits Janis (Auli’i Cravalho) and Damian (Jaquel Spivey) but quickly enters the thrall of the plastics, a group of uber-popular mean girls led by the unflappable Regina George (Rapp).
In terms of its script, Mean Girls is an interesting case. It’s an adaption of a musical adapted from a movie, adapted from a book—all of which (save the novel) from writer by Tina Fey, who also serves as a producer and reprises her role as Mrs. Norbury. Returning to write yet another reimaging of Mean Girls gives Fey the opportunity to punch-up jokes from the original, though the 2024 script remains clearly reverent of the 2004 original.
The 2024 script of Mean Girls still contains all the lines fans know and love (Glen Coco, “Fetch”, on Wednesdays we wear pink, etc) but makes a few changes to accommodate a more modern setting. Mostly this pertains to the lines from the original that haven’t aged particularly gracefully—cracks about “unfriendly Black hotties” and so-called “cool Asians.” Tossing around racial slurs are nowhere to be found.
Mean Girls’ most curious changes, though, come with regard to Janis’ backstory with Regina. In the original film, Regina casts her out by lying and telling everyone in school she’s a lesbian, while in the updated version, she outed Janis, who actually was a lesbian. It’s a strange, not particularly effective change that’s indicative of how Mean Girls treats the original like gospel, cashing in on as many recognizable moments as possible and not meaningfully engaging with the changes it dares to make.
Speaking of changes, the 2024 Mean Girls has no such reverence regarding the songs written for the 2017 musical. While Fey’s book is gospel, the original Broadway arrangements (composed by Jeff Richmonds) meet decimation. Instead, we find monotonous synth-pop which transforms even the musical’s strongest numbers into forgettable sludge.
While Mean Girls on Broadway may not have boasted an original script or a cast with names like Amanda Seyfried, Lindsay Lohan, and Rachel McAdams, what it did have was a cheeky, self-aware sense of humor that embraced the ridiculous grandiosity of musical theatre. Numbers like “Where Do You Belong”, “Sexy”, and “Stop” aren’t lyrically dense, but feature stereotypically Broadway-esque choreography and have a charming, tongue-in-cheek vibe that made the musical breezy and entertaining, if not quite a sharp as the original.
In attempting to translate Richmond’s songs (with lyrics by Nell Benjamin), Mean Girls razes its songbook of any personality, humor, or referentiality. Certainly, it’s understandable why producers might opt to cut a tap number in a film full of TikTok references and Shein clothes, but even some of the musical’s tamer numbers like “Stupid With Love” are sanitized into near unrecognizability.
Yes, the arrangements are somewhat salvageable when seasoned performers like Rapp, Cravalho, or Bebe Wood (Gretchen) lend their vocal prowess. Wood’s sweetly vulnerable “What’s Wrong With Me” is a breath of fresh air and a rare moment of genuine emotionality. In that same breath, though, poor arrangements become all the more noticeable whenever Angourie Rice’s Cady attempts to warble her way through one of them, which is a shame, because she’s the lead.
Rice is certainly a formidable actress and comedienne (she gives a particularly memorable turn opposite Ryan Gosling in The Nice Guys) but her Cady is bone dry and utterly lacking in personality, not to mention vocal talent. Clearly, co-directors Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. recognize Rice’s voice isn’t of broadway caliber. Countless Cady songs go to other characters or cut entirely and the efforts they go to to keep Cady from singing makes one wonder why they didn’t simply cast an actress who could sing the part.
As for the rest of the cast, it’s difficult to wholeheartedly identify any comedic standouts. Even the bits that do land are marginally unfunnier rehashes of jokes from 20 years ago. All the pieces are on the board, sure, but Mean Girls rests on its laurels, thinking that simply regurgitating all the right aesthetic trappings and quotable moments is enough to cobble together a cohesive reimagining of this iconic chick flick.
Between the inconsistent vocals, bizarre musical arrangements, and misguided script updates, Mean Girls (2024) is a letdown, whether you’re a fan of the 2004 film or the 2017 musical. Though co-directors Jayne and Perez Jr make some interesting and ambitious choices with cinematography and staging, a few experimental stylistic flares and an admirable effort from Rapp aren’t enough to save this high school comedy from musical ruin.
Mean Girls (2024) ⭐ (1.5 of 5)
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