Suzette Opara: 828 Collection At Fashion On The Hudson!

 BWIF had a chance to witness the New York City premiere of 828 Collection in Riverbank State Park at Fashion on the Hudson. And what a beautiful collection it was!!

Suzette Opara (left)

Suzette Opara, it's Lead Designer is a self taught designer based out in Chicago with family lineage from West Africa, Nigeria. After an inability to get work with a degree in Marketing, Suzette decided to purchase a sewing machine, play with fabrics and taught her self to sew! Enjoy our brief sit down with Suzette Opara and the images from 828 Collection.

BWIF: Tell us about 828 Collection
Suzette: The name 828 began as my birthday August 28th, however after researching I found deeper meaning to the name. It's when Dr. King gave his "I had a Dream" speech, it was the day Emmett Till was murdered and the bible verse, Roman 8:28.

 BWIF:  Describe the 828 customer
Suzette: She's the woman that likes to go out often, enjoys life, stand out amongst the crowd and doesn't want to see her twin. She knows her body and want works for her.

 BWIF: Where do you pull inspiration 
Suzette: Most of my inspiration comes from music. When I see the videos I think of what the girls should be wearing in them.

 BWIF:  What advice can you share with other designers who lack the traditional schooling background?
Suzette: Love what you do! Keep God first, because it will get frustrating. Know your craft! Study everything fashion, surround yourself with people in the field who can help you and you can bounce ideas off of...

 Add Suzette to your Facebook friends - search Suzette Opara. www.828collection.com will launch in two weeks!

There were soo many images from this show I had to create a slide show to capture it, see it after the jump -  enjoy!

Brazilian Bezel At Fashion On The Hudson

 Diana is the chief designer for Brazilian Bezel swim wear since it's inception in May 2008. Since this time Diana was featured in many shows including opening Fashion on the Hudson at Riverbank State Park in Harlem, New York.

 I was personally very impressed by Brazilian Bezel, the swim suit silhouettes were sexy, flattering and full of color! Diana's inspiration for the collection she calls Fusion was the Caribbean seas; a fusion of vibrant colors and style. And she did not disappoint.

 Check out Brazilian Bezel @ http://www.bbswimwear.com/ to make your statement on your next Caribbean vacation!

See video pictures and video footage from Fashion on the Hudson after the click.

Michi Knit Wear At Fashion On The Hudson

 Michelle Walden of Michi was one of the many featured designers at Fashion On The Hudson this past weekend. Her beautiful one of a kind knit wear was full of robust colors, adorned with cowrie shells and a silhouettes to fit every woman's body.

 When asked about her customer and inspiration for her collection Michelle has this to say,

BWIF: Who is the Michi customer?
Michelle: A woman with confidence, enjoys being sensual yet sophisticated and feminine.

BWIF: What was your inspiration for this collection"
Michelle: Colors! I love seeing women shine and stand out

Read on for more on Michi and her advice for emerging designers!

Black Women In Fashion Attending Fashion On The Hudson!!

Sorry for the delay in postings BWIF fans! Today we're attending Fashion On The Hudson in New York City today!! This wonderful fashion show provides an excellent platform for emerging designers and others within the industry! We are exciting to be a part of the press to bring this event to you with interviews and many pictures - Stay Tuned. In the meantime, take a look at some of the work from BTE TV's Sofia Davis. It is open to the public - if you're in the city - make sure to stop by and enjoy!

Fashion on the Hudson II
Saturday July 17, @ 3pm
Riverbank State Park
W. 145th St. &
Riverside Drive

Serena Celebrates Wimbledon Win In Style

 Alas twas not an all Williams final but Serena proved to be the stronger of the pack, winning her 4th Wimbledon title and 13th Grand Slam title!!! Bravo Serena who celebrated her win in uber style....

I am soo looking forward to the U.S Open and if you can't tell by now my BWIF fans, I am a major tennis fan!

Kelly Rowland Wants To Launch Accessories Line Called "Faces"

 The fabulous Kelly Rowland sat down with MTV recently and discussed launching an accessories line of Sunglasses custom made to fit the shape of your face! Kelly also thinks that Iman was the perfect swap for Bravo's The Fashion Show...

"I would like to do a sunglasses line," she said. "[I want to] make different glasses for different face shapes and different styles. Like if you have an oval face, then you have a line for oval shapes." Does she have a name picked out? "It would be cool to name it Faces or something like that."

MTV Shows

"I'm happy that Iman is doing it," she told us. "She knows about fashion just as much as I do, if not more, because she's a model, she lives in that world. She knows what feels right, she knows how to wear it. So, she's perfect."

MTV Shows

Be Inspired: Solange Knowles

 I have seen excerpts of Solange's interview with Refinery 29 from many blog sites, finally I took the time to read the entire interview for myself. I must say, I was inspired by Solange's style, attitude and spirit. I can appreciate her stamping out a space for her own existence; in that process one will make errors, often say the right things in the wrong way and in general piss people off. Solange has successfully done all of these things, but I thinking the fine tuning is nearly complete. See for yourself....

Who are your style heroes?
"My mom in the '70s and '80s! She was a bad bitch. Sex and the City totally jacked her steez on the camels. I have a pic of her on a camel ride in Egypt in the '80s serving the hell out of that desert! Also, Diana Ross, The Fela Kuti Queens, Björk, '70s-era Chaka Khan, Chloë Sevigny, '90s Erykah Badu."

What's your secret style weapon?
"Shoes! I'm all about the shoes! I order a ton of them online and play with my entire wardrobe until I find the right shoe. Unfortunately, so many people get it right from the head until the ankles. The shoe is very important. I can't even fuck with you if your shoe game is slacking."

Tell us a little bit about working on the new album.
"I went up to Santa Barbara, found this house on five acres in the mountains and invited a bunch of amazing musicians to come live there with me for a month and just experiment. We woke up around 10 a.m. and made music until midnight, all of course while drinking good wine, picking avocados from the trees outside to make guacamole, and maybe enjoying a joint or two. I left the process a little crazy, but I really feel like I came into my own."

Style Profile: Shala Monroque

 You've seen her on the pages of Bazaar and on several best dress lists with style icon status in the making. A native of my beautiful homeland, St. Lucia, girlfriend to wealthy art dealer Larry Gagosian and Editor-At-Large for Pop Magazine, Shala Monroque is confidently putting her stamp on the fashion scene. What's your favorite Shala style trait?