SPRING 2022 EDITION
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
By Roberé Lett | Publisher | Style Editor
Wow, we are already months into 2022, and the year is taking dynamic shape; COVID is still a topic of conversation. Despite the many variances and unknowns, I think the population is ready for our next journey. The always-changing face of fashion & beauty, and our reemergence from an almost two and a half year-long hiatus has us wanting more upbeat news. Detroit and the world are no strangers to great design and having a major fashion moment when Bottega Veneta came to town to usher in a fabulous array of crazy. From model auditions to hush-hush invites to stellar celebrity names like Mary J Blige, Usher, Lil Kim, and Big Sean all on board to bring the "IT" factor ensured we had all the intrigue of New York, Paris, and Milan all rolled into one. Yes, some complained that the effort to connect with Detroit as a city was severely lacking and paid not enough attention to our city, but I disagree. I think it was an amazing opportunity to have Detroit seen as a major fashion player, and from that came "Maison Black," the dream project of Tori Nichel (www.shopmaisonblack.com).
Tori curated the perfect melding of Black Design at its absolute best. Top designers Sharryl Cross, Shawna McGee, Isiah Hemmingway, Kevan Hall, Nicole King (N'GAI), and Aaron Potts brought a new and diverse message to the fashion landscape. These noted creatives presented stellar collections with all the savvy and panache of any global showing, and Haute was there to experience it firsthand. The press was epic; everyone from WWD, Vogue, Elle, New York Times, Detroit News & Free Press, Washington Post, and many more. Maison Black is the coming together of black design in all its forms to create a more unified and cohesive approach to promoting black talent on a large scale. We know that black designers have assisted all major fashion houses for years, but we are still underrepresented in the global market. There are almost no living or deceased legacies in the fashion world to date. By legacies, I mean designers that have forged the fashion scene and are still making millions of dollars today, such as Dior, Chanel, Givenchy, and Balenciaga. This lack of diversity, especially with black design, is still a major problem and one that Maison Black is fighting to address.
THANK YOU! Tori for taking us full force into conversations and actions we need to be having on a global scale.
With that said, let me rejoice in bringing back Haute is Online Magazine for 2022 after a two-year hiatus. We are excited to feel the passion and verve of sharing unique stories of incredibly talented people who work daily to bring us a new perspective on fashion, beauty, entertainment, and life. We have some great interviews with California native, now Detroit-based, photographer Laur Nash - highlighting her amazing photography. Our designer focus salutes the Uber talented LaQuan Smith, where we review his ultra sexy and energized collection that reached new heights atop the Empire State Building and British OBE designer Paul Smith's vibrant 2022 S/S collection.
With all the buzz from the fray between Will Smith and Chris Rock, we have our own triumphant alopecia story featuring model Michelle Hein that is poignant and riveting all at the same time. We spoke to ICONICFocus model Karen Williams for her profoundly inspirational messages on Age and Aging. Our most beautiful fashion editorials spread yet White Canvas and Tropic of Man celebrating the spring season for both men and women. Local entrepreneurs Stefanie Miller with her incredibly designed Barreletics yoga shoe and Yasser Hashwi, bringing Dearborn Heights his deluxe new ice cream parlor BOOZA Delights - Gourmet Mediterranean Ice cream, the old world Middle Eastern dessert favorite, just in time for the warm weather days ahead.
We are so excited to be back after the long hiatus to bring more fun, fashion, and food to our amazing readers and fans.
Let's greet the season with a fresh new sense of style!
Fashionably Yours,
Roberé
www.hauteisonline.com