Roc Nation is launching yet another culture-shifting platform for the world of luxury. Today, the Jay-Z founded company announced a partnership with Modern Luxury Media — America’s largest luxury media company — to launch a new disruptive brand and multimedia platform called “EDITION by Modern Luxury,” a press release reports. The new outlet aims to both “amplify and elevate voices that are shaping popular culture.” “The importance of elevating the voices of such a powerful community has never been greater,” Brett Yormark — president of business operations & strategy for Roc Nation — said in a statement. “We are excited to devote our efforts in creating a platform that is not only exciting but necessary in order to push the luxury media industry forward.” Roc Nation co-founder and CEO Desiree Perez echoed his statement noting Modern Luxury Media’s history of building brands in luxury that drive impactful content. “We couldn’t think of a better partner to launch EDITION,” she said,...
NBA star James Harden is taking his business and investor expertise to Saks’ luxury platform. The high-end e-commerce company has appointed the Brooklyn Nets player to its board to share his unique perspective as a fashion enthusiast in an effort to help expand its high-potential consumer brands. “I am honored to join the Saks board and to be a part of a company that is paving the future of luxury retail. This is an exciting opportunity for me to combine two of my personal passions – a love of fashion and teaming up with brands that have the potential to lead while making an impact on the communities they serve,” Harden said in a statement. “I look forward to working with the Saks team, and to having a direct impact on the company’s future success, the fashion community and its customers.” A press release reports that Harden’s appointment comes as the latest milestone for Saks’ strategy to become the premier luxury e-commerce platform in the fashion industry. With a proven track...
Redefining luxury within the Black community goes beyond improving price points for the average consumer. It’s about ensuring quality, accessibility and overall catering to our interests as a community. When entrepreneur Kwame Molden co-founded his designer watch company, Springbreak (SPGBK) Watches — alongside his co-founder Maurice Davis — he envisioned a brand that would merge education with cultural tastes and ultimately redefine the watch industry for Black consumers. Prior to creating their company, Molden noticed the relationship between Black consumers, foreign designers, and their products. While we often covet after these brands, they do little to give back to the community they take so much money from. “The problem we’re trying to solve in our community is that expensive and foreign companies, watch companies, in particular, are perceived as high value, but their products are unattainable for the average person,” he tells AfroTech. “We as a community grow up looking for...
When lockdowns began in early 2020, Will Lee took the opportunity to go on a much-needed vacation. He went to Tulum, Mexico to decompress by the beach. While in Tulum, Lee booked a yacht experience with a local company and noticed something peculiar: the luxury yacht services didn’t seem to cater to Black customers. From there, he decided to curate an experience specifically for the Black consumer. This includes carefully selecting drinks, food, music, and experiences that Black customers want. According to Lee, the business took off rapidly, far exceeding his expectations. “Within the first month of operating, we were able to close over 30k in revenue,” he said. According to Lee, Yacht Club Company has already hosted several celebrity clients including Meg Thee Stallion, Trey Songz, and Johnny Venus of EarthGang. Now their three-man team — including co-founder, Jon Roberts, and head of partnerships, Ryan Fletcher — is setting their sights higher. “As we continue to develop our...
Rarely do we get to see travel depicted in a way that’s racially diverse, but this travel enthusiast is looking to change that. Claire Soares, entrepreneur and founder of Up In The Air Life , created a travel company that focuses on curating luxury experiences all around the world while making Black travelers a priority. Soares left corporate America to pursue this business venture in hopes of providing other Black travelers with the same quality experiences she was accustomed to. “I couldn’t find travel companies that were providing luxury to people who looked like me—most of the market offering that targeted people of color was predominantly budget travel—even still today. I wanted to share my love of luxury and epic experiences at an affordable price with excellent customer service,” Soares told Black Enterprise . While Soares came into the business with her own expertise and personal experience, she still found it difficult to navigate a space where her counterparts didn’t look...