The Fifteen Percent Pledge holds its fourth annual fundraising gala, the Deutsche Bank Frieze Los Angeles Film Award returns to Frieze, Balenciaga reinvents aughties paparazzi snaps for its new Le City Bag campaign and Prada taps writer Ottessa Moshfegh for a collection of short stories.
The Fifteen Percent Pledge holds its fourth annual fundraising gala at Paramount Studios
The Fifteen Percent Pledge, a racial equity and economic justice nonprofit advocacy organization urging major retailers and corporations to commit 15% of their purchasing power to Black-owned businesses, held their fourth annual fundraising gala Feb. 1 at Paramount Studios.
The Saturday evening event, hosted by Yvonne Orji, was attended by Kim Kardashian, Tina Knowles, Teyana Taylor, Aaron Pierre, Keke Palmer, Amber Valletta, Nia Long, Jesse Williams, Janelle James, Karrueche Tran, Precious Lee, Lori Harvey, Rachel Zoe, Lamorne Morris, Meena Harris, Jeannie Mai, Mia Moretti, Dree Hemmingway, Lee Daniels, Eva Chen, Law Roach, June Ambrose, Jason Bolden, Wayman Bannerman and Micah McDonald, Rachel Scott and more.
To kick off the presentation, Ciara presented the first grant of the evening, the Altadena Honoree Grant, to Barbara Shay, owner of Little Red Hen Coffee Shop, which was recently destroyed when the Eaton fire tore through Altadena. More than just a restaurant, Little Red Hen was a pillar of the community. The Fifteen Percent Pledge made a $50,000 donation to support Shay and her family in their efforts to rebuild.
Sienna Naturals co-founders Hannah Diop and Issa Rae received the second annual Sephora Beauty Grant, a $100,000 grant created to honor exceptional Black beauty brands and help them reach the next level of success.
Finally, Fifteen Percent Pledge founder Aurora James presented the 2025 Achievement Award alongside Kelly Rowland to three businesses: RedDrop ($200,000), Brooklyn Tea ($35,000), and Bernard James ($15,000). Gala attendees voted to determine the winner of the award from a group of five finalists, which also included Be Rooted and Crease Beast.
In her welcome to guests, James said, “Each and every one of us. Our stories, our pasts, our cultures and identities are part of the fabric that makes America great. More than great, spectacular. You deserve to be here. I deserve to be here. We make ‘here’ what it is. Our talent, our tenacity, our drive – that is why we got here. This country in its best form is a product of each of our beautiful and individual contributions. Never let another person tell you otherwise. We belong. You belong.”
That same weekend, the Fifteen Percent Pledge also hosted the 15th Street Block Party at Paramount Studios, an immersive activation for the community to shop, eat and support local Black-owned businesses.
The Block Party featured storefronts featuring Black-owned brands, including Danessa Myricks Beauty, Ghetto Gastro, L’Enchanteur, Diotima, FORVR MOOD, Pattern Beauty, Cay Skin, Ami Cole, among others as well as book signings with Yvonne Orji, Mickalene Thomas, Amy Sherald, Meena Harris, and a live podcast recording with John Legend.
Founded by James in 2020, the Pledge also offers large corporations accountability support and thought partnership to advance equal opportunity for Black-owned businesses and Black people in the workforce. Since its inception, the Fifteen Percent Pledge has created a pipeline to shift $14 billion to Black-owned businesses.
Frieze announces the return of the Deutsche Bank Frieze Los Angeles Film Award ahead of 2025 fair
Global contemporary art organization Frieze has announced the return of the Deutsche Bank Frieze Los Angeles Film Award ahead of the sixth edition of Frieze Los Angeles, which returns to Santa Monica Airport Feb. 20.
The initiative celebrates the next generation of filmmakers by offering emerging talent the opportunity to participate in a transformative program produced in collaboration with the award-winning nonprofit Ghetto Film School and global film and TV studio Fifth Season. In addition to supporting the film award, Deutsche Bank continues its role as the global lead partner for Frieze fairs, underscoring over 20 years of shared commitment to artistic excellence.
Selected from an open call for applicants aged 18 to 34 in the Los Angeles region, the emerging filmmakers shortlisted for this year’s award are Guinevere Alcaraz, Ja’Lisa Arnold, Austin Chen, Christopher Guerrero, Sophia Lafaurie-Munoz, and Nicole Mairose Dizon. Each has produced a short film responding to this year’s theme, “Togetherness.” The theme invites the fellows to explore the essence of human connection and its role in shaping individuals, communities and society.
The winner of the Deutsche Bank Frieze Los Angeles Film Award will be selected by a jury comprised of leaders in film, arts and culture and receive a $10,000 prize. This year’s panel includes: Erin Christovale (curator, Hammer Museum), Rhys Ernst (Emmy-nominated filmmaker and artist), Christine Messineo (director of Americas, Frieze), Claudio de Sanctis (head of Private Bank and member of the management board), Tayanna Todd (head of Inclusive Content, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group) and RaMell Ross (artist and filmmaker). Each jury member brings a wealth of expertise and passion for empowering underrepresented voices in the arts.
“The Film Award has always been an initiative we’re immensely proud of, reflecting our commitment to nurturing emerging talent,” Messineo said. “This year’s cohort has created short films exploring the theme of ‘Togetherness,’ a concept that feels especially poignant in the context of the rebuilding of the city. Now, more than ever, it’s crucial that we come together to support the creative community, celebrate their work and provide opportunities for Los Angeles’ young talent.”
Tickets are available now at frieze.com.
Balenciaga reinvents aughties paparazzi snaps for its new Le City Bag campaign
Balenciaga has unveiled a new campaign for its Le City Bag using digitally altered paparazzi images from the early 2000s.
Le City Paparazzi, features street-style photos of Paris Hilton, Alek Wek, Alessandra Ambrosio, Amber Valletta, Claudia Schiffer, Malgosia Bela, Natasha Poly and Tyra Banks that have been edited to show them carrying the Le City bag while the images have been finished with a unique watermark that pays homage to the branding used by stock photo websites.
The iconic bag, which debuted in 2001, was created by former Balenciaga creative director Nicolas Ghesquière and was originally named the Le Dix Motorcycle Lariat before being renamed Le City.
The bag’s fans include Kate Moss, Lindsay Lohan, Nicole Richie, the Hilton sisters, the Kardashians and the Olsen twins, to name a few.
Prada taps writer Ottessa Moshfegh for a collection of short stories
As part of the Spring/Summer 2025 “Acts Like Prada” campaign starring Carey Mulligan, the luxury Italian brand has commissioned American author Ottessa Moshfegh to create a collection of short stories.
Inspired by Mulligan’s characterizations, “Ten Protagonists” features 10 stories centered around each female character and keyed to a particular campaign image.
Bound into a limited-edition Prada publication illustrated with the campaign images of Mulligan, these short episodes expand on the invented selves of each of these female protagonists through Moshfegh’s words.
Known for her radical depiction of female characters, Los Angeles-based Moshfegh is the author of six books of fiction, including the cult-favorite “My Year of Rest and Relaxation” (2018), and the Booker Prize-nominated “Eileen” (2015), for which she also co-wrote the 2023 film adaptation. Moshfegh’s most recent novel, “Lapvona” (2022), was a New York Times bestseller.
Connecting to Prada’s tradition of pioneering new storytelling methods through the campaign and directly following last season’s Miranda July hotline, “Ten Protagonists” adds a layer of new meaning to the Spring/Summer 2025 Prada images, creating original contemporary literature while expanding their relevance to a dimension beyond the visual.
“Ten Protagonists” is written by Moshfegh and features the Spring/Summer 2025 Prada campaign images of Mulligan, photographed by Steven Meisel with creative direction by Ferdinando Verderi.
The book is available to download now at prada.com.
ILIA Beauty and Halfdays debut a limited edition ski and skincare collaboration
Clean beauty brand ILIA Beauty has debuted its first-ever outerwear collaboration with Halfdays, the women-founded performance fashion brand, as part of the launch of their new Barrier Build Skin Protectant Cream. The partnership combines ILIA’s dedication to clean, skin-forward beauty with Halfdays’ expertise in sustainable, high-performance ski wear, ensuring women feel confident, protected and stylish both on and off the mountain.
The collaboration takes the form of the Custom Ski Suit: A limited edition set featuring Halfdays’ bestselling Lawrence Jacket ($375) and Alessandra Pant ($275), brought to life in ILIA’s signature “Rose” shade. Crafted from recycled fabrics, with high-performance insulation and waterproofing, this ski wear set combines functionality with effortless style.
Each ski suit set comes with a full-sized ILIA Barrier Build Skin Protectant Cream as a gift — a cushiony moisturizing cream that calms and strengthens the skin barrier and reduces the look of redness.
“With sensitive skin, finding products you can trust is hard. I created Barrier Build as a functional product with purpose — to protect and replenish skin even in the toughest conditions. Skiing has always been a part of my life, so partnering with Halfdays to offer solutions for winter protection feels like a natural fit,” ILIA founder Sasha Plavsic said.
The limited edition ski suit is available now on halfdays.com and the ILIA Barrier Build Skin Protectant Cream will also be available on IliaBeauty.com, Sephora and other ILIA retailers.
Fashion Trust U.S. announces the 2025 finalists
The Fashion Trust U.S. (FTUS) hosted a cocktail event Feb. 4 to celebrate the finalists for its third annual FTUS Awards taking place April 8 in Los Angeles.
The Tuesday evening event, hosted by founder Tania Fares, Elizabeth Stewart, Karla Welch, Wayman Bannerman, Micah McDonald, Law Roach and Chriselle Lim, was attended by Aimee Song, Alex Israel, Arianne Phillips, B Akerlund, Brandon Blackwood, Brigette Romanek, Daniella Villegas, Designer, Eric Buterbaugh, Fai Khadra, Gela Nash Taylor, Jeanne Yang, Michael Chow and Storm Reid.
The finalists in the Ready-to-Wear category are Rachel Scott of Diotima, Grace Ling, Jakarie Whitaker of Hikari no Yami and Nana Kwame Adusei of Kwame Adusei.
The finalists in the Jewelry category are Bernard James, Kia Schwaninger of Kia Schwan, Rebecca Zeijdel-Paz of Beck and Reut Ringel of Reut.
The finalists in the Accessories category are Danielle Griffiths of Clyde, Paradis Winslet, Marianna Senderkis of Sederkis and Michal Lifshitz of Poemet.
The finalists in the Graduate category are Bashar Abouljoud, Bryan Barrientos, Eunhae Cho and Patrick Taylor.
Google Shopping is the presenting sponsor of the FTUS 2025 Awards, providing all winners access to a Google mentorship program built in partnership with FTUS. This program offers expert guidance on key aspects of the fashion and retail industries to support and elevate emerging talent within American design.
The finalists will showcase their work to the Fashion Trust U.S. panel on April 8 in Los Angeles, and the five chosen winners will be announced at the awards ceremony that evening. Winners will all receive financial support and mentorship from industry leaders.
Founded in 2022 with a mission to provide financial support, guidance and mentorship to designers based in the United States, Fashion Trust U.S. has developed into a platform of opportunity to discover and nurture young U.S. design talent to help them build their label into a thriving global brand.
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