Essence Fashion Digest: Rihanna For J’adore Dior, A$AP Rocky’s First Runway Show, And More | Essence

This week in fashion was filled with moments that we want to highlight. First, singer and fashion connoisseur Rihanna has been announced as the new face of the J’adore Dior fragrance. She was seen at the Dior show during Paris Fashion Week, foreshadowing this very moment. Meanwhile, her equally stylish partner A$AP Rocky is slated to have a new first runway show for his brand, AWGE. Additionally, Who Decides War designers Ev Bravado and Tela D’Amore have shared they were the creative directors for the forthcoming Jean Michel Basquiat and H&M collection.

Next, British menswear designer Bianca Saunders has unveiled its first footwear collection. The collection was teased on Instagram earlier this year and made its first appearance on the brand’s Spring/Summer 2025 runway during Men’s Paris Fashion Week. Additionally, at men’s week, British Jamaican designer Wales Bonner’s collection was unveiled with phenomenal tailoring for men and womenswear. Lastly, Valentino’s new creative director, Alessandro Michele, has debuted his first runway collection with the fashion house. 

Keep scrolling to know the fashion happenings of the week.

Rihanna For The J’adore Dior Fragrance

Rihanna has been announced as the new face for the J’adore Dior fragrance. Before Rihanna, actress Charlize Theron was the face of the fragrance for the past two decades. The first campaign with her as the face will debut on September 1. “The scent, that I have known and loved for so long, means so much to women,” she tells WWD. “I am especially looking forward to joining this adventure and contributing to it through my world, my story, my roots, as well as my creativity and my own femininity.”

A$AP Rocky’s First AWGE First Runway Show 

Rapper and designer A$AP Rocky has announced his first runway show for AWGE for Men’s Paris Fashion Week. He teased a collection in April from the brand that might be a nod to a new album entitled “Don’t Be Dumb.”⁠ Pieces from that collection were T-shirts, long sleeves, a vest, and accessories with the text “Don’t Be Dumb” displayed on each piece. The forthcoming collection might touch on the existing pieces that were dropped or be a completely different energy that reflects his creative endeavors. 

Stay tuned for more details. 

H&M And Jean Michel Basquiat Collection Announced

Designer Tela D’Amore announced via Instagram that alongside her partner Ev Bravado, the duo were appointed as creative director for a forthcoming H&M and Jean Michel Basquiat collection. “Full circle moment like crazy. Being asked to creative direct the collaboration for Jean Michel Basquiat x H&M was too surreal,” she wrote. “Working hand in hand with Basquiat’s family, searching through the archives to select pieces, and having the works then amplified by a machine like @hm has been one of the most dreamlike experiences,” she added.

Stay tuned for further details on when the collection will be released.

British Jamaican menswear designer Bianca Saunders has debuted her first footwear collection through her eponymous label. The shoes consisting of colorful loafers made their first appearance at her Spring/Summer 2025 runway collection entitled “The Hotel.” The collection touched on Saunders’s interest in the tourist and photojournalist Bradley Smith’s Jamaica resort in the 1940s and his book Escape to the West Indies: A Guidebook to the Islands of the Caribbean. The footwear in the collection was created in collaboration with the Portuguese Association of Footwear and Leather Goods, and manufactured by Valuni. The 6-piece footwear line ranges from mid-length boots to square toes knit slip-ons. 

Wales Bonner’s Menswear 2025 Spring/Summer Sartorial Success

The Wales Bonner Spring/Summer 2025 runway show paid homage to the Trinidadian artist and textile designer Althea McNish. Bonner is a designer who begins her creative process with research and she was reportedly able to access the artist’s estate which inspired her collection. Through tailored jackets, trench coats, open knit dresses, and matching skirt sets, Bonner recounts the artist’s narratives and experiences throughout her life. Of course, a new collaboration with Adidas was unveiled on the runway of a pair of Sambas in a black and silver sequined colorway–a few other sneaker designs also debuted. The pieces were infused with a tropical feeling that Bonner is known for with her meticulous tailoring embodying her brand’s design codes beautifully. 

Valentino’s New Creative Director Debuts His First Collection

Alessandro Michele, Valentino’s creative director, has debuted his first runway collection with the brand. Instead of showing in September during Milan Fashion Week, Michele’s debut was debuted during Men’s Fashion Week. The show included 171 looks featuring looks that were similar to his time at Gucci, including his signature of patterned suits, an array of posh silhouettes, and fur trims. Some may critique this as a bad review, but this is his aesthetic. We wonder what the fall collection and so on will reveal from Michele’s point of view.