Gabrielle Union’s New Baby Line, Bendet’s Wallpaper, Azria Sued
UNION’S NEW BABY: Proudly, Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade’s anticipated baby care line is now available.
The line was inspired by the couple’s three-year-old daughter Kaavia James, as well as other babies with darker skin tones, which baby brands have not particularly focused on in the past. Proudly is the first accessibly priced baby care line with its products codesigned by dermatologist Dr. Naana Boakye, who is also one of the three sisters behind the skin care line Karité.
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“These products are meant to fill a gap for parents of color, like ourselves, by offering them intentionally developed formulas that put our children’s needs at the core,” Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade said in a statement. “Our hope is that for the first time ever, parents of children of color don’t need to spend money on products that aren’t effective or worry about what might irritate their children’s skin. We’ve done the work so they don’t have to.”
The Proudly products available are the Gentle Body Wash in lavender chamomile, the Hydrating Baby Lotion in lavender chamomile, Nourishing Oil, All Over Balm and Gentle Touch Baby Wipes.
Courtesy of Proudly
Each product is priced less than $12 and available for purchase on the Proudly e-commerce site starting April 12.
“It was incredibly important to the whole team that these products would include thoughtfully studied and selected plant-based moisturizing ingredients to take into account the unique needs of melanated babies,” Dr. Boakye said. “As parents of children of color ourselves, we know how difficult it can be to find the right products and everything that went into the development process started with the goal to fulfill that need.”
“Our mission is to elevate and celebrate children of color of all shades and to support diverse families with a baby care line that is made specially for them,” said Pam Cholankeril, president of Proudly. “We have intentionally built our team to best serve our community; we are truly made for us, by us. As we expand and release new partnerships and products, they will continue to align with our core mission.”
It was revealed last summer that the power duo were launching a baby care line. Union and Wade recently collaborated with Janie and Jack, the childrenswear brand, to create a spring collection inspired by Kaavia James. — CONCHITA WIDJOJO
ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION: If these walls could talk.
Alice + Olivia has teamed up with Tempaper, a manufacturer of removable wallpaper, to launch a collection of peel-and-stick designs. The eclectic assortment of prints and vintage-inspired designs recognize the brand’s 20th anniversary.
The collection features bold paisley, blooming forget-me-nots, and the Stace Face, all prints that tie back to Alice + Olivia’s spring 2022 collection. The paper can be applied to walls, dorm rooms, furniture and stairs, among other places.
“Collaborating with Tempaper allowed us to bring our spring floral patterns, as seen in our spring fashion collection, to a new category with a home interior offering,” said Stacey Bendet, founder and chief executive officer of Alice + Olivia. “As a designer I always aim to create beauty; this collection of wallpapers has been designed to bring beauty into the homes of people worldwide.”
The XOXO Stace wallpaper in a black-and-white print with a classic red lip, is $42.99 a roll; the Forget-Me-Not blue floral is $125 a double roll; the Full Look, a green and pink pattern paisley, is $125 a double roll, and the Rainbow Stace, featuring the Stace Face pattern on a rainbow background, is $45 for a small panel, and $85 for a large panel.
All of the designs are self-adhesive, repositionable, removable and ASTM Class A fire-rated for flame-spread and smoke developed. They can be purchased through tempaper.com. — LISA LOCKWOOD
NO LONGER FRIENDS: Sophia Rossi, an author and one of the cofounders of lifestyle website Hello Giggles, has sued Joyce Azria, daughter of the late Max Azria, for more than $1 million for failing to pay back a personal loan.
The complaint was filed April 1 in the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles.
According to the complaint, in 2016, Rossi loaned Azria $1.1 million and Azria agreed to pay her the principal sum, together with accrued and unpaid interest at the rate of 10 percent a year. After extending the payment deadline from June 2, 2017, to Dec. 31, 2020, Azria stopped making payments on or about July 30, 2021. Around March 6, 2022, Azria told Rossi that she would not pay the remaining balance she owes Rossi, which is approximately $930,000 for the principal and $54,250 in interest on the principal.
Courtesy
Rossi and Azria are reportedly childhood friends.
The filing claims that Azria can’t shirk her contractual payment obligations to Azria for any reason, including Azria’s claim that her company, Joyce Azria Inc. (JAI) “is somehow insolvent.” It was a personal loan. According to the personal guaranty Rossi has the right to sue Azria personally for unpaid funds under the note, notwithstanding the insolvency or bankruptcy of JAI.
Rossi looks to recover at least $984,250 from Azria personally, in addition to Rossi’s attorneys’ fees and costs to recover this amount, among other relief.
Rossi’s attorney, Joshua M. Rosenberg of Venable LLP, said, “The complaint speaks for itself.”
Azria, who is based in Florida, has since moved into the CBD wellness business, as president of Swiss 1876. She didn’t respond to an email seeking comment Monday.
Azria began her career at BCBG Max Azria Group, where she was creative director of swim and intimates at BCBG, before becoming creative director of BCBGeneration and overseeing apparel lines in Europe. About six years ago, she launched fashion brands of her own, Avec Les Filles and Rohb. — L.L.
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