Taylor Hill Poses in Zara SS 2022 Swimsuits with Many JOIN LIFE Choices

Taylor Hill Poses in Zara SS 2022 Swimsuits with Many JOIN LIFE Choices AOC Fashion

Top model Taylor Hill has always stressed the importance of eating healthy and frequent exercise in maintaining a good attitude about daily life. In Taylor’s case, that includes taking her beloved dog into the swimming pool — giving us all something to smile about.

Today Taylor Hill hits the surf in Zara’s Spring/Summer 2022 swimsuits, with one-piece styles taking center stage. Strapless designs, cut-out details, and halter necklines run free with nature, in a Zara swimsuit collection carrying many choices with the JOIN LIFE label.

Note that not all swimsuits on this Zara page carry JOIN LIFE, so check on the lower right side of image. Some suits are made of 75% or more recycled polyester and others of 45% or more polyamide. Read your labels!!

Zara has a goal that minimally 50% of their products marketed in 2022 will meet the JOIN LIFE standards.

You must search for swimsuits on the Zara page carrying the JOIN LIFE label, so check on the lower right side of image. Some suits are made of 75% or more recycled polyester and others of 45% or more polyamide. Read your labels!!

Zara has a goal that minimally 50% of their products marketed in 2022 will meet the JOIN LIFE standards. For an update on where Zara is going with JOIN LIFE — including 2023 and 2025 goals — read this page. They include for 2023:

• 100% MORE SUSTAINABLE CELLULOSE FIBERS

• 100% MORE SUSTAINABLE COTTON

• 100% GREEN TO PACK

• 100% FREE FROM SINGLE USE CUSTOMER PLASTICS

• 100% ZERO WASTE

Cara Delevingne Activist Talent Fronts 7 For All Mankind Spring Summer 2022 Campaign

Cara Delevingne Activist Talent Fronts 7 For All Mankind Spring Summer 2022 Campaign AOC Fashion

7 For All Mankind premium denim brand joins forces with British actor, activist, entrepreneur, philanthropist and model Cara Delevingne for its Spring Summer 2022 campaign.

“Denim is a fantastic, enduring style statement and an essential part of how I express my style,” says Delevingne.

7 For All Mankind Sustainability Update

The brand maintains an extensive website update on their progress in sustainability, with the stated goal that 80% of 7 For All Mankind products will have sustainable properties by 2023. Note that AOC hates this statement, because it can be interpreted quite loosely. Other premium denim brands that AOC covers are further along on their sustainability mission. However, honesty is the best policy in this journey and 7 For All Mankind appears direct and honest about what they have achieved and what they haven’t in their newest update.

Cara Delevingne and the Cara Delevingne Foundation

Cara Delevingne has an extensive list of activist and philanthropy projects. Cara and her friend Christabel Reed have launched a powerful campaign to end climate change called EcoResolution. The website is impressive.

In a current project the actor will play a daredevil climber in ‘The Climb’, the story of six ordinary women who join a Greenpeace-led protest against Shell Oil’s plans to drill in the Arctic. The activists climbed the Shard, the tapered glass tower next to London Bridge station in 2013. The Shard remains remains the tallest building in the UK and the seventh-tallest building in Europe. Read the original story on The Guardian and a pic of the Shard climbers on Greenpeace UK Twitter.

Also related to the environment and saving our planet is Project Zero. Cara has created unique designs and content for Project Zero to help raise funds and awareness for the ocean.

She is actively involved in the Elton John AIDS Foundation to fund “frontline partners to prevent infections, fight stigma and provide treatment with love, compassion and dignity for the most vulnerable groups affected by HIV around the world”.

In the case of Cara Delevingne, the activism list goes on and on. Read more: Cara Delevingne Activist Talent Fronts 7 For All Mankind Spring Summer 2022 Campaign

Charles Dennington's 'Natural Phenomenon' and a Plantiful Plea for Fashion Symbiosis

Charles Dennington's 'Natural Phenomenon' and a Plantiful Plea for Fashion Symbiosis AOC Fashion

Models Ploy Rida & Yixin Zhao capture our reflective style selves in ‘Natural Phenomenon’, styled by Melissa Levy. Photographer Charles Dennington [IG] flashes the fashion designed to mimic the colours, textures, vibrant movement and hues of nature. / Hair by Rory Rice; makeup by Isabella Schimid

Chopard's Caroline Scheufele Will Bring Zambia's 'Insofu' Emerald to a Life of Luxury

Chopard's Caroline Scheufele Will Bring Zambia's 'Insofu' Emerald to a Life of Luxury AOC Jewelry News

The Chopard ‘Insofu’ Emerald weighs in the size of a champagne bottle. It’s named for elephants in Zambia’s Bantu language.

“The size and quality of the crystal make it a rare find indeed,” stated Sean Gilbertson, director of Gemfields, noting that it was also “setting a historic milestone for traceability back to the mine-of-origin, a holy grail for consumers” seeking reassurances on the credentials of their stones as it is the first emerald of this size and purity to meet traceability requirements.

“By purchasing a raw stone, we are able to follow its entire journey through to final creation. Chopard will cut the raw emerald and collect all the cut gems emerging from it….We ensure a complete chain of traceability, which is rare for [such] stones,” said Chopard’s copresident and artistic director Caroline Scheufele who noted that a “fully integrated supply chain” was what made “these treasures of nature so valuable to our clientele,” who despite the COVID-19 pandemic had shown “strong resilience and loyalty” to the house.

AOC has followed Chopard’s Caroline Scheufele for years, and we value deeply her leadership mission in the arena of sustainability, workers rights, and transparency of Chopard stones from discovery to individual ownership. Scheufele recalled her feeling at the discovery of the Insofu emerald as “surpassing any emotion [she] had ever known.”

Signe Veiteberg's Mushroom Promise in Vogue Poland January 2022, by Agnieszka Kulesza & Lukasz Pik

Signe Veiteberg's Mushroom Promise in Vogue Poland January 2022, by Agnieszka Kulesza & Lukasz Pik AOC Fashion

The January 2022 issue of Vogue Poland spins sustainability with a more 60’s/70’s, transformative perspective, by delving into intriguing magical and cosmic phenomena.

In this fashion story photographer duo Agnieszka Kulesza & Łukasz Pik [IG] captured the fashion industry’s fascination with mushrooms — led by Stella McCartney, but with plenty of new players. Fashion editor Kamila Wagner explains why mushrooms can help save the world from an ecological disaster and model Signe Veiteberg is the mushroom mother, source of all nourishment and the ‘skin’ of our living earth. / Hair by Emil Zed; makeup by Marianna Yurkiewicz

AOC has translated everything we can so far at Vogue Poland and don’t believe that the clothes themselves are sustainable or made of mushrooms. That technology is advancing rapidly but is not yet ready for prime time.

It’s undeniable, though, that mushrooms are having a cultural moment in every aspect including as a replacement for meat. Put AOC in that camp. Mushrooms are fundamental to the organic construction of our earth.

Carolyn Murphy's 'Homegrown' Upcycled Collab with Mother Denim Benefits Sierra Club

Carolyn Murphy's 'Homegrown' Upcycled Collab with Mother Denim Benefits Sierra Club AOC Fashion

When Carolyn Murphy was a little girl, she had a sewing machine. “I used to take logos off of old clothes and transfer them onto other garments,” Murphy explained about crafting her own line of beautiful clothes with Mother’s co-founders Lela Becker and Tim Kaeding. “I was fascinated by creating something new using pieces I already owned and loved.”

AOC completely missed the launch of Murphy’s 14-piece collection at the end of October. You can find it t Net-Sustain, in-stock, because we checked. Murphy’s upcycled collection is called Homegrown, and it debuted at an intimate luncheon with Net-a-Porter.

The 14-piece collection is entirely made from unwanted rags and Mother denim stock that Murphy reimagined with the design duo. It’s an extension of 60% Mother. a collection made from pre- and postconsumer waste, and recognizes vintage Americana through the use of deconstructed and reimagined quilts, bandanas and denim designed and made in L.A.

“One of the coolest things about the collection, since it’s made from recycled and reused deadstock or products that have been damaged, is that every single piece is unique,” Kaeding explained.

The North Face X Gucci Quietly Drops Big a Second Time to Lead 2022 Collaborations

The North Face X Gucci Quietly Drops Big a Second Time to Lead 2022 Collaborations AOC Fashion

The North Face X Gucci doubles down on a BIG New Year’s launch of chapter two of their collaboration. We say that emphasis has shifted from fashion runway camp patterns and global tribe explorers with good hearts in last year’s January debut to closeup images of practical technical gear that means business for 2022.

As more than one blogger has pointed out, no one is seriously mountaineering Tibet’s Everest North Face or Cho Oyu in these clothes. But there is a serious performance attitude in the pieces and accessories that creates a different energy and seriousness from the first drop. AOC loves the closeup shots, and we are always suckers for flowers.

Kudos to French photography duo, twin brothers Jalan and Jibril Durimel, [IG], who shot the campaign in Iceland. Born in Paris to parents from the island of Guadeloupe, at the age of 4 they moved to Miami where they first jumped into the waters of American culture.

Maine and Oregon Make Business Pay Cost of Packaging Waste | EPR Is Center Stage

Maine and Oregon Make Business Pay Cost of Packaging Waste | EPR Is Center Stage AOC Sustainability

Most consumers don’t pay much attention to the packaging that their purchases come in, unless it’s hard to open or the item is really over-wrapped. But packaging accounts for about 28% of U.S. municipal solid waste. Only some 53% of it ends up in recycling bins, and even less is actually recycled: According to trade associations, at least 25% of materials collected for recycling in the U.S. are rejected and incinerated or sent to landfills instead.

Local governments across the U.S. handle waste management, funding it through taxes and user fees. Until 2018 the U.S. exported huge quantities of recyclable materials, primarily to China. Then China banned most foreign scrap imports. Other recipient countries like Vietnam followed suit, triggering waste disposal crises in wealthy nations.

Some U.S. states have laws that make manufacturers responsible for particularly hard-to-manage products, such as electronic waste, car batteries, mattresses and tires, when those goods reach the end of their useful lives.

Now, Maine and Oregon have enacted the first state laws making companies that create consumer packaging, such as cardboard cartons, plastic wrap and food containers, responsible for the recycling and disposal of those products, too. Maine’s law takes effect in mid-2024, and Oregon’s follows in mid-2025.

These measures shift waste management costs from customers and local municipalities to producers. As researchers who study waste and ways to reduce it, we are excited to see states moving to engage stakeholders, shift responsibility, spur innovation and challenge existing extractive practices.

Kerrigan Clark Poses in a Fish Market Eco Story by Élio Nogueira for Vogue Portugal

Kerrigan Clark Poses in a Fish Market Eco Story by Élio Nogueira for Vogue Portugal AOC Fashion

Model Kerrigan Clark poses in one of Vogue Portugal’s November 2021 ‘no Comments’ issue cover stories. Sandra Benbaruk styles Clark in a fashion statement that does have environmental overtones, as humans and climate change seriously impact the world’s fish supplies. Élio Nogueira [IG] does create images that tell their own environmental story — not an easy feat — and are fashionable besides.

In this genre, nothing comes closest to Steven Meisel’s 2010 ‘Water & Oil’ fashion story for Vogue Italia under EIC Franca Sozzani. Such a controversy erupted with a clear fault line between the Americans and the Europeans in responding to Meisel’s disturbing images.

As is so often the case, AOC sided with the Europeans. Even CBS News covered the controversy.

Josephine Skriver Covers ELLE Denmark, Lensed by Frederik Lentz Andersen

Josephine Skriver Covers ELLE Denmark, Lensed by Frederik Lentz Andersen AOC Fashion

Josephine Skriver covers the December 2021 issue of ELLE Denmark, styled by Agnes Buch. Frederik Lentz Andersen [IG] photographs Skriver, who lives in LA with partner Alexander DeLeon of The Cab, now releasing solo music as Bohnes. The couple has sold their Nashville home, not making LA their crash pad place, as originally rumoured.

As we speak, Josephine Skriver has teamed up with Los Angeles-based Triarchy to unveil a collaborative capsule of sustainable denim styles.

“Collaborating with Josephine on this collection was not only a dream because her aesthetic is a perfect compliment to Triarchy’s, but also because she was genuinely interested in the fabrics we developed for this collaboration. The sustainability was just as important as the style for Josephine, and that’s why this collection works so well,” Adam Taubenfligel, the brand’s creative director and co-founder, told WWD.

Triarchy designed its own “proprietary sustainable denim fabrication from a blend of Naia Renew,” which is created by using 66 percent organic cotton, 22 percent Tencel and 12 percent Naia fiber. The capsule incorporates sustainable wash practices and a second sustainable denim fabrication consisting of a whopping 83 percent recycled content.

You can find the eight-piece collection in styles ranging from $165 to $495 on the brand’s e-commerce site. The Triarchy x Josephine Skriver launch with Bergdorf Goodman in December, as well as with Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Shopbop and Holt Renfrew.

Anna de Rijt by Marco van Rijt for Vogue Poland | Anna's Calls for Amazon Rainforest Action

Anna de Rijt by Marco van Rijt for Vogue Poland November 2021 AOC Fashion

Dutch model Anna de Rijk poses in a beautiful cold-weather, warm and cozy countryside fashion story, styled by Lorna McGee. Marco van Rijt shot the preview for Vogue Poland November 2021.

On her Instagram, Anna de Rijk calls for action around fashion’s major contribution to deforestation of the Amazon. AOC shares her words, precisely as she has written them.

Anna de Rijt’s call for #SupplyChange

The Amazon rainforest, home to over 1 million Indigenous people, protectors of one of the most biodiverse places on earth, is fast approaching a tipping point of irreversible ecosystem collapse. Now, a new study from the @guardian has found that nearly every major fashion brand—from Adidas, Nike, Zara, H&M, Prada, Ralph Lauren, Coach, Tommy Hilfiger, to Louis Vuitton—are sourcing leather from companies fueling Amazon deforestation. I don’t know how aware these brands were and sometimes it’s tricky to see how fashion can become more sustainable but this seems like something that could really change: finding more sustainable/responsible places and ways to source leather.

I stand with 200+ fashion insiders to demand brands #SupplyChange and we urge you to join us. If we make enough noise we could help slow one of the biggest tragedies of human history. We demand companies: (1) end contracts with suppliers who deforest; (2) look into their supply chains and ensure they aren’t part of this atrocity; (3) publicly support legislation to strengthen supply chain transparency and stop deforestation.

LINK IN BIO to see all the brands implicated, and join us in signing this important public call to action SlowFactory.Earth/SupplyChange

Supply Change Report: Nowhere to Hide: How the Fashion Industry is linked to Amazon Rainforest Destruction

Related: Amazon rainforest: European car manufacturers linked to illegal deforestation, says report DW Eng (Germany) 4-16-2021

How Americans’ Appetite for Leather in Luxury SUVs Worsens Amazon Deforestation NY Times 11-17-2021

Candice Swanepoel Drops New Tropic of C Swimwear Style and Color Update

Candice Swanepoel Drops New Tropic of C Swimwear Style and Color Update AOC Fashion

Top of the list earth goddess Candice Swanepoel travels to fashion’s fav place Puglia, Italy to pose in new Tropic of C sustainable swimwear style and color updates. Eduardo Bravin [IG] photographs Tropic of C’s new metallic shade serpentine.

Stella McCartney's Spring 2022 Collection Inspires a World of Fungi Research

Stella McCartney's Spring 2022 Collection Inspires a World of Fungi Research AOC Muse

Designer Stella McCartney’s Spring 2022 fashion show was inspired by mushrooms. Quite frankly, life on Anne of Carversville has not been the same since I watched on Netflix the 2019 ‘Fantastic Fungi’ documentary that prompted McCartney’s deep dive into the world of mushrooms.

Mushrooms are the visible part of an organism called mycelium, and they are not plants, even though they have a plantlike form. Even more important, until recently, fungi have been part of the botanist’s domain, and they were classified — incorrectly — as plants, writes the American Society For Microbiology in an article Three Reasons Fungi Are Not Plants.

Fungi and Africans: Both Misclassified and Misunderstood by Carl Linnaeus

Fungi were classified as plants for centuries due to an axiom attributed to Carl Linnaeus: “Plants grow and live; Animals grow, live and feel.”

Linnaeus’ delineation of plant activity seems inadequate and overly simplistic, given scientific research on the way in which plants experience sentient activity. We know that plants sense danger and then communicate their information to other plants, seeming to contradict Linnaeus’ assertions around plant life. NOT knowing his connection to racial categorization — I muttered to myself “Oh, right. In the same way some white dudes classified people of color as lesser-quality humans, they managed to ignore the profound distinctive attributes of fungi and mushrooms by calling them plants.”

Eureka! Linnaeus was deeply involved in the science of racial categorization. Rather than taking a sharp right turn in this post, AOC will stay with the fact that fungi can’t produce oxygen via photosynthesis, a core attribute of the plant kingdom.

It’s interesting when fashion, mushrooms and the civil rights movement come together in a single, cohesive thought pattern. Then again, the world of fungi is so primordial and pervasive in our biosphere that mycelium — the network of fungal threads or hyphae that produces the mushrooms we eat — strikes us as the very root of existence.

Stella McCartney is leading the way in working on the development of luxury leather made from mushrooms. The designer wants all of us to become curious about mushrooms, and I am now her dedicated disciple at AOC.

Will American Bees Survive Pesticides, Government Dysfunction and Other Killers?

Will American Bees Survive Pesticides, Government Dysfunction and Other Killers? AOC Fashion

American [species] Bumble Bees Could Gain ESA Protection

AOC has followed the problem of dwindling bee populations for almost a decade. But we were shocked to learn this week that the American bumble bee population has dropped nearly 90 percent. These vital pollinators for wildflowers and crops have vanished completely in eight states: Idaho, Maine, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wyoming.

Presently American bumble bees have no protection. But an August 2021 petition for protecting the American bumble bee under the Endangered Species Act [ESA] was filed by the Center for Biological Diversity and the Bombus Pollinator Association of Law Students, an Albany Law School student group.

Sounds great you say. Finally we’re taking action to protect our bees. Yet the plight of another bee species shows us just how complicated it is to protect these precious pollinators. Passing a law or writing a new policy does not guarantee any improvement in bee deaths.

We must create spaces — land with controlled uses of pesticides — in which bees can thrive and regenerate their population. However, America still can’t agree on the science of pesticides. Any mandate meets countless political headwinds, as Democrats and Republicans generally loathe each other on plans — or no plans — to protect our environment.

T Magazine's Fluffy, Furry Ancestral Creatures by Toby Coulson with Cherokee Jack and Briana Michelle

T Magazine's Fluffy, Furry Ancestral Creatures by Toby Coulson with Cherokee Jack and Briana Michelle AOC Fashion

Modern-day nomads are slowing down, honoring traditions and the roots of our culture. This T Magazine fall 2021 feature on ‘Winter’s Fluffiest and Furriest Outwear’ highlights not only whimsical textures in which we are one with furry creatures in an animistic, psychological relationship.

Presented by models like Briana Michelle and Cherokee Jack with close, ancestral ties to the land, we are all invited to pay our respects to cultures and a biosystem eons older than the prevailing patriarchal, white-man’s so-called Christian vision of dominance over the the earth and its peoples.

AOC isn’t suggesting that all references to indigenous cultures belong to ‘the good guys’.

Consider the Arizona man Jacob Chansley, known as the QAnon Shaman, who led an insurrection against the US Capitol on January 6. We must not be naive about men wearing big, furry hats with horns. They can kill you.

Marcin Tyszka Flashes Magic Powers 'Flora & Fauna' for Harper's Bazaar Germany November 2021

Marcin Tyszka Flashes Magic Powers 'Flora & Fauna' for Harper's Bazaar Germany November 2021 AOC Fashion

Model Silje Lorentzen plunges into what is presented as a surreal world of ‘Flora & Fauna!’, but is it? Kerstin Schneider styles Lorentzen in fantastical patterns and prints from Alaia, Alexander McQueen, Dior, N21 by Alessandro Dell’Acqua, Max Mara, Richard Quinn, Tory Burch, Undercover and more.

Photographer Marcin Tyszka [IG] captures the artistry for Harper’s Bazaar Germany November 2021 issue / Hair by Emil Zed

There’s no arguing that the mushroom props are fantastical. But after further exploration of Stella McCartney’s Spring 2022 collection — also inspired by mushrooms — the facts of fungi may set us free in the real world.

News: Richard Buckley Leaves Us | Naomi Campbell Named Global Ambassador to the Queen | Billie Eilish for Air Jordan

Richard Buckley (left) and Tom Ford COURTESY OF TOM FORD

We are so very sad for Tom Ford and his son Jack, who have lost their dear love, longtime fashion journalist and Tom Ford’s husband and partner of 35 years Richard Buckley. We don’t see a lot of relationships that last 35 years anymore, and theirs was golden, including the entry of Alexander John Buckley Ford into their life in 2012. Ford and Buckley married on New Years Eve in 2014.

“It is with great sadness that Tom Ford announces the death of his beloved husband of 35 years, Richard Buckley,” a statement from the designer said. “Richard passed away peacefully at their home in Los Angeles last night with Tom and their son Jack by his side. He died of natural causes after a long illness.”

Whenever Ford has talked about his relationship with Buckley, he describes their relationship as “love at first sight.” Sharing the same elevator in 1986, Buckley was a fashion editor for Women’s Wear Daily, and Ford was working under sportswear designer Cathy Hardwick.

Ford’s interview in 2917 with Jess Cagle is so poignant that words do not do it justice. Responding to Cagle’s request for advice on maintaining a great relationship, Ford replied: “If the person you are with is someone you respect, who you believe has a great heart and a great soul — as good a heart and soul as you will ever find — don’t ever leave them, because you won’t find anyone better.”

We share what will be major commentary about this sad news, and with updates:

Richard Buckley, Tom Ford’s husband, dead at 72 Page Six

Stella McCartney, who is Jack’s godmother, shared her thoughts on Instagram Tuesday: “What a gentle man; grace and charm filled the room when he was in it,” she wrote in part, adding, “He was so loved, so respected and so madly and passionately dedicated to you, Tom and Jack, that his life was fully complete.”

Richard Buckley, Longtime Fashion Journalist and Husband of Tom Ford, Dies at 72 Hollywood Reporter

Naomi Campbell Now Global Ambassador for Queen’s Commonwealth Trust

Image Collage by Anne of Carversville

Among the roles the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had to relinquish in stepping back as senior royals to pursue a life in America were their positions as president and vice president of the Queens Commonwealth Trust, a new organization formed in 2018.

Legendary supermodel, activist and new mom Naomi Campbell has accepted an appointment as The Queen's Commonwealth Trust (QCT) Platinum Jubilee Global Ambassador, where she will be involved with championing the work of young leaders backed by the trust.

CEO of the charity Christopher Kelly cited Naomi’s diverse background and also her status as a woman of colour already engaged with young people as being key reasons why she was asked to step into the role created by Meghan and Harry.

The Telegraph reported Kelly’s view that “It will be very positive to have someone who not only transcends different countries and nationalities because she is a global superstar but who is also a British woman with Caribbean roots, who has got to the very top.”

Naomi Campbell was beloved by global

Billie Eilish Shows Off Her Sustainability Credentials

Billie Eilish in Oscar de la Renta at the Met Gala.Credit...Nina Westervelt for The New York Times

Billie Eilish is fresh off her gig as cohost of the recent Met Gala, where the 19-year-old, Goth pop star and climate activist crusader channeled her Marilyn Monroe alter ego. Eilish wore an Oscar de la Renta nude tulle ball gown to complement her more recent blonde bombshell look.

PETA was thrilled — not only to see the Met Gala go meatless — but to see Billie negotiate the terms of wearing her Oscar de la Renta gown. PETA wrote:

In working with Oscar de la Renta on her 2021 Met Gala look, the vegan singer-songwriter ensured that her dress would be animal-friendly. Last month, PETA announced that the legendary designer would be going fur-free after decades of our runway disruptions, protests, some carefully thrown tofu cream pies, and pressure from activists worldwide. Now we know that Billie Eilish played a major role as well!

The New York Times did a deep dive on the negotiations preceding Billie Eilish’s appearance as the youngest cohost ever of the annual Met Gala. Read on Billie Eilish Sets a Condition for Her Dress: No More Fur

This week Billie Elish flipped the switch, keeping her blonde locks — because she LIKES the look — but leaving her golden slippers at the Metropolitan Museum. Today’s news story is about Billie’s collab with Nike and Air Jordan.

Billie Reimagines Beloved Air Jordans

A release of Billie Eilish’s Air Jordan collab will land first via store.billieeilish.com on 9/27, predating a Nike SNKRS launch on 9/30.

Collabs with musicians are not new to the Jordan Brand. Nor are collabs with women — although men rule. AOC took a deep dive on the Jordan Brand a few months ago, learning that black women are taking over the footwear industry.

On Monday, September 20, Billie Eilish was center stage for the Jordan Brand, designing two styles of Air Jordans for the collab: a pair of Air Jordan 1 KO and a pair of Air Jordan 15. "I am SO excited to finally share my two Air Jordan silhouettes with you!!" Billie wrote. "I've always loved @jumpman23 and it was such an incredible and surreal experience getting to create these."

Each pair of Billie’s Air Jordans is made with 100% vegan leather instead of the traditional leather and contain more than 20% recycled materials. The shoes feature Billie's logo, one she drew up at age 15, and her name next to the iconic Air Jordan logo. You can read more about Billie’s beauties on Sneaker News.

AOC didn’t know that the performance basketball shoe market peaked in 2015 and has experienced double-digit declines since then, according to NPD.

Sales fell a massive 23% in 2020, enough to crush companies not prepared for it. Nike was prepared, and the “retro” or lifestyle business has more than made up for the declines. When I read the words “retro’ and lifestyle business in new business articles about Air Jordan and Jordan Brand, I knew we were talking about ToiletPaper Magazine shoes.

Jordan is the dominant player, with 96% of the market including Jordan and Nike brand sales, writes Sportico. “The retro product has done phenomenal,” Cowen & Co. analyst John Kernan told the website. “Nike is doing a lot of different colorways now, and they are launching product in very smart, very creative ways. They have done a masterful job managing the marketplace.” [That’s the example I just gave you of arty sneakers in Toilet Paper Magazine,]

Enter Nike’s new Air Jordan Collab with Billie Eilish. Is this Nike’s first Air Jordan collab with a white woman? Our inquiring mind wants to know. The answer appears to be yes, but we could be seriously embarrassed. AOC has never purported to be the work of sneakerheads.