“Beauty has always been part of my world,” LUAR founder Raul Lopez tells ESSENCE. Earlier this year, the designer collaborated with MAC, his longterm makeup sponsor, on a limited edition makeup bag morphed out of his brand’s signature Ana Bag. And, just a couple months ago, a belt bag reminiscent of the one he used to wear as a makeup artist at MAC’s Herald Square Macy’s counter over 20 years ago.
Now, in the brand’s first foray into hair products, he’s collaborating with TRESemmé to turn the LUAR Ana Bag into this season’s favorite hair accessory: a claw clip. “When I’m creating a collection, hair and makeup aren’t a last-minute add-on—they’re actually a big part of the narrative,” he says, having worked with TRESemmé for New York Fashion Week’s past three seasons. From pinning swan-like feathers into models’s hair to updos shaped like cocktaiel crests, “they help bring that world to life in a way that feels authentic and accessible.”
Priced at just $25 dollars, the claw clip is a way to have a new designer bag (and TRESemmé Dry Texturizing Spray) without the expensive price tag. “The clip really started with the Ana Bag—the silhouette, the structure, the nostalgia,” he says. “The bag was inspired by my mom and my grandmothers, both named Ana, and all the women in my family who immigrated from the Dominican Republic and worked in factories.”
Like the bag, the clip’s mod handle is a nod to his grandmother’s style in the ’50s and ’60s, and the base comes from his mom’s ’80s–’90s briefcase, as a safe haven for all of his family’s essential documents.
“When we started designing the clip, the question was: How do we translate that same emotion and shape into a new form?,” he questioned. The answer: by finishing it in the same color palette of his first-ever Ana bag and coincidentally, the TRESemmé A-List Collection, makes the claw clip “a true meeting of both worlds,” he says. “And, Lacy Redway understands my love of drama and polish; she’s also styled so many of my friends.”
While Lopez predicts messy buns and updos will have a moment going into 2026, TRESemmé hairstylist Lacy Redway says the claw-clip-centric style is being revived after 30 years. “For a long time, hair accessories weren’t evolving and being designed with many textures in mind,” she notes. Now, “claw clips are becoming more common because of their versatility—they work with so many textures, lengths, and protective styles.”
With silk presses, textured updos, and hybrid sew-ins (a look Redway has been wearing for over 20 years) trending this season, claw clips are looking up to be this season’s favorite low-effort hair accessory. “For the holidays especially, claw clips are the perfect accessory because we’re all looking for something that feels elevated but effortless,” Redway says. From family dinners to hosting prep, and even prioritizing rest, you can feel put together even when you’re busy at home.
And, even better, the clip comes with a TRESemmé Dry Texturizing Spray on the side. “It gives the perfect grip and movement for any style you’re creating,” she says. If you want to build up the gift even more, she recommends the All-In-One Style Primer or Smoothing Cream to smooth the hair before clipping it in as a thoughtful, yet affordable gift this season.
“Not everyone can buy a runway look, but they can buy a hair clip that carries that same spirit—something beautiful, functional, and accessible,” says Lopez. With some Black women opting to spend less this season, “people want something giftable, cute, and luxe without it being out of reach.”
