These days, the algorithm is king. Fashion shows are watched through vertical screens or at livestreamed watch parties for more inclusive, enthused fashion communities. People are resorting to creating mood boards and reposting outfit inspo in lieu of indulgent shopping habits (a resourceful idea if I may add). And, all around, the participation in life and art has become increasingly digital.
With that in mind, comes the question of whether hypervisibility online is helping or harming a fashion brand’s bottom line. If a large portion of a brand’s avid supporters engage primarily through digital formats without the tangible means to support clothing sales, or if the overexposure of an item ushered in by an eruption of overnight content causes it to lose its allure by the time it hits the racks, what is to come from this digital age we find ourselves in, and how do brands adjust?
New economic, climactic and social landscapes in the fashion industry call for innovative approaches to business and design. For independent brands like House of Aama, this could mean executing their storytelling via numerous mediums and leaning into collaborations. Sitting down with founders Rebecca Henry and Akua Shabaka, ESSENCE asks them to ponder the impact of digital hypervisibility, shrinking economic structures, and how independent brands such as their own look to adjust to a shifting industry.
On the note of collaborations, House of Aama recently launched a capsule collection in partnership with clothing rental platform Nuuly and Netflix’s Bridgerton. The brand designed four looks in theme with elements from season 4 of the hit series to be sold and rented directly through the retail site. Through this partnership, consumers can engage with clothing at different levels, broadening the collection’s circulation and reach.
Coming together with the subscription-based rental service and on-screen sensation was directly aligned for the mother-daughter fashion brand, which had connected with each entity in the past over potential collaborations. “We wanted to give our subscribers a chance to wear something that feels like a piece of history,” says Sky Pollard, Head of Product at Nuuly.
“[House of Aama’s] perspective is so distinct and soulful—it perfectly aligns with how we think about fashion and the show.”
Stitching intentionality into all that they do, the design duo extended this moment into the physical by hosting an intimate tea party to celebrate the launch, in which the host of the hour was their fictionalized “Lady Aama” character, created to anchor the launch and moment. “One thing that I’ve learned along the road is how important it is to create your own moment, and to think about how that and the collaboration fit into your brand story,” Shabaka shares.
Hosted in Los Angeles on the first day of Women’s History Month, they invited supporters of the brand to step into the Bridgerton world through Lady Aama’s point of view. “I felt it made the most sense, with the themes of both Bridgerton and House of Aama, to intentionally center something around the month and gather women from our different walks of life and industries to celebrate the moment,” Shabaka continues.
With the brand’s central focus on history, heritage, and archiving, they crafted a clear story and visual code, which aligned well with the color palettes decided upon within the partnership. In the Bridgerton universe, Lady Aama would have been a Caribbean or African American business woman from the South involved in the indigo trade—hence the blues and greens present in their pieces.
With plug-ins like this, the brand is diversifying their touchpoints and opportunities for engagement for their different supporters. “What I want to convey as a founder, is that these moments are just as important as when we are releasing our collections during fashion week or with retailers,” Shabaka says. “It’s a way to be introduced to new consumers, which is exciting because it challenges us to see how we can create a product to target new people. It’s a strategy, and it’s also an opportunity to have an output without taking on or producing more than we could have if we didn’t get these opportunities.”
The designers are enticed by a clothing rental model, particularly considering today’s consumer who may not want to keep a product forever. Further, these platforms typically purchase a decent-sized quantity in a larger size range, allowing the brands to produce a wider variety of clothing and see first-hand what styles may work for different consumers and what they are responding to. It also challenges them to rethink the material they use, as the clothing needs to be durable enough to cycle through several homes. With the brand’s foundation being in sustainable production via upcycling, they are eager to evolve in both sustainable and accessible ways.
For Henry and Shabaka, regardless of what they do, they’re centered on a piece of advice their mentor and fashion legend Bethann Hardison shared with them. “You have to decide and check your ego as designers as to whether or not you want to be a fashion brand sending clothing down the runway, or whether you think about yourself as an apparel manufacturer and somebody who is making clothing.”
Henry continues, “And it’s not that you can’t be both,” she says. “But when you put on the hat that has you thinking about apparel manufacturing not just as a fashion designer, that can open you up to other opportunities.”
