A year ago, bowtie designer Rashima Sonson won $10,000 as a recipient of the ICON360 x A Common Thread award. The fruits of the project are available for preorder starting Thursday in the form of the most stunning bowties you ever did see.
Sonson’s four-piece Winter/Spring ‘22 collection is made entirely in Oakland, California. The Excellence collection ties start at $195 and are available exclusively at the Sonson website. Preorders will ship on October 8.
Excellence “celebrates creatives and trailblazers who excel behind and in front of the scenes,” Sonson says, and was “inspired by Kamala Harris, Oprah, Beyonce, Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Zaila Avant-garde, Brandice Daniel, Bozoma Saint John and Simone Biles, to name a few.”
The bowties feature hand-beaded Swarovski Stones and Preciosa Czech beads on hand-woven silk dupioni, silk shantung and sateen. The designs can be made in a variety of colors including green, yellow, purple, black and more.
MORE FOR YOU
In 2020, Harlem’s Fashion Row launched the ICON360 fund to support multicultural fashion designers during the pandemic and to help them grow their businesses. Sonson says more than half of her $10,000 winnings went back into the Oakland community, funding the production team, fabric sourcing, and creative services including photography, cinematography, and models.
The collection was shown during HFR’s 14th Annual Fashion Show & Style Awards in collaboration with June79NYC.