<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">Topline</h2>



Musician Beyoncé Knowles is continuing her foray into the country music world with the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C-5Ew0Lp2LC/?igsh=NHRmeXF4bm42Y3Zn&amp;img_index=1" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">launch</a>&nbsp;of a whiskey brand called “<a href="https://www.sirdavis.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">SirDavis</a>” under the LVMH empire, entering the same industry that made her husband a billionaire and could push the superstar musician closer to the same title depending on how it performs.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">Key Facts</h2>



Beyoncé took to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C-5Ew0Lp2LC/?igsh=NHRmeXF4bm42Y3Zn&amp;img_index=3" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Instagram</a>&nbsp;Tuesday morning to announce the launch of the brand, holding a glass of dark liquid and captioning the photo &#8220;DAVIS IN MY BONES.&#8221;



The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sirdavis.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">first images</a>&nbsp;released of the beverage show a custom leather case with a ribbed glass bottle inside, featuring a logo with the famous horse Reneigh, who was first featured on the cover of Beyonce&#8217;s &#8220;Renaissance&#8221; album.



A&nbsp;<a href="https://trademarks.justia.com/974/74/sirdavis-97474719.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">trademark</a>&nbsp;application filing for the brand, which includes the&nbsp;<a href="https://uspto.report/TM/98566322" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">tagline</a>&nbsp;“The future of whisky is here,” was filed in June by Moët Hennessy, a subsidiary of mega luxury goods brand LVMH.



Beyoncé had an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/beyonce-knowles/">estimated net worth</a>&nbsp;of $760 million in May, built on her music career and other ventures like her now-defunct Ivy Park clothing line with Adidas, a collaboration with fashion house Balmain, perfume Cé Noir and production company Parkwood Entertainment.



The size of Beyoncé’s stake in SirDavis wasn’t immediately clear, and representatives for the star and LVMH did not immediately respond to Forbes’ request for more information Tuesday.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">What To Watch For</h2>



SirDavis could bring Beyoncé even closer to billionaire status if it takes off like other celebrity alcohol brands, including those of her husband, billionaire Jay Z. He is estimated to have made&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/abigailfreeman/2021/02/26/heres-how-much-jay-z-made-on-his-ace-of-spades-deal-and-how-it-stacks-up-against-kylie-jenner-kim-kardashian-george-clooney-rihanna--cashouts/">$300 million</a>&nbsp;selling half of his luxury champagne brand Ace of Spades to LVMH in 2021 and&nbsp;<a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/esg/jay-z-bacardi-end-multibillion-dollar-fight-over-cognac-venture" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">$750 million</a>&nbsp;selling a majority of his stake in D&#8217;ussé Cognac to Bacardi.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">Big Number</h2>



$89.99. That&#8217;s how much a 750ml bottle of SirDavis sells for on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sirdavis.com/our-cocktails/houston" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">brand&#8217;s website</a>. Bottles are expected to ship as soon as early September.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">Tangent</h2>



Alcohol is often a lucrative business for celebrities. Aviation Gin, the company fronted and partially owned by Ryan Reynolds,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2020/08/ryan-reynolds-aviation-gin-sale-diageo" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">sold</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/17/diageo-to-buy-ryan-reynolds-backed-aviation-gin-for-610-million.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">to Diageo</a>&nbsp;in a 2020 deal valued at $610 million, and George Clooney&#8217;s Casamigos tequila brand was valued as high as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/21/business/george-clooney-tequila-casamigos-diageo.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">$1 billion</a>&nbsp;when it sold in 2017 (how much the actors personally made on the respective sales is unclear). Sean &#8220;Diddy&#8221; Combs&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/12/arts/music/diddy-sean-combs-deleon-sale.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">earned</a>&nbsp;nearly $1 billion from his relationship with Diageo for his Ciroc vodka and DeLeón tequila brands, according to a court filing obtained by The New York Times (Combs and Diageo&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2023/06/27/diddy-liquor-dispute-diageo-dropping-rapper-who-sued-for-racial-discrimination-unfair-promotion-of-liquor-brands/">parted ways</a>&nbsp;last year). Other big names with their own brands include Dwayne Johnson, Kendall Jenner, Robert de Niro and Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranson of &#8220;Breaking Bad.&#8221; Beyoncé, who released her first country music album Cowboy Carter earlier this year, is not the first musician in the genre to launch a whiskey—she&#8217;s joined by Daris Rucker (Backstage Southern Whiskey), Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley (Old Camp Whiskey), John Rich (Redneck Riviera), Jason Aldean (Wolf Moon Bourbon) and Willie Nelson (Old Whiskey River), among others.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-forbes-valuation">Forbes Valuation</h2>



Beyoncé was ranked 36th on Forbes&#8217; list of Power Women last year and at No. 45 on this year&#8217;s list of America&#8217;s wealthiest self-made women. She was estimated to have a net worth of $760 million as of May. Her husband,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/jay-z/">Jay Z</a>, has an estimated net worth of $2.5 billion as of Tuesday, making him the 1,331st richest person in the world. His wealth was built on his music career and significant investments in alcohol, art and tech. The LVMH conglomerate is the parent company to brands like Louis Vuitton, Moët &amp; Chandon, Tiffany, Dior, Sephora, Bulgari and dozens more. Its chairman,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/bernard-arnault/?list=rtb/">Bernard Arnault</a>, has a net worth of $189.1 billion and is the world&#8217;s third richest person.

2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards – Show

Beyoncé Launches Whiskey Brand SirDavis—As She Nears Billionaire Status

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” world tour—which launched with two nights in Stockholm last month—may have contributed to Sweden’s increased inflation rate in May, according to an economist from Danske Bank, after the tour resulted in increased hotel, restaurant and recreation prices.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



Michael Grahn, Danske Bank’s chief economist,&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/MichaelGrahn1/status/1668865814110380033?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>&nbsp;Beyoncé’s tour “probably” added between 0.2 and 0.3 percentage points to Sweden’s inflation rate, which fell from 10.5% in April to 9.7% in May.



The Swedish government&nbsp;<a href="https://www.scb.se/en/finding-statistics/statistics-by-subject-area/prices-and-consumption/consumer-price-index/consumer-price-index-cpi/pong/statistical-news/consumer-price-index-cpi-may-2023/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">noted</a>&nbsp;in its inflation report that the inflation rate was affected by hotel and restaurant prices, which rose 3.3% over the previous month, and prices for “recreational services,” which include concert tickets.



Grahn—who said the scenario was “very rare”—<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-beyonce-effect-swedens-inflation-feels-the-hit-417370a6?mod=hp_listb_pos4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told</a>&nbsp;the&nbsp;Wall Street Journal&nbsp;that increased prices were most likely affected by Beyoncé’s fans, who “vacuumed hotels around Stockholm” while “bidding” for hotel rates.



The added percentage points are expected to be “reversed” in June as hotel and ticket prices “reverse back to normal,” Grahn&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/MichaelGrahn1/status/1668865816597610496" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">added</a>.



Beyonce performed both Stockholm shows before sold-out audiences of 46,000, including many who flew in from around the world.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h2>



“Beyoncé is responsible for the extra upside surprise this month,” Grahn&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ft.com/content/abc431c4-426d-4a9f-9674-f437ed504eb7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told</a>&nbsp;the&nbsp;Financial Times, adding, “It’s quite astonishing for a single event. We haven’t seen this before.”



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h2>



Ticketmaster&nbsp;<a href="https://blog.ticketmaster.com/beyonce/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">warned</a>&nbsp;in February that demand for “Renaissance” tour tickets in “Group A” cities—including Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Las Vegas, Toronto and Washington D.C.—exceeded the number of tickets available by 800%.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h2>



$2.4 billion. That’s how much&nbsp;Forbes&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/petercohan/2023/05/08/beyonc-renaissance-tour-could-outearn-taylor-swift-eras-by-600-million/?sh=4933e31e49bc">estimates</a>&nbsp;Beyoncé’s tour could gross in revenue.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-forbes-valuation">FORBES VALUATION</h2>



Beyoncé has a net worth of $540 million,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/beyonce-knowles/?sh=1d5096693ce7">according</a>&nbsp;to our most recent estimates.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



Beyoncé—who has won a record 32 Grammy Awards—announced her long-anticipated “Renaissance” world tour to coincide with the release of her&nbsp;Renaissance&nbsp;album, which&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/08/08/beyoncs-renaissance-is-a-no-1-album-but-its-not-her-biggest-debut-ever/?sh=525fc48127d5">debuted&nbsp;</a>No. 1 on the&nbsp;Billboard&nbsp;200 last August. The tour—Beyoncé’s first since 2018—opened in May in Stockholm before subsequently reaching other European cities. The tour will start its North American leg in July. “Renaissance” is Beyoncé’s first solo tour since 2016, when she grossed&nbsp;<a href="https://www.billboard.com/pro/beyonce-formation-tour-2-million-tickets-250-million-dollars/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">$256 million</a>&nbsp;with “The Formation World Tour.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2023/02/01/beyonc-announces-renaissance-world-tour-dates/?sh=2424d9314d9f">Beyoncé Announces ‘Renaissance’ World Tour Dates</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/08/08/beyoncs-renaissance-is-a-no-1-album-but-its-not-her-biggest-debut-ever/?sh=72337d5d27d5">Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance’ Is A No. 1 Album—But It’s Not Her Biggest Debut Ever</a> (Forbes)

Beyoncé RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR – London

Beyoncé Caused Inflation? ‘Renaissance’ Tour May Have Boosted Sweden’s Costs, Economist Says

There’s no longer a reasonable doubt that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomalleygreenburg/2020/04/09/jay-z-net-worth-1-billion-in-2020/?sh=29f4c20439de">Jay-Z</a>&nbsp;is now a player in the cannabis industry.



Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter’s high-end cannabis brand, Monogram, launches its first products in California on Thursday with a four-strain line of craft, indoor-grown cannabis flower and joints.



The company’s flagship product is the “OG Handroll,” a 1.5-gram joint rolled by “highly trained artisans,” the company says, that use a technique Monogram developed over a year. The joint is made with small-batch flower and is supposed to burn like a premium cigar. And it retails for nearly twice as much at $50.



Monogram’s cannabis strains—named No. 88, No. 96, No. 70 and No. 01 and developed by veteran grower DeAndre “De” Watson —come in three strengths: “light,” “medium” and “heavy.”



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/1.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-49294" width="502" height="334" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/1.jpeg 950w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/1-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/1-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/1-600x400.jpeg 600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 502px) 100vw, 502px" /><figcaption>(Photo: PRNewFoto/Monogram)</figcaption></figure></div>



Michael Auerbach, the founder and chairman of Subversive Capital Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company that announced a deal to acquire Jay-Z’s Monogram and California cannabis company Caliva last month, says Jay-Z is not just a front man for the brand.



“He’s a real executive, he’s not some ancillary ambassador who says something nice about us once a year,” says Auerbach. “He’s the tip of our spear who’s building out our house of brands, like he has done with Aces of Spades and D’Ussé.”



In 2019, Jay joined Caliva as its chief brand strategist, where he&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/lindseybartlett/2020/10/23/rapper-jay-z-launches-his-own-cannabis-brand-monogram/?sh=2f58d626180e">developed Monogram</a>. In November 2020, Auerbach’s SPAC announced a deal to acquire Caliva and Monogram, which was a joint venture between Jay-Z and Caliva, and Left Coast Ventures, which owns musician cannabis brands like Marley Natural and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/javierhasse/2020/10/22/carlos-santana-talks-cannabis-its-all-about-consciousness-man/?sh=535b8f4f7b64">Carlos Santana’s Mirayo</a>. The new name for Auerbach’s company is “The Parent Co.” It raised $575 million when it went public on Canada’s microcap stock exchange NEO last summer. &nbsp;



The name “The Parent Co.,” which Jay came up with, might sound like a joke, but Auerbach says its serious.



“We are looking at building the first 100-year company in cannabis, and he was looking at it in the same way,” says Auerbach. “What does the first 100-year company in this industry look like? How do we create a generational company that will dominate the industry globally? And ‘The Parent Co.’ is a meta name that represents what we’re trying to do.”



The all-stock deal to acquire Jay-Z’s 50% of Monogram has not closed yet, but he is supposed to receive 5 million shares in The Parent Co. and the right to 1 million more. The Parent Co. also struck an exclusive agreement with Jay’s Roc Nation to become its cannabis brand partner. The deal, which will pay Roc Nation $25 million in stock after the transaction closes and $7.5 million each year, gives The Parent Co. access and rights to Roc Nation’s roster of artists and athletes.



Auerbach says the “pipeline of artists and athletes” under Roc Nation, including Rihanna, will play a crucial role in the development of future brands. &nbsp;&nbsp;



In addition to developing brands and business strategy, Jay will also lead the company’s social justice program. The venture fund has been seeded $10 million and the company will give 2% of its net income each year in order to invest in Black and other minority-owned cannabis business.



To be sure, this is only Jay-Z’s latest business venture. In 2019, he became the first&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomalleygreenburg/2019/06/03/jay-z-billionaire-worth/#c7e93173a5f0">hip-hop artist turned billionaire</a>. Jay-Z, who grew up in the Marcy housing projects in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, built a fortune thanks to his music catalog—he’s amassed 14 No. 1 albums and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/jay-z" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">22 Grammy awards</a>—and also owns Armand de Brignac champagne and part of D’Ussé cognac, not to mention his music streaming platform Tidal, Roc Nation and sizable stakes in companies like Uber and Robinhood.



Warren Buffett once&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/forbes/2010/1011/rich-list-10-omaha-warren-buffett-jay-z-steve-forbes-summit-interview.html#254450666480">said</a>&nbsp;about Jay: “For a young person growing up, he’s the guy to learn from.”



Auerbach describes Jay succinctly: “He’s a hands-on creative genius.”



For The Parent Co., Monogram is just the first brand out of Jay-Z’s head and there’s more to come. In the world of celebrity-built brands, Auerbach says the strategy around Monogram is more Casamigos—George Clooney’s tequila company that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/natalierobehmed/2017/06/21/george-clooney-is-expected-to-make-up-to-233-million-from-casamigos-tequila-sale/?sh=1ead73943ff8">Diageo bought for $1 billion</a>—and less&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/katieshapiro/2020/12/09/martha-stewart-cbd-goes-coast-to-coast-with-first-national-retail-expansion/?sh=42ac0a6841cb">Martha Stewart CBD</a>.



“My preference is for celebrities to associate with brands instead of name brands after themselves. There’s no way I’d drink it if it were called ‘Casa Clooney’—people would think it’s crap, people would think it’s a gimmick,” says Auerbach. “Many people don’t know Ace of Spades is Jay-Z’s champagne company, but it’s the fastest-growing champagne company.”



As for what Jay-Z thinks about it all, in a statement, he said Monogram is here to celebrate craft cannabis.



“Cannabis has been around for thousands of years, yet it is still an industry whose legacy of skilled craftmanship is often overlooked,” said Jay. “I created Monogram to give cannabis the respect it deserves by showcasing the tremendous hard work, time and care that go into crafting a superior smoke. . . . We’re just getting started.”



-By Will Yakowicz, Forbes Staff

SOMETHING IN THE WATER – Day 2

Jay-Z’s Cannabis Brand, Monogram, Launches With $50 Hand-Rolled Joints

Some of the best looks in Beyoncé’s 2020 album, Black is King, have come from designers from the African continent. FORBES AFRICA seeks out Queen B’s top picks.



Beyoncé Knowles-Carter’s brand-new new visual album Black is King that released on July 31 on Disney Plus, boasts an African touch, with many designers from the continent showcasing their work in it.



Out just a little over a year since the release of the live-action version of The Lion King where Beyoncé played the female lead, Nala, Black is King was originally filmed as a companion piece to The Lion King: The Gift soundtrack inspired by the movie, but the singer explains in a post on Instagram that the events of 2020 (specifically, the Black Lives Movement protesting police brutality in the United States) made the message in the film more relevant.



For the “passion project”, Beyoncé spent over a year filming, researching, and editing it as a love letter to celebrate the breadth and beauty of black ancestry.&nbsp;



“I believe that when black people tell our own stories, we can shift the axis of the world and tell our REAL history of generational wealth and richness of soul that are not told in our history books,” Beyoncé said in a post on Instagram.



Since its release, she has been praised for how she has celebrated people of color as a whole in Black is King through the representation of artists (like Pharrell Williams, Naomi Campbell and Lupita Nyongo), background dancers, and African designers. &nbsp;



To help enrich those visuals, Beyoncé’s stylist and wardrobe curator, Zerina Akers, made sure she found the right talent who would create looks that aligned with Beyoncé’s vision.



Akers wanted to reference different traditions, cultures and tribes but with a modern touch. Although she used a majority of black designers, such as Destiney Bleu and Jerome Lamaar, the stylist also sought the artistry of African designers.&nbsp;



One of those African designers is Lafalaise Dion, based in the economic capital of Côte d&#8217;Ivoire, Abidjan, who designed the shell headpieces seen throughout Black is King.



“Although I had a big vision for [my work], and the faith that I’d be able to take it far beyond Côte D’Ivoire, I never imagined I would get to this level in such a short time,” says Dion. “I am deeply honored, to say the least.”



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/dion-5-1024x1009.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-48322" width="286" height="281" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/dion-5-1024x1009.jpeg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/dion-5-300x296.jpeg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/dion-5-768x757.jpeg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/dion-5-80x80.jpeg 80w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/dion-5-600x591.jpeg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/dion-5.jpeg 1125w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 286px) 100vw, 286px" /><figcaption>(Photo supplied)</figcaption></figure></div>



Known to her followers as the ‘Queen of Cowries’, Dion’s creations were closely aligned with Beyoncé’s inspiration for Black Is King: wanting black Africans to reconcile and embrace African heritage, culture, and spirituality.



“They are artworks in a way, a material representation of dreams I had way before I started the brand. I wanted to do something that emanated from African spirituality,” she says.



Dion designed over 20 pieces for the project and had each piece made by hand in collaboration with local artisans. A dozen of those pieces feature in a song in the film: Brown Skin Girl, My Power, and Water.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-style-large is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“I feel very grateful&#8230; It means a lot to a young African designer like me. It’s a sort of confirmation that my art has power and that many creatives around the world connect with it,” Dion adds.</blockquote>



The pearl and cowrie statement Lagbaja headpiece created by Dion and worn by Beyoncé in her Spirit music video retails at $270.40. Dion describes this particular piece as a “celebration of women as creative, divine, mystical, protective beings”.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/dion-3-1024x1012.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-48320" width="318" height="315" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/dion-3-1024x1012.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/dion-3-300x297.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/dion-3-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/dion-3-768x759.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/dion-3-80x80.jpg 80w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/dion-3-600x593.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/dion-3-100x100.jpg 100w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/dion-3.jpg 1125w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 318px) 100vw, 318px" /><figcaption>(Photo Supplied)</figcaption></figure></div>



Senegalese-born designer and founder of Dakar Fashion Week, Adama Amanda Ndiaye, wanted to make sure Beyoncé was adorned in a yellow as bright as the African sun in Brown Skin Girl.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Oshun-Beyonce-Black-is-King.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-48327" width="377" height="251" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Oshun-Beyonce-Black-is-King.jpg 1000w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Oshun-Beyonce-Black-is-King-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Oshun-Beyonce-Black-is-King-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Oshun-Beyonce-Black-is-King-600x400.jpg 600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 377px) 100vw, 377px" /><figcaption>(Still from Black is King)</figcaption></figure></div>



“African fashion is for sure more out there now. As a designer and fashion entrepreneur, it’s always a pleasure to expand our brand name and vision. So being able to collaborate with an iconic superstar does help shine light on us and is uplifting,” Ndiaye says. &nbsp;



Coming from a West African country known as vibrant and colorful, Ndiaye emphasizes she wants nothing more than to “promote female entrepreneurship in Senegal and Africa”.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/SKETCH-1012x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-48329" width="281" height="284" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/SKETCH-1012x1024.jpg 1012w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/SKETCH-296x300.jpg 296w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/SKETCH-768x777.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/SKETCH-80x80.jpg 80w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/SKETCH-300x304.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/SKETCH-600x607.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/SKETCH-100x100.jpg 100w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/SKETCH.jpg 1500w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 281px) 100vw, 281px" /><figcaption>Sketch by Loza Maléombho (Photo Supplied) </figcaption></figure></div>



“I feel great, of course, because Beyoncé is an icon not only in the music industry but also for the fashion industry,” she says.



Also basking in the glory of the success of Black is King is Abidjan-born designer, Loza Maléombho, who designed a piece dubbed by Harper’s Bazaar as one of the best looks in the visual album.&nbsp;



The graphic, black-and-white ensemble with gold hardware worn by Beyoncé in Already (part of the film) has received much praise from social media.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-style-large is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“I am grateful for the visibility&#8230; It happened with a spike of sales of well over 300%, which is why gratitude is a prominent feeling overall,” Maléombho says.</blockquote>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/thumbnail_image0.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-48324" width="457" height="527" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/thumbnail_image0.jpg 555w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/thumbnail_image0-260x300.jpg 260w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/thumbnail_image0-300x346.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 457px) 100vw, 457px" /><figcaption>Jacket by Maléombho. Earrings by L’Enchanteur. (Photo Supplied)</figcaption></figure></div>



It’s not difficult to see where Beyoncé may have had her inspiration from to use Maléombho in this project, as former Destiny’s Child member Kelly Rowland, who also featured in Black is King, had worn a Prussian-blue geometric structured ensemble by Maléombho in June 2019.



“The future of my brand is going to depend on the structure of the industry in Africa overall. Because with growing sales, I need to find solutions for sourcing and production. I don’t want to produce outside of Africa,” Maléombho adds.



She remains hopeful that even with Covid-19, it has provided an opportunity for the fashion industry in Africa to grow collective and collaborative initiatives.



“We [the fashion industry] are more connected, more communicative amongst ourselves. We are engaging in more conversations to find solutions for the future of our industry,” she says. “Africa has a young labor force capacity that if directed intelligently can help propel the fashion industry in the right direction.”



Maléombho’s piece in Already was paired with jewelry pieces created by L’Enchanteur. The mastermind behind this brand are the identical twins, designers Dynasty and Soull Ogun, whose accessories were also seen in the Mood 4 Eva part of the film. Though born in Brooklyn, New York, the twins say their pieces are inspired by their Nigerian and Caribbean heritage.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/thumbnail_image1-1024x532.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-48325" width="485" height="252" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/thumbnail_image1-1024x532.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/thumbnail_image1-300x156.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/thumbnail_image1-768x399.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/thumbnail_image1-600x311.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/thumbnail_image1.jpg 1125w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 485px) 100vw, 485px" /><figcaption>(Photo Supplied)</figcaption></figure></div>



“Our brand is a lifestyle that encompasses mysticism, science, fairy tales, and a lot of folklore. And this is inspired by our parents’ background,” Soull says. “My dad is Nigerian and his tribe is Yoruba and our mother is Caribbean from the West Indies&#8230; And we were born in Brooklyn, Flatbush. So there&#8217;s all of this mixture. And I think there&#8217;s like a little bit of folklore within that mixture for us.”



The twins created the pieces for Black is King and sent them over to Akers in 2019, unaware of when the film would come out and what pieces would be used.



The ‘unknown’ was the most exciting part of this process for the Oguns because when finally the project was released, they got to watch the final product for the first time like any viewer. The only difference was that not everyone who viewed it got to see how their jewelry was curated into multiple looks in the film.



And they are still in disbelief.



“It comes in waves for me. I was in the car the other day and a Beyoncé song came on and I was like ‘yo, there is this whole film and Beyoncé is really wearing our stuff’,” says Soull.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-style-large is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“When we were creating the work, I don’t think any of us anticipated the climate we would find ourselves in [the Black Lives Movement] but that being said, I think when we were creating these pieces, it feels like it was almost a foreshadowing without any of us knowing it.”</blockquote>



“With this visual album, I wanted to present elements of black history and African tradition, with a modern twist and a universal message, and what it truly means to find your self-identity and build a legacy,” Beyoncé said.



The ode to African fashion continues, transcending borders, even in these Covid times.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="640" height="370" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/thumbnail_image2.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-48326" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/thumbnail_image2.jpg 640w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/thumbnail_image2-300x173.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/thumbnail_image2-600x347.jpg 600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /><figcaption>Jewelry pieces by L’Enchanteur (Photo Supplied)</figcaption></figure>

Tag: Beyoncé

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