The brand’s latest collection celebrates the intersection of creativity, determination, and perseverance.
NEW YORK (September 13, 2022) — JUNNY® has unveiled its latest collection — PAUSE; — digitally on CFDA Runway360 and across NYFW.com and its partner channels.
Filmed against a backdrop of African tribal art at the Tambaran Gallery, the digital showcase features Alexandra Hutchinson and Derek Brockington of the Dance Theatre of Harlem as well as music composed by Bradley Harris.
The collection blends warm neutrals and African fabrics with luxe wool, silk, and pleated cotton knits. The careful craftsmanship, unexpected color combinations, and use of upcycled fabrics create a body of work that’s both elegant and playful.
“The clothing in this collection represents the human experience of taking a step back to PAUSE…to refuel ourselves…to revive ourselves,” said Junny Ann Hibbert, the brand’s designer. “Our renewal lives in those defining moments.”
JUNNY® leverages the language of fashion to explore how we create and preserve, with equal parts of joy and pain. The parachute caftan is the pièce de résistance of the collection, paired with ballet tights to highlight the hardness-softness dichotomy that encapsulates the complexities of the human condition.
The luxe silk piece is upcycled from past collection scraps as a nod to the philosophy and movement of sustainability. The sportswear-inspired mesh pieces are sleek and refined. The overskirt in African fabric, which is paired with a dance unitard, represents the glimpses of glamour that accompany the transition of seasons.
Altogether, the pieces in the collection are thought-provoking, trans-seasonal, and genderless.
The collection’s release comes on the heels of JUNNY® being awarded the prestigious Visa 2022 “She’s Next in Fashion” grant. As a part of the program, a pop-up shop in Hudson Yards on Manhattan’s West Side will take place on September 17 and 18. Pieces from the collection and archival reissues will be on display and available for purchase.
“It is a privilege to have this platform,” Hibbert said. “And I am honored to be part of the movement helping to elevate the beauty and brilliance of Black design and culture on the global stage.”
The PAUSE; visual presentation is dedicated to the memory of all those who could not pause. It is executive produced by Anthony Jones and JUNNY®. To illuminate the fabrics and shapes featured in the collection, JUNNY® partnered with SUN & SELENE — a jewelry brand founded by Brittanny DeRaffele, a Richmond-based designer with Caribbean roots.
About JUNNY®
JUNNY® is a former ESPN sales executive who discovered her passion for designing after getting downsized from her position more than seven years ago. Inspired by her mother who was a seamstress, JUNNY® created her own clothing from an early age.
Her collections are bold, creatively exuberant, and size-inclusive, drawing on the vibrancy of her Harlem and Jamaican cultural roots. Explore more at junny.nyc.
Credits
Executive Producer/Editor Anthony Jones
Designer/Executive Producer JUNNY®
On Set Styling Lavanya Pulijala
Styling Assistant Ceylon Wallace
Jewelry SUN & SELENE
Sample Room Lawayne Sharpe Design
Ballet Dancers Alexandra Hutchinson and Derek Brockington of the Dance Theatre of Harlem
Music “Wander,” Composed by Bradley Harris and Performed by a Cello Quartet (Mari Coetzee, Mark Prihodko, Joo Yeon Hong, and Clare Bradford)
Shoot Location Tambaran Gallery
Milliner Karema Deodato Millinery
Publicist Gabriel Charles Tyler
Collection Graphics Eric Sams
Camera Jason Gomez
Special thanks to everyone who supported the development of this collection and narrative, including Amy Dadich, Andrew Walker, Aunrée Jac, and Marima Todd.
Copyright 2022 JUNNY® All rights reserved.