Talk about popular! Ariana Grande is the life of the party in Swarovski’s new “Party Of Dreams” holiday campaign—her first for the jewelry brand, following her appointment as its brand ambassador in July. Photographed by Mert & Marcus, Grande sparkles in layers of gleaming crystal jewelry—and entertaining a host of equally bejeweled guests while she’s at it! The chic shots also feature Swarovski’s latest crystal necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings, and accessories—plus a hefty dose of pink, magically winking at Grande’s upcoming role as Glinda in Wicked: Part One.
The founder discussed packing orders in her living room, the “Gossip Girl” effect, the rise of the bow trend and potential new categories, live The Fashionista Network.
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In the hustle and bustle of New York City’s fashion scene, no one’s doing high-quality accessories quite like Jennifer Behr.
Based in Brooklyn, Behr’s namesake brand is a go-to for unique hair adornments and jewelry. But long before her designs were spotted on “Gossip Girl” and the Met Gala carpet, she got her start in a Baltimore millinery shop. After graduating from Washington University with a BFA in sculpture and art history, and with her first hatmaking job under her belt, Behr moved to New York City in 1999.
“New York was really the only place to do [fashion],” she told Fashionista’s Brooke Frischer live on The Fashionista Network. (Watch the show here!) That year, she took classes at FIT and interned for celebrity hairstylist and entrepreneur Frédéric Fekkai. “I thought I wanted to do bags, but then I fell in love with [hair accessories],” Behr said. “They’re this really specialized, kind of weird thing, and at that point, there were no luxury [options].”
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Photo: James Devaney/WireImage
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Behr took the largely untapped market of luxury hair accessories into her own hands and founded her eponymous brand in 2005. Inspired by her sculptural and millinery knowledge, her products began to attract major attention in 2007 when they were first featured on “Gossip Girl.” “They started buying our pieces organically at Bendel’s,” Behr said. “Eventually, my friend Eva Chen made an introduction to Eric [Daman], the costume designer, and we started sending them pieces.”
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How I Shop: Domo Wells
The television features sparked a resurgence for high-end hair accessories, a market that was largely limited to drugstore lines and children’s products before Behr and Blair [Waldorf] came together. “People started to be excited about wearing [hair] accessories,” she said.
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Sydney Sweeney in a custom Jennifer Behr veil at the 2024 Met Gala
Behr attributes her success in transforming the accessories space to following up on opportunities when they arise. “You have to identify when [opportunities] come and work hard to execute on them,” Behr said during the interview. “When you get the opportunity, take it and follow through.”
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Jennifer Behr x New York Vintage
Photo: Courtesy of Jennifer Behr
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She also got candid about her design process, favorite celebrity moments, spearheading the bow trend, a recent New York Vintage collaboration and which categories she wants to expand into next. Watch the full interview here.
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Watch the full conversation between Jennifer Behr and Fashionista Staff Writer and Social Lead Brooke Frischer on The Fashionista Network.
We firmly believe that our community is one of the best to be a part of, and with this sparkling new edition, featuring the passionate creatives who keep our city thriving, we get to highlight it for all to see.
The hope is that the pages of this guide foster connections and strengthen relationships, for it’s in those bonds that the true power of community lies. Our mission has always been to help cultivate a sense of togetherness and create a platform for individuals, businesses, and organizations to showcase their talents and offerings; we hope these sentiments are recognized within this elevated lookbook.
A profound thank you to our members. We’re immensely proud of the work we’ve done together and we hope you are too.
To our family and friends. Without your support, none of this would be possible. Thank you!
The limited-edition collection, designed in collaboration with Leah O’Connell, Chelsea Adofo-Mensah, Fanatics, and NFL-licensed fashion house The Wild Collective, includes three jacket styles inspired by London street style.
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Mpls.St.Paul Magazine: The Minnesota Vikings announced a new, limited-edition collection of outerwear, called the “International Collection.” The launch, which comes on the heels of the recent Vikings game in London, merges signature London streetwear style with classic sportswear silhouettes to create more high-fashion alternatives for traditional fan gear—designed to wear on and off the field.
More than a year in development, the collection is a collaboration between Leah O’Connell and Chelsea Adofo-Mensah (who are married to Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, respectively), global sports merchandise platform Fanatics, and The Wild Collective, a fashion and lifestyle sportswear brand. The three-piece outerwear line consists of unisex jacket styles.
“The Vikings portfolio of fashion options for fans today is one that already delivers broad options, but we wanted to tailor that London street style vibe to Vikings fans and create pieces that can be worn not only on game day but every day,” says Adofo-Mensah.
The line—comprised of a shearling fur leather jacket, a starter-inspired bomber jacket, and a denim work jacket—embodies a different feel compared to gameday gear typically seen on fans. Instead, subtle, “if you know, you know” nods to the iconic Vikings culture like leather embossed logos, vintage-inspired patches, even an embroidered bird’s eye view of the Vikings field (found on the denim jacket)—done in a versatile and neutral color palette.
“We’re always looking for vintage treasures on Etsy or eBay. The nostalgia of high-end ’80s and ’90s, well-made garments have been a major source of inspiration,” says Adofo-Mensah.
Additionally, the art showcased in the Vikings stadium and facilities also served as guiding forces for the mixed-media designs of the jackets. “Art and fashion in the Twin Cities often get overlooked by the rest of the country,” says O’Connell. “There’s a real craving for high fashion here and we tried to identity a different genre of fanwear beyond the traditional sweatshirts, jerseys, and T-shirts by bringing a high-end fashion approach to the market.”
Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell also note the influence of how players’, WAGs’ (wives and girlfriends), and stakeholders’ style continues garnering more attention and eyeballs now more than ever, with fashion becoming a valuable player in professional football. “There’s been a rising interest and awareness of what everyone is wearing—getting off the plane, leaving the games, etc.” says Adofo-Mensah. “Fashion is shifting and being dictated by the cultural zeitgeist of where we are at now and we wanted to bring that to the Twin Cities and blend that with an international feel because that’s direction the NFL is trending.”
The international collection (starting at $200) is on sale now. Limited units will be available online and in-store at the Vikings Locker Room stores at Eagan Viking Lakes, Mall of America, and U.S. Bank Stadium. shop.vikings.com
Land O’Lakes staged a “farmcore-to-table” runway show last month in rural Paris, Wis., as part of an ongoing farmcore ad campaign meant to appeal to younger consumers. (Provided by Land O’Lakes/Land O’Lakes)
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The Minnesota-based cooperative’s ad campaign aims to connect consumers to its farmer-owners through joining farmcore social media trend.
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Star Tribune: To stand out in the dairy aisle, Land O’Lakes is hitting the runway.
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The national butter brand recently staged a fashion show in Paris, Wis., featuring models in field-worn jackets, jeans and overalls — sourced from the cooperative’s farmers — in an ad campaign meant to “bring the farmcore aesthetic to life,” said Chief Marketing Officer Heather Malenshek.
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“We have a very loyal customer base, but we also want to reach a younger audience,” she said. “Like everybody, we’re trying to find innovative ways to get people’s attention.”
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So Arden Hills-based Land O’Lakes is going all-in on farmcore, a social media trend that romanticizes rural life with chic workwear.
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“We’re having clothing be the star of the show so we can tell the stories of our farmer-owners in different ways,” Malenshek said.
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Land O’Lakes asked its farmer-owners to donate jackets, pants and other clothing for models to wear as part of the farmcore campaign. (Provided by Land O’Lakes/Land O’Lakes)
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Fourth-generation Winona County farmer Becky Clark told the company she donated work gloves “because we do a lot of hard and dirty work with our hands.”
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Clark wore the gloves when rebuilding her blizzard-battered barn in 2019.
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“I also thought about what my grandpa would have donated, and I think he would’ve picked his shoes,” she said. “He wore those out so much they had a hole in them, but he just wore a sandwich bag over his socks instead of getting a new pair.”
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All the donated items carry tags with short stories about their owners to connect the food to the farmer — a long-running theme in Land O’Lakes advertising.
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“Farmers are the backbone of our nation, but are not always thought of when you’re buying a pound of butter or a bag of shredded cheese,” Pat Dunneback, group brand director at ad agency Battery, said in a news release.
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Becky Clark’s donated work gloves were part of the Land O’Lakes farmcore fashion show and ad campaign. (Land O’Lakes)
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Founded in 1902, the Land O’Lakes has more than 1,000 farmer-owners and last year had $16.8 billion in revenue.
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Flexible schedules for manufacturing employees are paying off for Land O’Lakes
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The farmcore campaign launched in September to coincide with Paris Fashion Week, and the results so far are promising, Malenshek said.
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Land O’Lakes’ “Eat it like you own it” campaign for Land O’Lakes has given a 26% “purchase intent lift” among younger consumers, according to Battery, the agency behind it.
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Malenshek said it’s hard to stand out “in what is essentially a commodity category” when the biggest differences among direct butter and cheese competitors might be the name on the label or the price.
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Land O’Lakes says it has plenty of longtime loyal customers but needs to reach out to younger consumers and sell the brand. (Provided by Land O’Lakes/Land O’Lakes)
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Growing dairy brands like Tillamook have quickly won favor with Gen Z and millennial shoppers, Malenshek said.
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As the “big guy” in the market, Land O’Lakes needs to keep telling its story to connect with more of those younger consumers, she said.
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“‘Eat it like you own it’ is helping to tell that story about farmer ownership,” she said. “These younger consumers really do care about brands making some difference in the world.”
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By Brooks Johnson
Brooks Johnson is a business reporter covering Minnesota’s food industry, 3M and manufacturing trends.
