‘Tis the season to get snatched! Beyoncé opened this year’s On the Run II tour wearing custom LaQuan Smith—and now, you can open your presents wearing his designs (or just scandalize your office party in one of his zip-front minidresses).
Launched on November 1, Smith’s latest collaboration with UK-based fast-fashion brand Asos now poises the designer to go mainstream, making his super-sexy silhouettes accessible—and affordable—for the masses. As the designer told style site Fashionista during New York Fashion Week:
“I’m still growing my brand and this just opens up a lot of doors for other potential partnerships to happen in the future for other brands like mine. ... A lot of the kids that aspire to wear my clothes and want to be a part these experiences can’t necessarily afford it, so I think this is great.”
We think it’s great, too, since the LaQuan Smith x Asos 63-piece collection include women’s and men’s apparel, with options extending to plus-size (yes, that includes plus-sized men, too), as well as footwear and accessories—all from $32-$316.
What to expect? Lots of camo, leopard and tartan prints in skin-baring shapes, and seasonally-appropriate shades like evergreen, navy and chocolate. Smith is also offering a reinterpretation of his silver-striped minidress worn by Beyoncé when she presented Colin Kaepernick with the Sports Illustrated Muhammad Ali Legacy Award last winter. This winter, you can get the look for $103.
Of course, while LaQuan Smith designs for every body, no one designer suits everybody’s tastes. Smith’s looks are for the confident and playful—and those who don’t mind bringing a little sex into their holiday season (also known as “cuffing season,” so consider this your bait).
But what’s more exciting than the collection itself? It gives Smith, a self-taught young black designer from Queens, N.Y., further exposure and impact upon a global fashion audience. Whether you wear it or not, as we continue to push for inclusion and recognition of our designers of color, this collaboration is one that deserves enthusiastic applause.