Dear Reader,

One of the pleasures of writing about brands is finding the person behind a detail you love. A print suddenly has a history. A product name makes more sense. You go back for another look because you now know something you didn’t before.

That’s what I want more of this October.

It’s Black History Month here in the UK, and we’ll be spending time with Black designers and founders whose work deserves a proper conversation. There’s plenty to admire, but I also want to get into how things were made and the decisions behind them. Being described as “inspiring” is lovely. Having someone pay attention to your actual work feels rather more useful.

We’re looking at LABRUM and what happens when a designer brings a clear point of view to a collaboration as visible as an Arsenal kit. Foday Dumbuya’s work gives us a reason to talk about football, belonging and the details that make a partnership worth looking at. Even if, like plenty of people looking at football shirts, your interest is mainly in the shirt.

Then there’s Althea McNish. Her textiles are a good reason to make room for more colour in our design references, and to learn the names attached to the patterns we save. I’m interested in the skill behind that abundance: how a designer takes something observed or remembered and makes it work on fabric. A moodboard can start the conversation. There’s so much more to find after it.

In beauty, we’ll be looking at LIHA, founded by Liha Okunniwa and Abi Oyepitan, and the relationship between a brand’s story and the thing in your bathroom. I love a thoughtful product name. I also want to know what’s in the bottle and how I’m meant to use it. Those things belong in the same conversation.

There’s room for a little shopping, too. I’ve put together The Cool Black Girl Edit: 17 Black-owned fashion brands to have on your radar, from sculptural denim and printed dresses to the everyday pieces you’ll keep reaching for. If your saved folder needs a few new names, this is a good place to start.

These stories sit alongside our wider October questions about taste, brand experiences and the value of creative work. We’ll also be asking who benefits when a brand borrows cultural credibility. Credit matters, and so do the fee, the brief and what happens after the campaign has had its moment.

For me, the pleasure of this month is in looking more closely. I want us to enjoy beautiful work, get curious about the people making it and carry that curiosity into our own projects. There should be room here for discovery as well as criticism.

I hope you leave October with a designer you want to read more about, or an idea that changes the next brief you write. And please keep the names with the references. It’s a small habit that makes the next person’s search a little easier.

‍

With love,

What I’m Eyeing RN

What’s been in my bag, on my wish list, and in my browser tabs this month.

‍

DEME

Starling Draped Mesh Mini Dress

My birthday’s in November, so the dress search is officially on. This draped mini has made the shortlist.

BUY NOW

TOTEME

Hoody Belted Long Wool Coat

Too early to be looking at winter coats, or already too late? Either way, this Toteme one is making a very good case.

BUY NOW