Mary J. Blige and business partner Simone I. Smith are unveiling a new accessory line for the “Around The Way Girl.”
In a capsule collection from their joint jewelry brand, Sister Love, the owners will release an assortment of bling inspired by what’s been seen in classic hip-hop shoots and videos for the genre’s 50th anniversary.
For Smith, this is a way for her to add her flavor to the annual Rock the Bells Festival founded by her husband, LL Cool J. “My husband has the Rock the Bells Festival in August, and so I designed a whole collection of pendants for it,” Smith shared with VIBE.
Launched in December 2019, “Sister Love” is rooted in the idea of empowering and uplifting women. Per the website, the brand ” is a collection of designs that symbolizes strength, edge, style, sassiness, and made in their support for each other and their love of statement pieces.” The offerings include gold or silver earrings, necklaces and bracelets.
The Hip Hop 50 capsule collection however is a celebration of the genre specifically. Inspired by the culture of 1990’s, the jewelry assortment includes gold door knocker earrings, dog tag necklaces, medallions and bracelets.
“We decided on these earring styles for Hip-Hop 50 because these are the earrings that were the most popular, specifically the triangle hoops (what we call Tri-Bams), and the ones that every girl from the projects and female rappers wore! Hip-Hop culture always influences the designs for Sister Love. These are the earrings we wore growing up and are still wearing today,” the My Life singer in a statement.”
Blige posted a video announcement clip to her Instagram over the weekend. “Doin’ it for the culture that raised us, inspired us, moved & grooved us. It’s in our blood, it’s in our beat, it’s in our fly, it is the heat!,” she captioned.
Alicia Keys donned a gold bamboo pair of the timeless hoops in her Queen Charlotte rendition of “If I Ain’t Got You”
Jewelry from the Hip-Hop 50 collection can be purchased on the brand’s official website.