he start of each month offers a fresh per-
spective, new possibilities. For this, the
ninth month of 2019, we’re focusing on
freedom of self, rebirth of spirit and, of
course, a love of style. Our September issue, which I like
to think of as a fashion bible, reflects those feelings and
is the perfect edition to unveil our redesign. As you can
imagine, creating these pages has been both a thrill and
a labor of love for our talented team.
At first glance, you’ll see that we’ve spruced up our
look. We’ve also upgraded the ESSENCE experience by
way of our digital platforms—from behind-the-scenes
videos of our photo shoots and international travels to
our roster of podcasts, which now feature interview
clips from our cover stories and exclusive talks with
visionaries from the realms of entertainment and beauty,
business and politics—and so much more. What hasn’t
changed is our commitment to showcasing Black
women in all of our splendor, with an energy, grace
and power that’s unique to us. That commitment
makes Serena Williams our perfect cover subject, and
when she allowed Brooklyn-based, Nigerian-bred
artist Láolú NYC to use her face as a canvas, it was a
beautiful bonus.
For more than two decades, we’ve cheered for Serena
from the sidelines. Most recently, we’ve watched her life
expand as a family woman and entrepreneur. As she
shared with Entertainment Director Cori Murray, the ten-
nis ace has always loved fashion, so much so that »T
WHAT I’M LOVING NOW.
“QUEEN
FIYAH,” 2018
Parisian visual
artist Alexis
Peskine ham-
mered gold
nails onto wood
planks for this
provocative
portrait.
(@alexispeskine)MAMI WATTA
JEWEL SET
A headpiece from
La Falaise Dion of
Nigeria, the self-
proclaimed “Queen
of Cowries,” pays
homage to the
queen in you.
(lafalaisedion
.afrikrea.com/en)ZELIMA SET
The vibrant pair-
ing is from the
new celebratory
Pink Label by
Anifa Mvuemba,
the D.C.–based
creator of Hanifa.
(hanifa.co/collec
tions/pink-label/
products/zelma)01 02 03
Beginning Anew
MANIFESTO.
LU
U,
ITA
YS
HA(^) JO
RD
AN
. (^) IN
SE
TS
, (^) C
OU
RT
ES
Y
OF
(^) B
RA
ND
S
( 3
).
ESSENCE.COM I 14 I SEPTEMBER 2019