News: Richard Buckley Leaves Us | Naomi Campbell Named Global Ambassador to the Queen | Billie Eilish for Air Jordan

Richard Buckley (left) and Tom Ford COURTESY OF TOM FORD

We are so very sad for Tom Ford and his son Jack, who have lost their dear love, longtime fashion journalist and Tom Ford’s husband and partner of 35 years Richard Buckley. We don’t see a lot of relationships that last 35 years anymore, and theirs was golden, including the entry of Alexander John Buckley Ford into their life in 2012. Ford and Buckley married on New Years Eve in 2014.

“It is with great sadness that Tom Ford announces the death of his beloved husband of 35 years, Richard Buckley,” a statement from the designer said. “Richard passed away peacefully at their home in Los Angeles last night with Tom and their son Jack by his side. He died of natural causes after a long illness.”

Whenever Ford has talked about his relationship with Buckley, he describes their relationship as “love at first sight.” Sharing the same elevator in 1986, Buckley was a fashion editor for Women’s Wear Daily, and Ford was working under sportswear designer Cathy Hardwick.

Ford’s interview in 2917 with Jess Cagle is so poignant that words do not do it justice. Responding to Cagle’s request for advice on maintaining a great relationship, Ford replied: “If the person you are with is someone you respect, who you believe has a great heart and a great soul — as good a heart and soul as you will ever find — don’t ever leave them, because you won’t find anyone better.”

We share what will be major commentary about this sad news, and with updates:

Richard Buckley, Tom Ford’s husband, dead at 72 Page Six

Stella McCartney, who is Jack’s godmother, shared her thoughts on Instagram Tuesday: “What a gentle man; grace and charm filled the room when he was in it,” she wrote in part, adding, “He was so loved, so respected and so madly and passionately dedicated to you, Tom and Jack, that his life was fully complete.”

Richard Buckley, Longtime Fashion Journalist and Husband of Tom Ford, Dies at 72 Hollywood Reporter

Naomi Campbell Now Global Ambassador for Queen’s Commonwealth Trust

Image Collage by Anne of Carversville

Among the roles the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had to relinquish in stepping back as senior royals to pursue a life in America were their positions as president and vice president of the Queens Commonwealth Trust, a new organization formed in 2018.

Legendary supermodel, activist and new mom Naomi Campbell has accepted an appointment as The Queen's Commonwealth Trust (QCT) Platinum Jubilee Global Ambassador, where she will be involved with championing the work of young leaders backed by the trust.

CEO of the charity Christopher Kelly cited Naomi’s diverse background and also her status as a woman of colour already engaged with young people as being key reasons why she was asked to step into the role created by Meghan and Harry.

The Telegraph reported Kelly’s view that “It will be very positive to have someone who not only transcends different countries and nationalities because she is a global superstar but who is also a British woman with Caribbean roots, who has got to the very top.”

Naomi Campbell was beloved by global

Billie Eilish Shows Off Her Sustainability Credentials

Billie Eilish in Oscar de la Renta at the Met Gala.Credit...Nina Westervelt for The New York Times

Billie Eilish is fresh off her gig as cohost of the recent Met Gala, where the 19-year-old, Goth pop star and climate activist crusader channeled her Marilyn Monroe alter ego. Eilish wore an Oscar de la Renta nude tulle ball gown to complement her more recent blonde bombshell look.

PETA was thrilled — not only to see the Met Gala go meatless — but to see Billie negotiate the terms of wearing her Oscar de la Renta gown. PETA wrote:

In working with Oscar de la Renta on her 2021 Met Gala look, the vegan singer-songwriter ensured that her dress would be animal-friendly. Last month, PETA announced that the legendary designer would be going fur-free after decades of our runway disruptions, protests, some carefully thrown tofu cream pies, and pressure from activists worldwide. Now we know that Billie Eilish played a major role as well!

The New York Times did a deep dive on the negotiations preceding Billie Eilish’s appearance as the youngest cohost ever of the annual Met Gala. Read on Billie Eilish Sets a Condition for Her Dress: No More Fur

This week Billie Elish flipped the switch, keeping her blonde locks — because she LIKES the look — but leaving her golden slippers at the Metropolitan Museum. Today’s news story is about Billie’s collab with Nike and Air Jordan.

Billie Reimagines Beloved Air Jordans

A release of Billie Eilish’s Air Jordan collab will land first via store.billieeilish.com on 9/27, predating a Nike SNKRS launch on 9/30.

Collabs with musicians are not new to the Jordan Brand. Nor are collabs with women — although men rule. AOC took a deep dive on the Jordan Brand a few months ago, learning that black women are taking over the footwear industry.

On Monday, September 20, Billie Eilish was center stage for the Jordan Brand, designing two styles of Air Jordans for the collab: a pair of Air Jordan 1 KO and a pair of Air Jordan 15. "I am SO excited to finally share my two Air Jordan silhouettes with you!!" Billie wrote. "I've always loved @jumpman23 and it was such an incredible and surreal experience getting to create these."

Each pair of Billie’s Air Jordans is made with 100% vegan leather instead of the traditional leather and contain more than 20% recycled materials. The shoes feature Billie's logo, one she drew up at age 15, and her name next to the iconic Air Jordan logo. You can read more about Billie’s beauties on Sneaker News.

AOC didn’t know that the performance basketball shoe market peaked in 2015 and has experienced double-digit declines since then, according to NPD.

Sales fell a massive 23% in 2020, enough to crush companies not prepared for it. Nike was prepared, and the “retro” or lifestyle business has more than made up for the declines. When I read the words “retro’ and lifestyle business in new business articles about Air Jordan and Jordan Brand, I knew we were talking about ToiletPaper Magazine shoes.

Jordan is the dominant player, with 96% of the market including Jordan and Nike brand sales, writes Sportico. “The retro product has done phenomenal,” Cowen & Co. analyst John Kernan told the website. “Nike is doing a lot of different colorways now, and they are launching product in very smart, very creative ways. They have done a masterful job managing the marketplace.” [That’s the example I just gave you of arty sneakers in Toilet Paper Magazine,]

Enter Nike’s new Air Jordan Collab with Billie Eilish. Is this Nike’s first Air Jordan collab with a white woman? Our inquiring mind wants to know. The answer appears to be yes, but we could be seriously embarrassed. AOC has never purported to be the work of sneakerheads.

Billie Eilish in British GQ July-August 2020 | Eilish Supports Black Lives Matter

Billie Eilish in British GQ July-August 2020 | Eilish Supports Black Lives Matter

Billie Eilish covers the July/August 2020 issue of British GQ. Danielle Levitt is behind the lens with styling by Samantha Burkhart.

If you’ve never read a Billie Eilish interview, then this one is for you.

Written by Jonathan Heaf, it’s long and very in-depth. In 2019 at age 17, Billie Ailish’s album sold more than any other in America and she hit six billion streams on Spotify. This year she is tagged as the youngest artist to win four Grammys at once. And her classic Bond theme ‘No Time To Die’ morphs into a Boomer-approved musical panorama with widespread appeal.

At this moment (6/16/2020 2:07 PM) Billie Eilish is in a rage over the Friday night murder of Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta. Generally-speaking Eilish has joined the army of white people disgusted with white people. AOC has been in that camp since our founding in 2007, and we’re devoted to turning the tide of racism in America and beyond.