{"id":108629,"date":"2025-11-26T16:00:19","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T16:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?post_type=articles&p=108629"},"modified":"2025-11-26T16:00:19","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T16:00:19","slug":"grazia-exclusive-sierra-rena-slickback-june-ambrose","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/grazia-exclusive-sierra-rena-slickback-june-ambrose\/","title":{"rendered":"GRAZIA Exclusive: Sierra Rena Debuts The ‘SLICKBACK’ Handbag with Guidance from June Ambrose"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Sierra
Photography by Cole Hanauer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sierra Rena<\/a> has never moved without intention, and her return to design is no exception. In the past few years, the creator and stylist has built a visual vocabulary rooted in instinct and ambition \u2014 selling out drops in under 48 hours, styling herself with a conviction that reads as both armor and art, and building a brand that feels entirely self-authored. Her return to design demanded something with weight. With lineage. With story.<\/p>\n

Enter the “SLICKBACK” \u2014 her first handbag under SIV<\/a> and the opening colorway of a new accessories era taking shape behind the scenes. The piece emerges as a culmination of heritage, character study, and personal mythology: a saturated purple drawn from A Pimp Named Slickback of The Boondocks<\/i><\/a>, and from her late uncle, who, as Rena remembers, \u201cfilled every celebration of his life with the color purple. I just knew the first bag had to live in those shades.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Sierra
Photography by Cole Hanauer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Sierra
Photography by Cole Hanauer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Moreover, the hue isn\u2019t merely aesthetic \u2014 it\u2019s philosophy. Rena explains that \u201cpurple balances maximalism and elegance so beautifully,\u201d a fitting frame for a designer who has long merged theatrical flair with emotional resonance.<\/p>\n

And if the bag signals something bold, the woman standing beside her affirms its significance.<\/p>\n

When June Ambrose<\/a> \u2014 the architect of some of pop culture\u2019s most era-defining fashion moments <\/a>\u2014 recognizes a young creative\u2019s potential, it doesn\u2019t register as endorsement. It reads as succession.<\/p>\n

Ambrose remembers the moment Rena’s work first caught her attention. She\u2019d stumbled upon Rena online and immediately saw a spark of familiarity: the confidence, the self-styling, the clarity. Rena, she recalls, had been \u201cstyling herself with such conviction\u2026 it reminded me so much of my early days.\u201d What impressed her even more was the sum around that spark \u2014 \u201cher bold personality, her entrepreneurial spirit, and her ability to build a brand with intention.\u201d<\/p>\n

Together, Rena and Ambrose stand as two ends of a powerful continuum: one a trailblazing force who expanded what Black women could look like \u2014 and lead like \u2014 in fashion, the other a rising designer with a vision sharpened by instinct and inheritance.<\/p>\n

A Bag With a Life of Its Own<\/b><\/b><\/h2>\n
\"Sierra
Photography by Cole Hanauer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Sierra
Photography by Cole Hanauer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To Ambrose, the bag feels almost animate \u2014 its proportions \u201cexaggerated in the most sophisticated way,\u201d its silhouette \u201cbold but still elegant, almost architectural.\u201d She describes the color story as \u201cconfident and cinematic,\u201d the kind of tone that \u201cannounces itself before you even enter the room.\u201d<\/p>\n

What emerges is both a power accessory and a personal artifact; a re-entry into design that carries Rena’s past and future in the same breath.<\/p>\n

Writing Themselves Into the Center<\/b><\/b><\/h2>\n
\"\"
Photography by Cole Hanauer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
Photography by Cole Hanauer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rena and Ambrose speak with refreshing directness about creating in an industry where Black women often shape culture but are too rarely positioned at the center of its ownership.<\/p>\n

For Rena, the response is rooted in the work. \u201cI’m letting my work speak for itself\u2026 It comes from having confidence, doing the work, staying educated, being unique, and keeping my authenticity at the center of everything.\u201d Ambrose frames the dynamic with characteristic clarity. Black women, she insists, \u201chave always been the architects of culture\u2026 We\u2019re no longer just the inspiration, we\u2019re the ownership.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, both believe visibility is not aesthetic \u2014 it\u2019s structural. Rena sees it in the creatives she surrounds herself with. \u201cMy values are reflected in the team I have,\u201d she says, a nod to the intentionality guiding her ascent.<\/p>\n

Ambrose expands the concept into an entire operating system. \u201cIt\u2019s not just the spotlight \u2014 it\u2019s the blueprint,\u201d she notes. True visibility requires owning your designs, your story, and your seat at the table. \u201cWe are the CEOs of our life.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the Ones Coming Next<\/b><\/b><\/h2>\n
\"\"
Photography by Cole Hanauer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
Photography by Cole Hanauer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rena is acutely aware of the young Black creatives watching her in real time. Her hope is that her trajectory widens the frame rather than occupies it. \u201cI really hope it inspires them to know that there are Black women in this industry doing the damn thing \u2014 and that they can do it too.\u201d Passion, confidence, and a sense of one\u2019s uniqueness, she believes, can take anyone further than they imagine.<\/p>\n

Ambrose echoes the mission with her own rallying cry, hoping this moment proves that Black creatives \u201cdon\u2019t have to wait for permission\u2026 your creativity is currency and you deserve to profit, lead, and be celebrated within the culture you help create.\u201d<\/p>\n

And Rena, with her trademark candor, acknowledges the quiet scrutiny that often accompanies early success. \u201cI don\u2019t really look at support as something I get \u2014 I look at it as something I earn,\u201d she says. \u201cA lot of people watch quietly before they even say anything, before they even like your picture on Instagram.\u201d<\/p>\n

The SLICKBACK is more than a debut. It\u2019s a declaration \u2014 of ownership, of lineage, of two Black women, Sierra Rena and June Ambrose, shaping fashion\u2019s next chapter on their own terms. It is the beginning of a design era rooted in presence, power, and the kind of creative inheritance that refuses to be overlooked.<\/p>\n

Photography by Cole Hanauer<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Creative Direction and Styling by Sierra Rena<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Hair by Brittany Taplin<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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