POSE - The Accessories Lounge

Meet Black Accessory Designers Alliance (BADA) on the ballroom floor for our Accessories Lounge featuring the work of the most talented designers of color. Peruse gotta-have-it, collectible pieces by jewelry and bag designers while grooving to classic songs as you sip cocktails provided by Bklyn Blue Cafe and eating delicious morsels prepared by Counter & Bodega. Enjoy a special model presentation inspired by "ball culture" as seen on the hit TV show "POSE".

Our designers are listed below. Be sure to find and follow them on social media! We know it sounds dope, so please be sure to click now to RSVP and tell your friends to do so, too. And because the safety of our community matters to us, you must have proof of vaccination. We can't wait to see you on October 7!

Shantel Mickens is the designer extraordinaire behind the Doray Unlimited bag brand that showcases her aesthetic of beautifully handcrafted bags and small leather goods for women and men. The designer mostly lets the work speak for itself, but she is known by her customers and followers to travel the tri-state area with her masterful creations for Pop Ups and private parties. And if you are unable to meet the designer face-to-face, you can always shop her line on the company's website www.dorayunltd.com. Get behind-the-scenes insight on Instagram at @doraybags.

After years of not being able to find just the right piece of jewelry to wear that represented her style, Lina Krakue enrolled in the Fashion Institute of Technology's Jewelry Design program. The overall experience was overwhelming, enlightening, and challenging. During her education, Lina constantly asked herself, "How do I create memorable pieces that merge what I feel, remember, and stylistically know with what I am learning?" Her success in establishing a singular style was recognized in 2017 when won F.I.T.'s Next Generation Award for Outstanding Fashion Jewelry Design and graduated with her degree.

Lina Krakue Jewelry designs are heavily influenced by Lina's West African background and her fondest memories of summers there with her family. In each of her jewelry pieces you will see some element of her history. Her story is told with hand painted Ghana beads, Kente cloth influences, and oral stories represented by Andinkra symbols, Upcycled elements and repurposed materials lend a sense of heritage and tradition, too. Lina creates for the fashion forward and the culturally curious. People who aren't afraid of the challenge of sharing the story they are wearing.

"Style tells a story. That story can be history and with my pieces you will always be wearing a little bit of Ghana."

Fashion design veteran, Wilbur Pack, Jr., began his journey in 1998 when he introduced SK WiLBUR, a contemporary line of clothes for the working woman. In 2013, after being consistently asked by curvy women to offer his elegant designs in larger sizes, Pack set his sights on creating better wardrobe options for the full figured fashionista. He is now winning over both men and women with his unique line of bags that are made in NYC. Inspired by graffiti art and motivated by pop culture, his handcrafted accessories are bold and witty, yet serve as subtle social and political statements. They can be purchased through his website www.skwilbur.com. He also creates one-of-a-kind custom designs by request.

Pack’s work has received numerous accolades. He was chosen by Supima Cotton as one of the select participants in their 2008 Runway Challenge and received much fanfare for his contributed piece, an elegantly constructed denim evening gown. The designer counts R&B music legend Patti LaBelle and actress/entertainer Lonette McKee as clients. Pack created a custom beauty bag for Taraji P. Henson, the actress who portrayed Cookie Lyon on the hit FOX TV series “Empire”. Oscar© nominated actress Gabourey Sidibe carried one of his bags for the NAACP Image Awards. Film and TV actress and talk show host, Keke Palmer has showed off Pack’s SELFIE BAG on Instagram, as has the Fashion Bomb Daily trailblazing mogul Claire Sulmers. He has been profiled for fashion trade publications such as WWD, featured on E! Entertainment Television's Fashion File and his unique approach to showing during New York Fashion Week has been the subject of many articles in several daily newspapers and web sites across the country, including The Los Angeles Times, essence.com, and NYPost.com. Pack was profiled for JET magazine and was photographed for the October 2015 issue of Ebony magazine. For the 2015 Emmy Awards, Pack was commissioned to create a special, one-of-a-kind evening clutch carried for the red carpet. He was also a featured competitor on the fashion design reality series 24 Hour Catwalk that aired on Lifetime.

Event Venue

182 Lafayette St, 182 Lafayette Street, New York, United States