3 Times a Charm: F&W Style Returns to ESSENCE Festival of Culture Bigger and Better Than Ever
By: Asia Shamir Ferguson
The F&W Style Team makes its 3rd consecutive return to ESSENCE Festival of Culture, a part of the New Voices Family inside the Soko Market.
The biggest cultural event of the summer, right in New Orleans, feels like a family reunion. Not only did we treat ourselves to beignets and stroll down Bourbon St., but we also reconnected with powerful women like Melissa Mitchell, Felicia Flores from BaldieCon, Monica Awe-Etuk from Awed by Monica, and more!
The best part about cultural events like ESSENCE Festival is that we get to bring our community partners with us, exposing them to new audiences. This year, we partnered with Ruby Kisses as our amazing sponsor, a beauty brand that strives for authenticity and inclusivity. Their products aim to help women become the best version of themselves, so that they can live their most vibrant life!
We had the honor of bringing this vibrance with us to Festival with special beauty goodies from their collection. Our new and returning F&W Girls got to try out everything from cushion foundation, lip gloss, lip oils, eyeshadows, lip liners, to setting spray.
This year, we invited our ESSENCE Fest attendees to check into the F&W Style Hotel, reminiscent of last year’s Pinterest collaboration, powered by New Voices at the Candler Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia.
Bringing Ruby Kisses to an ecosystem like Essence allowed customers to leave with a fulfilling and elevated experience with specially branded F&W Style x Ruby Kisses canvas totes and water bottles (that are truly one of a kind).
Upgrading from a 10x10 to a 10x20 booth allowed us to serve our visitors more comfortably and abundantly, bringing them into an immersive shopping experience. That experience included a classic pink check-in desk, golden shelves to browse the collection, a fun luggage cart photo wall with neon signage that showcased our up-and-coming luggage collection, and a “powder room” where guests could sit and try Ruby Kisses products in front of a mirror.
We truly couldn’t have asked for a more perfectly aligned partnership— their pink branding and quality yet affordable products complemented ours so perfectly that the partnership flowed organically, as beauty often does with accessories. After all, to fully bring a look together, you can’t leave the accessories or a full glam out of the conversation.
Expanding our footprint allowed us to showcase our collections, feature some of our F&W Corp clients, such as Awelewa by Monica and 37 & Co., and preview our upcoming luggage collection — truly a dream come true.
“Being with F&W Style for the past five years has been such a rewarding journey, and returning to Essence Fest feels like a full-circle moment every time. Watching the brand grow and being part of so many major milestones has been both inspiring and empowering.”-Kendriuna Watson, Fashion Director
Not only did we return with a bigger booth, but our founder and designer also returned to the Soko Market stage to showcase our products in front of a live audience. Alexandria also joined the New Voices Entrepreneur Hub conversation “From Followers to Foundation: Building a Community That Grows With You” alongside fellow New Voices members. The discussion was intimate and powerful, focusing on building community on and off social media, leaving the attendees with solid takeaways.
For F&W Style, Essence Festival is about more than selling our handbags and accessories. It’s about making new connections and building on previous ones to grow the brand and foster a community. It’s truly a privilege to be in the proximity of so many other Black-owned brands through the New Voices family, who have been instrumental in our Essence journey.
“Being a part of this experience has really helped me shift my perspective about how much I really need community and to be around like-minded entrepreneurs and creatives. Seeing F&W grow has been everything and more. I’m so glad I was able to be a part of helping the brand grow, and I’m excited I got to be an intern in general.”
Aniya Monaé, Spring 2025 Intern
A true highlight of the weekend was also connecting with important industry partners, such as Sheila Ducksworth, producer of Beyond the Gates(who we’re excited to announce our upcoming partnership with in September) and Bozoma Saint John, a marketing genius and cast member on Season 14 of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
Our team showed up strong and engaged, with many women from our community and customers who returned to add to their F&W collection. For many of our customers, Essence Fest is so special because it’s the only time of the year they get to shop the collection and meet and connect with Alexandria in person.
"Being at Essence Fest with F&W Style has been such a full-circle moment—from starting as an intern to now working alongside Alexandria, I’ve witnessed her pour so much heart and dedication into every detail of this brand. Watching both her and the company grow has been truly inspiring. This is my second year at Essence Fest, and each time I’m reminded of the beauty of Black culture, the strength of the community, and how powerful it is to be part of something so meaningful.”
-Pooja Patel, Social Media Manager
The entire F&W Style team was thrilled to see our customers return, build new relationships, and continue growing our presence at Essence year after year. It’s truly an honor and a blessing to be acknowledged, supported, and uplifted by Essence every year.
