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Issa Rae has just added another hyphen to her long list of roles. The actress, writer, producer, and founder can now call herself a designer. Rae has teamed up with Cast Jewelry for a 22-piece collection of versatile jewelry ranging from $250 to $5,900 that fits easily into her busy life, which includes everything from sitting front row at NYFW and off days in jeans and a T-shirt.
With a handful of stacked rings from the collab, Rae says, “Jewelry, in a sense, is armor to me. I put it on and I’m ready to face the day.” The collection is a mix of gold and silver essentials like hoops, bangles, and rings, ranging from sterling silver to gold and Cast-created diamonds. There are the armor cuffs with baguette diamonds that can be stacked and layer together. “You pile them on and you feel so powerful,” Cast co-founder Rachel Skelly says.
Rae and Skelly aimed for clean, strong lines and elegant curves. Most of all, they aimed for pieces that worked together or stand out alone. “I’m a jeans, chucks, and T-shirt kind of girl, so I think, How can I show that I mean business? And it comes in the form of earrings or rings. It’s just quiet luxury and so much of that went into the storytelling,” Rae explains.
“Rings are my shit,” Rae says. “I’m also a hoops girl, so that had to be part of the collection but stackable rings and rings on all fingers just feels powerful you know? I talk with my hands a lot.” There is the aptly named Power ring and the Armor stack ring and the diamond-studded Braeve ring Rae is wearing as she breaks down the collection.
Rae doesn’t have a lot of rules when it comes to fashion but the former president (in the Barbie movie) has some ideas for fashion laws. “I don’t like that you can’t wear white after Labor Day,” She laughs. “Black people, we look so fucking good in white and I feel like that rule was made to hold us down.” Also on her list of campaign promises? No boundaries when it comes to fashion. “I love that idea that fashion comes back in cycles, but I don’t love that just because we’re in the ’80s cycle I can’t go into the ’70s cycle. There should be no boundaries in fashion.” When it comes to her collection of wearable pieces, there really aren’t any boundaries.
The collection is available to shop now at CastJewelry.com.
