Lauryn Hill is partnering with Woolrich to design a high-end clothing line benefiting her foundation.
The collaboration, American Soul, dropped on Saturday, Oct. 20, online and in the American clothing company’s stores. The limited-release capsule fall/winter collection features parkas and coats, and a release obtained by Paper magazine notes Hill was hands-on in the design process.
As Hill has made and sewn her own clothes over the past five years, she also submitted more than 30 sketches for the designs, which wound up featuring collages of her album artwork that have been screen-printed onto the apparel.
“The opportunity to work with Ms. Hill was the perfect start to our ongoing ‘American Soul’ project, highlighting Woolrich’s American heritage,” Andrea Canè, creative director of Woolrich, said in an August press release ahead of the campaign’s launch with its first spokesperson. “We wanted Ms. Hill to bring her unique artistic eye to the product and DNA of the brand so we invited her to put her own spin on these classic Woolrich styles, reflecting her interpretation of ‘American Soul.’”
The launch of the line, whose ad she stars in, comes as Hill continues her 20th-anniversary tour celebrating her seminal album, “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.”
And while the outerwear ranges in price from $2,300 to $3,300, the proceeds benefit the MLH Foundation which provides education, health, agriculture, technology, and community-based businesses and development initiatives “throughout the Diaspora.”
