Kelly Rowland on Her Fashion Design Debut and New Music, ‘Black Magic’

March 1, 2021

“I’m looking at some of those looks like, ‘Oh my god, they really love that?’” said Kelly Rowland. “I was just telling someone, the very low, low, low-rise jeans, ‘What was I thinking?’”

She’s referencing her throwback outfits captured in the late ’90s and early 2000s from her time in Destiny’s Child with Beyoncé and Michelle Williams — one of the bestselling girl groups in music history. The photos are kept alive on Instagram, where they’re often featured in nostalgic posts.

“It’s your 20s, part of your expression,” she went on. “You know what I mean? It makes perfect sense. But wow, what a time.”

Rowland was inspired by that time in her life and the era’s fashions when designing her first fashion collection, a clothing and shoe line in partnership with JustFab. The online fashion retailer, owned by TechStyle Fashion Group (whose portfolio includes Savage x Fenty, ShoeDazzle and Fabletics), offers a membership program that provides its 2.1 million VIP members with discounted prices. While Rowland has collaborated with the Los Angeles-based company in the past as the face of JustFab, this marks her design debut.

“This is a brand-new chapter for me, which makes it just really exciting,” she said.

Rowland’s collection — tube tops, body-con dresses with slits, blazers, heeled sandals, sneakers and boots in earth tones and pastels — is available at JustFab.com starting today and priced (for members) between $35 to $50 for clothing and $40 to $60 for shoes.

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Nineties fashion as a whole was a reference when collaborating with the design team, she added, particularly during the era of the supermodel when the likes of Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington dominated runways.

“That time specifically was so classic, so fun, and just, you know, full of flair,” she said.

Rowland launched her solo career as a singer-songwriter in 2002, has acted in television and film, appeared on competition shows as host of Bravo’s “The Fashion Show,” a judge on British music franchise “The X Factor” and Australian dance talent show “Everybody Dance Now.” These days, off the heels of releasing her newest EP “K” and single “Black Magic,” Rowland has been home amid the pandemic taking care of her young son and a newborn.

“I’m still getting used to it,” she said of balancing motherhood and her career. “That’s the best I can give you as an answer. I’m still getting used to it, still learning how to balance. I’m still learning how to juggle and figuring things out as I go, like every great woman.”

Of her new music, she said: “It’s my best work to date. I’ll say that, for sure. The music is alive and feels great. And I’m excited to share just a new part of myself and a new part of my story with my fans.”

The music video for “Black Magic,” which references Black Lives Matter, was released on Feb. 12 during Black History Month.

“I feel like Black history should be year-round,” she said. “There’s been so many different heroes that have been seen and have been celebrated, but there are some who have not, so if anything, I like to make sure that whether it’s me learning about a new hero or teaching my son about a new hero, I’m always excited about that history month. That hasn’t changed since I was a kid. Introducing my son to it is really exciting for me, because he gets to learn about all his Black heroes.”