Entertainment

You'll Find TONS at New Fashion and Lifestyle Concept Store in East Liberty – Pittsburgh Magazine

Published

4 weeks ago

April 24, 2024

Sections
Extras
Social Media
PHOTOS BY NWDS
After years of operating a slew of successful Pittsburgh restaurants, among them Muddy Waters Oyster Bar, Bird on the Run and Kahuna, alongside her husband, Adam, Diana Kucenic was ready to dip her toes into something else — and it had nothing to do with food.
It had to do with fashion.
“Moving to Pittsburgh, I love it here, it’s great, but I always felt like something was lacking,” she says.
Last November, the Kucenics soft launched TONS, a luxury fashion and lifestyle store, in a former design atelier along Baum Boulevard in East Liberty. After spending the winter getting the store ready, TONS held a grand opening near the end of April.
“We were finishing up with the furniture and the brands arriving over time,” Kucenic says. “We feel like we are completely ready now.”

Kucenic, who grew up in Russia and once worked as a buyer for her mother’s fashion stores, says she wanted to bring an elevated commercial experience to Pittsburgh. Besides an assortment of luxury, contemporary and streetwear brands such as Acne Studios, Jil Sander, Marni, Coperni and Mastermind, TONS carries beauty products, home decor and other lifestyle items — including yoga mats, home fragrances, gifts and area rugs — at a variety of price points.
“We regularly engage with people from Google, CMU and Duolingo and we wanted to offer the people of Pittsburgh a local destination for fashion,” Kucenic says. “Many people that we communicate with shared that they rely on traveling to NYC or Los Angeles when wanting to update their closets with the latest collections, and TONS is here to solve that.”

Once inside, the two-story space is as striking as the products.The Kucenics tapped NWDS, an international team of architects, to design the concept store’s opulent interior, which blends fashion, art and culture. For example, there are imported Italian pieces, such as a Paradoxical Hi-Tech armchair by Piero Lissoni, a Mate chair by (a+b) dominoni and glass items by Glas Italia. Large-scale works of art by Alexander Brodsky are hung throughout the building.

Combining client and work spaces, TONS’ buyers and managers have their desks parked next to the sale rails on the first floor; guests also are welcome to take a peek at the fashion photo shoots happening on the second level. Kucenic says the store’s layout was inspired by retailers such as Colette, a high fashion, streetwear and accessory retailer known for its spacious concept store in Paris.
“There’s a little bit of everything here, really,” she says. “We try to make sure everyone who enters the store can find something for themselves.”
TONS also is collaborating with NWDS on a line of furniture that will reflect the textures and prints found throughout the store. Kucenic says she is finishing details on the line, also called TONS, which will be produced in the country of Georgia. Once completed, the pieces will be available in the store and worldwide, she says.

The store also teamed up with Los Angeles-based brand BTFL Studio for a “City of Bridges”-inspired capsule collection featuring a graphic tee and interchangeable long sleeve tee with a 1914 blueprint for the bridge from the Monongahela bridge company, a hand-painted, organic recycled cotton hoodie, worn carpenter shorts, a black leather catch-all, a travel blanket and a vegetable-tanned leather vest. Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Tre Norwood stars in the fashion shoot dedicated to the line.

Kucenic adds collaborating with brands on custom and exclusive capsule collections is a targeted goal for TONS that also includes amplifying young fashion and art creatives. Already, the store has hosted Carnegie Mellon University students for a three-day pop-up as a part of the school’s Lunar Gala show. Pittsburgh Steelers free agent linebacker Marcus Allen also held a popup event at the store for his clothing brand, Vibes Universal, on June 3.
“The support from professional and collegiate athletes all across the tri-state area has been overwhelming,” Kucenic says. “We have watched Pittsburgh transition from a steel and coal town, to an innovative city thriving in technology and health care. The same is happening with Pittsburgh fashion, and we are happy to be at the forefront of this movement.”

Categories: Nest

source

Entertainment

‘She was magic’: ‘Grease’ actress passes away – WJW FOX 8 News Cleveland

Published

14 hours ago

May 18, 2024

knitved

‘She was magic’: ‘Grease’ actress passes away WJW FOX 8 News Cleveland
source

Entertainment

Three-Time Emmy-Winning Actress Uzo Aduba Named Commencement Speaker at Chapman University's Dodge … – Chapman University: Happenings

Published

24 hours ago

May 18, 2024

knitved

Uzo Aduba, the three-time Emmy-winning star of Orange Is the New Black and Mrs. America, has been named the 2024 Commencement speaker at Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, the No. 4-ranked film school in the nation. The ceremony will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 18 at Chapman University’s Wilson Field.
A formidable and celebrated talent whose work spans television, film and theater, Aduba gained national prominence for her portrayal of Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren in Netflix’s critically acclaimed series Orange Is the New Black.  Her performance garnered a sweep of honors including SAG Awards as Best Actress in a Comedy in 2015 and 2016, a 2015 Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series and a 2014 Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy, joining Ed Asner to become only the second actor ever to win Emmys for the same role in the comedy and drama categories. She was also honored as part of the show’s Best Ensemble in a Comedy wins at the SAG Awards in 2015, 2016 and 2017. With her SAG and Emmy honors, she became the first Black actress to win the award in each category.
“Uzo Aduba is one of the exceptional talents of our time,” said Stephen Galloway, dean of Dodge College. “She represents everything we most cherish at Dodge College: a fierce intelligence, originality and the highest commitment to excellence. We are thrilled to have her as our Commencement speaker this year.”
Aduba also starred in the Emmy-winning HBO drama series In Treatment, and Amazon Studios’ anthology series, Solos. In 2020, Aduba earned her third Emmy and a Critics Choice Award for her portrayal of Shirley Chisholm in the limited series Mrs. America, opposite Cate Blanchett.
Currently, Aduba can be seen with Matthew Broderick in the Netflix limited series Painkiller, which dramatizes the origins of the opioid crisis.  She is in production on the upcoming Shondaland Netflix series The Residence, and she recently wrapped Searchlight’s The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can Eat, as well as the independent comedy/mystery Providence.
On the big screen, Aduba’s credits include Disney Pixar’s Lightyear, National Champions, Miss Virginia, Beats, Candy Jar, My Little Pony: The Movie, American Pastoral and Tallulah.      
A Boston native, Aduba studied classical music at the Boston University School of Fine Arts. She began her professional career on the stage, making her Broadway debut in 2007 as Toby in Helen Edmundson’s adaptation of Coram Boy, followed by the hit musical revival of Godspell in 2011. She made her West End theater debut in The Jamie Lloyd Company’s contemporary adaptation of Jean Genet’s The Maids. Aduba was nominated for a Helen Hayes Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Play for her work in the Kennedy Center/Olney Theater production of Translations of Xhosa. Other theater credits include Dessa Rose, Turnado: Rumble for the Ring and Abyssinia. In 2022, she received Tony Award and Drama League Award nominations for her performance in Second Stage Theater’s Broadway production of Lynn Nottage’s play Clyde’s, opposite Ron Cephas Jones.
Aduba recently launched her production company, Meynon Media, and signed a multi-year producing deal with CBS Studios where she is set to produce All Her Little Secrets as a limited series starring Aduba for Showtime from writer Aurin Squire, based upon the best-selling novel by Wanda M. Morris. With a growing Meynon feature slate as well, Aduba produced Marianne Farley’s live action short film Frimas, which was shortlisted for the 2022 Academy Awards.
###
About Dodge College of Film and Media Arts
Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, the No. 4-ranked film school in the nation, is committed to empowering aspiring filmmakers and media artists by providing a transformative educational experience. We foster creativity, innovation and critical thinking, equipping our students with the skills and knowledge necessary to excel in the dynamic world of film and media. Through comprehensive programs, cutting-edge facilities and industry partnerships, we cultivate a collaborative and inclusive community that nurtures artistic excellence, fosters cultural understanding and prepares our graduates to shape the future of the entertainment industry.
About Chapman University
Founded in 1861, Chapman University is a nationally ranked private university in Orange, California, about 30 miles south of Los Angeles. Chapman serves nearly 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students, with a 12:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Students can choose from 123 areas of study within 11 colleges for a personalized education. Chapman is categorized by the Carnegie Classification as an R2 “high research activity” institution. Students at Chapman learn directly from distinguished world-class faculty including Nobel Prize winners, MacArthur fellows, published authors and Academy Award winners. The campus has produced a Rhodes Scholar, been named a top producer of Fulbright Scholars and hosts a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honor society. Chapman also includes the Harry and Diane Rinker Health Science Campus in Irvine. The university features the No. 4 film school and No. 60 business school in the U.S. Learn more about Chapman University: www.chapman.edu.

Media Contact:
Molly Thrasher. Director of Public Relations | [email protected] | Mobile: 657-561-4359
Carly Murphy, Public Relations Coordinator | [email protected]| Desk: 714-289-3196 | Mobile: 714-497-968
© 2023 Chapman University
Your Header Sidebar area is currently empty. Hurry up and add some widgets.

source

Entertainment

Music Week – Music Week

Published

1 day ago

May 18, 2024

knitved

Login
For assistance please contact Our Customer Service on: Tel: +44(0)20 8955 7020. Email: [email protected]
Please enter your email so we can send you password reset link.
An email has been sent to you containing a link to reset your password
For assistance please contact Our Customer Service on: Tel: +44(0)20 8955 7020. Email: [email protected]
Warner Music Group has signed singer, dancer and actor Nora Fatehi. It is her first agreement with a major global record company.
The partnership is to promote Fatehi’s global music career, working with teams in the US and across the world. She will remain signed to T-Series, the Indian music label and movie studio, for her Bollywood projects.
Based in India, Fatehi was born in Toronto to a family of Moroccan heritage. She first made her name as a Bollywood actress, appearing in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam films.
She has built a fanbase all around the world, with more than 46 million followers on Instagram and 21 million on Facebook. Her music has generated more than 1.2 billion streams and five billion-plus YouTube views on her featured videos.
In 2018, she appeared in the movie Satyameva Jayate, in which she performed a version of the classic Bollywood song Dilbar, which generated more than 20 million views on YouTube in the first 24 hours of its release. She then recorded and sang an Arabic version of the song, in collaboration with the Moroccan group Fnaïre, expanding her audience across the Arab world. She went on to become the first Arab-African artist to hit one billion views on a single music video on YouTube.
Fatehi’s other ventures into international music include collaborations with performers such as Tanzanian singer-songwriter Rayvanny for the track Pepeta, as well as British singer Zack Knight for Dirty Little Secret.
Her latest film, Crakk – Jeethegaa Toh Jiyegaa, was released on Friday (February 23).
Nora Fatehi said: “I’ve enjoyed great success in my career so far, but this deal is a significant step forward in my musical journey, a new chapter in my international career. My ambition is to be a global music star and performer, connecting with fans all over the world. I want to use my diverse cultural background to create music and dance that brings everyone together! I’m excited to work with Warner Music to leverage their experience and expertise to help me fulfil this goal.”
Robert Kyncl, CEO, Warner Music Group, said: “Nora is an extraordinary talent, electric performer, and cross-cultural superstar whose music reflects the rich diversity of her background. Her passion and ambition are infectious and we’re excited to help her reach new audiences, places, and heights across the globe.”
Alfonso Perez-Soto, president, emerging markets, Warner Music, said: “I’ve been blown away by Nora’s starpower. She has the creative ability and sheer stamina you need to become one of the world’s biggest artists. We can’t wait to put the global resources of Warner Music at her disposal as she starts the next chapter of her music career.”
PHOTO: Apoorv Maurya Photography

For more stories like this, and to keep up to date with all our market leading news, features and analysis, sign up to receive our daily Morning Briefing newsletter