NBA All Stars Weekend Valentines Day Party

High Risk Launches on Rodeo Drive with Star Studded Fashion Show

This thursday an exciting new brand launched in LA's most high fashion district, Beverly Hills. High Risk, an exciting new fashion brand founded by serial entrepreneur Tommy Duncan and loved by celebrities from music, film, sports, and beyond, showcased their debut collection titled "hunting season" in the heart of Beverly Hills on Rodeo Drive across from the famous Beverly Wilshire Hotel. The show premiered during New York Fashion Week, but according to Duncan, holding the show in LA was an intentional decision to highlight the fashion industry and craftsmanship in LA as well as the brand's LA roots. The show drew celebrities and influencers from across industries and had no trouble attracting major fashion players right in the brand's hometown of LA so the statement to keep the show in LA was a major success.The atmosphere at the show included champagne from Armand de Brignac, music, and bites for guests to enjoy before and after the show as well as amazing photo ops on Rodeo Drive. The show brought real energy back to the LA fashion scene reminding of a throwback cross between Beverly Hills Cop and Pretty Woman.  I spoke to founder and designer Tommy Duncan before the show for an exclusive interview about his inspiration for the collection, the brand, and more. For Duncan, the brand is all about details, that are either there for others to notice, or simply there for the wearer to know about as a kind of couture secret. 

Question: All right, so we're here at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel for this fashion show, which is kind of an interesting timing because we have New York fashion week is coming up right now, but there's not a lot going on in LA. So I kind of love how you're bringing this very like high fashion energy to LA. Tell me about that. 

Tommy Duncan: It's intentional, and I think L.A. should have it. I think one of the things that's overlooked in L.A. is the... the industry of fashion here, particularly downtown. It's overshadowed by the TV and all that stuff. But when you go downtown, uh, the best craftsmen in fashion are actually downtown L.A. The best. I talk about compared to Milan, and all over the world. The best are actually downtown L.A. And I don't think it gets the credit that it deserves. But the, uh, not only is the talent there, but the fabrics are there, the intention to detail is there. And so, you know, as a LA brand, where everything we're doing is in LA, it made sense to me to do a show here in LA. About fashion, because there is not just an industry, but there's a world of fashion that is here in L.A. Yes. And we need to bring it up to the forefront. I don't understand why it's not there. And so that's what I decided we're gonna do. 

Question: Now, tell me about this collection. Tell me about the inspiration behind this collection.

Tommy Duncan: So, the inspiration of the collection is one of the entrepreneur's journey. And what we create is the entrepreneur's uniform. Entrepreneur or the creator? The person who is going out to achieve whatever they're trying to achieve. Everyone has their own approach, their own talents they put to bear, their own skill sets, their superpowers. Essentially, they all hunt different. And so, this show is about hunting season. All of us hunters, the apexes. Do we hunt? And the collection is of high fashion, high design. intentional. Like the shirts, the shirt I have one now. You'll see it. It's, um, reminiscent of, like, uh, a warrior's armor. So it's cropped right here. It's very aggressive. Yeah. Um, it's, like, aggressive. Everything we have is silently aggressive. You can be wearing black. It's high risk. You will know there's something about it. So, like, we'll have wide sweatpants. We go, like, two inches wider than two wide. It's tension. Okay, okay. But then, we put weight at the bottom with a vintage gold zipper. That weight makes it so that it's, like, ocean rippling when you walk. So it's intentionally behind it. All of our pieces have distressing. Because to achieve, you go through stress. If you go through stress, your clothes are gonna have some distress. It's intentional. We cut the neck line low, so that when you are successful, or whatever case it may be, you're creative, you can show off your jewelry. Yeah. I like red, red for the bread. You see it on me all the time. I love rubies. This is my harbest watch I made. We do that, as a matter of fact, on our, when our hoodies on the sleeve, we actually cut it on purpose, to stress it, so you can see a watch poking through if you want to show it.  Even our locals, like, no logo, low logo. Really wouldn't notice it unless you know it. But when you do it, almost reminiscent of, like, a bullet hole? Like, a gunshot, I should say, like, an artistic version of it. But it's all about, you know, when you take shots, you take shots. And that's our whole message behind high risk is, first of all, have the self respect to go for your dreams. Take the risk. Take it. And then when you take it, you get there, show off your rewards. Don't be afraid to show yourself. High Risk is not for, like, a dopamine of confidence. Like, you come out, you put on some brand, you just feel like, oh, I had this brand on, no, folks are already confident. You already know who you are. We're all part of what I call the one tenth of one%. Not 1%. The one tenth of one percent. Okay. They're super special. Those are better on ourselves. And when we're successful, you don't mind being seen. We're already confident. So what we gonna do, 'cause you're already elevated, it's gonna take you up another notch. So from elevation to levitation. Superhero stuff. Not if anybody see you in it, for you to see yourself in it. 

Question: Now, talk to me about this show. There's some big names gonna be attending here tonight and you talked about kind of that there is a fashion culture here in LA, especially with the Hollywood industry. So, is that, you know, part of your brand or has that inspired you? 

Tommy Duncan: People have flown into town for walking in this show. And this is during NBA All Star, basketball. When people come into our show, making it about fashion. I think it speaks to the brand itself, because, you know, like anything, when you're an artist, you're creative. You put some out there, and the people have to respond. If they don't respond, then you gotta keep working on your craft. For some reason, people have responded until we put out there. And the word just gets out. And so we've been kind of like the, you know, brand in LA, and we're starting to get out. organically. And so the show is gonna be chalk full of, uh, successful people. Like, folks that are super successful. have taken risks. Like, you can't imagine. They going through the hell to get to wherever they got, and you don't see the scars, but they are there. You don't see the chip that drives them every day, but it's there. The influencers. You know how many times they do videos, get one video, right? People think it's easy to do a video. I tried it. It's hard. It's a grind to get a good video out. Mm hmm. To try to create virality. Try to create people to pay attention. It's hard. do a 1000 videos a day. The gamers. You think it's easy to beat everybody in the game? It's hard. It's hard playing basketball. Video, video game, basketball, the hardest playing? Real basketball. the highest of high level. So we have, just, I would say, a cadre, but just a plethora, of people, from different industries. But all higher risk takers and high achievements because of it. And they've been drawn to the brand. And what we provide. Hunting season. That's what we're doing. Okay. And so our pieces, runway pieces are gonna be, uh, you're gonna love the pieces. And you're gonna love this show even more. The story we're telling is gonna jump off the catwalk and off the screen.

The show drew celebrities including Raven Symone, Kyle Massey and his wife, Chanel West Coast, Hazel-E, Jessie & D'Lila Combs, Hitboy, G Herbo, Blxst, P Prime, InasX, Chloe Gibert, Coi LeRay, and more. Check out my red carpet coverage and runway coverage of the show to see celebrity interviews, exclusive behind the scenes coverage from the show, and highlights from the collection! 

The Apollo x Kwanza Jones Ignite Los Angeles With the Launch of Culture In Motion™ National Roadshow

 This weekend I attended the Culture in Motion roadshow kickoff in Los Angeles! Check out my Youtube video below for all the red carpet fashion and celebrity interviews! Read more about the event below.

    

LOS ANGELES, CA – For nearly a century, The Apollo has stood as a sacred cultural landmark in Harlem, New York – a legendary stage where icons were discovered, movements were born, and Black culture was amplified for the world. On Saturday, January 31, 2026, history turned a new page as The Apollo stepped beyond its storied walls and, for the first time, took its legacy directly to the people through The Apollo x Kwanza Jones Presents: Culture In Motion™, a national roadshow conceived and presented in partnership with visionary artist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Kwanza Jones. 

 

Launching in Los Angeles during Grammy Week, the Culture In Motion Roadshow transformed The Beehive into a vibrant epicenter of creativity, community, and celebration. The event marked a defining evolution of The Apollo’s mission, expanding its nearly 100-year cultural legacy from a singular venue into a living, traveling movement designed to meet communities where they are. 

 

A centerpiece moment of the launch was the official unveiling of the SUPERCHARGED® Boost Bus™, a striking, custom-designed mobile platform that brings the spirit, energy, and cultural impact of The Apollo x Kwanza Jones directly into neighborhoods across the country. More than a vehicle, the Roadshow Bus serves as a rolling cultural hub, activating space for artistic expression, storytelling, discovery, and community connection. Designed under SUPERCHARGED® by Kwanza Jones’ creative vision, the bus embodies movement, momentum, and access - signaling a powerful new era where culture is not confined to a single stage, but alive and in motion. 

 

Rooted in Kwanza Jones’ future-forward SUPERCHARGED vision, Culture In Motion reimagines what cultural access looks like in the modern era. Through immersive programming, live performances, storytelling, art, and dynamic mobile activations inside the Boost Bus, the Roadshow delivered inspiration, creative empowerment, and intergenerational connection directly into the heart of Los Angeles. 

 

The day began with Amateur Night Auditions presented by Coca-Cola, honoring The Apollo’s historic tradition of discovering new talent, followed by a high-energy red carpet and live experiences that blended heritage with innovation. Kwanza Jones (CEO of SUPERCHARGED), along with her partner in life and business, José E. Feliciano (Managing Partner of Clearlake Capital Group)—co-founders of the Kwanza Jones & José E. Feliciano Initiative—stepped onto the red carpet alongside The Apollo’s executive leadership: Michelle Ebanks, President & CEO of The Apollo, Joy A. Profet, Chief Growth Officer of The Apollo, and Tysus Jackson, Chief Development Officer of The Apollo, on the red carpet, underscoring the shared leadership and vision behind the Culture In Motion National Roadshow.

 

Celebrity guests including Algee Smith, Jaime Jones of the Grammy Award Winning Music Group All-4-One, Jon B, George Daniels, Ron Stewart (Senior Vice President of Warner Records), Rodney ‘Lil Rod’ Jones Jr, Yung Muusik, DJ Rogers Jr., Chef Sean, Rugrat and many more joined artists, community leaders, and creatives in celebrating culture as a force for connection and progress. 

 

“Culture in Motion is a living expression of art, empowerment, and community. Launching in Los Angeles during Grammy week extends the spirit of The Apollo beyond its walls and into the streets where creators and communities move culture forward together. It sets the tone for a Roadshow that invites people to show up, participate, and see themselves reflected in what’s possible,” said Kwanza Jones.

 

The Los Angeles stop set the tone for the National Roadshow’s journey, reinforcing The Apollo’s enduring role as a catalyst for cultural expression and civic impact, now amplified through movement, mobility, and modern storytelling.