Leon Bridges Brings it Home With VADA

Katie started VADA in 2013 as a jewelry brand, a tribute to her grandmother's love for vintage jewelry and in 2020, right before COVID hit, decided to include eyewear in her offerings. The next year she had a fated conversation with Leon about Bobby Womack that led to this very collection. It took two years to perfect the two styles and considering the source inspiration, it only made sense to bring the party to ByGeorge and the Hotel Saint Vincent.

The celebration started with a shopping event at ByGeorge that harnessed the anticipation for the night ahead. Around sunset, Katie, Leon, friends and family took to the courtyard for hors d'oeuvres and cocktails before the party at the Chapel Club in the hotel that evening. As the sun set and the air cooled, there was a slight breeze by the pool that enhanced every conversation.

While in the courtyard, I sat down with Katie and Leon to learn more about their latest project.

How are you today?

Leon Bridges— I'm wonderful.

Are you excited to be here celebrating your collaboration with VADA?

LB— Absolutely. It's a cool moment to be celebrating all of this in New Orleans. I consider this place home, so it's definitely a special thing.

What makes it home to you? Were you raised here?

LB— My lineage goes back pretty far here. My whole family lives here. And so, I used to come here during the holidays as a kid. And so, I've always loved the culture here and the vibe.

Is that why you decided to host the launch of this during the jazz festival here?

LB— That was actually...

Katie Caplener— Part of the reason, yeah.

Texas was the first choice. We are so close to there, being in Fort Worth and Austin; I partner with ByGeorge already — they're an Austin-based company; but I also knew he was coming for Jazz Fest. May's also the best time in New Orleans and we wanted to house our nearest and dearest and bring them out to a party vibe.

I couldn’t agree more [laughs] the day has been great so far. 

KC—I feel like it all worked out as it was meant to. This is my favorite hotel in the world and New Orleans is one of my favorite cities.

How did you two meet?

LB— So I was working on a music video, and there was a stylist on set, I think...

KC— Margaret.

LB— Yes Margaret. She pulled some VADA pieces that I wore on set. I was like, "Yo, can I just buy these and keep them?" Then I reached out to Katie to design a Cuban Link with some diamonds in that shit. She designed my first neckpiece.

KC— Yeah, that was a staple.

At what point did you think, "Okay, let's do this. Let's collaborate on our own frame"?

KC— So we launched Eyewear in 2020 right before COVID hit. And Leon was so graciously one of the first very well-known famous friends to post them on Instagram. We're still so small, but we started out very organically. And through that [looks at Leon] I feel like you were always an eyewear connoisseur. He's always got the coolest eyewear.

We were talking one day and one of us sent a picture of Bobby Womack wearing these really sick wrap frames on the back of a horse with a cowboy hat. Bobby was an eyewear god — if you Google him, in every picture is a different piece of eyewear. For some of them, I think he got custom because you can't clock them. You can't find what brand they were. Right then I was like, "We should collaborate." And Leon was like, "Yeah, let's do it." That was two years ago. So it wasn't a quick process, but any product, especially if you're working with really small makers in Japan, takes a really long time.

LB— Yeah, I think it's just the right moment. The common thread is that we're both from Texas. For me, it’s also important to support women doing dope art, and it's so cool to put my stamp on that.

It does seem like sunglasses are very much part of your style. Are you particular about the styles you wear?

LB— Totally.

How did you decide on the two styles: Eartha and Leon? Did one style come before the other?

LB— Well, we referenced the Bobby Womack thing…

KC— Which was Eartha, the wrap frame.

LB— Each one reflects some of the shapes and color palettes that I gravitate towards.

KC— I designed multiple frames and sent them back and forth and I said, "Okay, pick one." Then we landed on the Eartha, but also the butterfly frame as well because it's very seventies… very Gucci, Christian Dior, etc. 

I said, "Let's just make two." Because they're so different from each other. The butterfly frame is bubbly and very Leon hence the name, while Eartha is wholly inspired by Bobby Womack with its width, but it’s almost also very nineties.

I find it timeless… You associate that frame not with a decade, but with a specific person or personality. 

KC— Totally. And I feel like the “Eartha” especially resonates with Leon. While I see him as a modern R&B artist, he pulls inspiration from the most tasteful sixties — the groove, the music, the art. It's really loud, but it doesn't really fit into one time period. So I agree, it's the perfect blend because it is sort of timeless.

Do you feel like your style goes hand in hand with your musical practice?

LB— Good art and style are always going to transcend. It’s something I gravitate towards, so I molded my music and fashion after the 60s and 70s.

KC— We’re both always trying to evolve, myself as a designer and Leon as a musician.  As soon as somebody tries to box me in, I'm like, “Nope, we're going to go this way." It’s not about the shock factor, but rather, "Whatever you feel." And it has to be emotional, it can't be calculated or based on the passing trend. Otherwise, we're just everybody else.

I think all great art whether sonic or physical arises from a place of possibility where you're just kind of putting yourself out there and letting yourself feel something.

KC— Totally. And then whatever comes out, you go from there and you're like, "Is this really what I was trying to do or do I need to work on it a little bit more?"

How important was it to have one of the glasses named after your grandmother?

LB— I never met her, which is crazy. So the little I do know comes from the stories of my mother and others in my family. And so that actually started with the necklace that you designed. [looks at Katie] She had "Eartha" engraved on it. But yeah man, I just try to keep my people alive and in the art.

Yeah, for sure. I mean, it's kind of crazy that you never met your grandmother, but she played such an instrumental role in your life. 

KC— Yeah. That's cool. And Vada is my maternal grandmother's name too.

Why did you decide to name the eyewear line after your grandmother?

KC— Well, I started with jewelry in 2013, with vintage and antique jewelry because that's what my grandmother wore. She was always going to the pawn shop and making her own jewelry. She'd melt gold and make little stuff for herself. And I feel like all the jewelry I wore was either handed down or inspired by her. When I was just a jewelry line, it made sense to name it VADA. Also, I love four-letter words. Leon, VADA, etc. 

It is catchy.

LB— It's a hit.

KC— When he  told me he wanted "Eartha" engraved on the custom chain, I was like, "Oh, it makes perfect sense." Vada's my grandma. Eartha's his. And she's from Arkansas, which is close to Louisiana. I grew up in Arkansas, so I feel like it's all kind of connected

Were there any obstacles in terms of working with Japanese acetate?

KC— It’s really hard to produce there. They're very particular. They're the best, in my opinion. But each frame goes through a hundred hands before getting to the final product. It's not what you think. It's not a factory with hundreds of people on an assembly line. We produce on the west coast of Japan in a farming town. It’s very small. There are all these micro-factories that specialize in every little thing — one in hinges, another in lenses, etc. So yeah, that's the only obstacle I feel. It's just timing and being patient. 

Do you approach making music in the same way? With patience? 

LB— Most recently I've had the freedom to just take my time with this album. I’ve got a whole year to work on this next project and I haven't had that yet.

Do you have a favorite of the two styles? 

LB— Yeah, I mean the “Leon.” It's a type of style for those one-of-one artists. I think Michael Jackson would've rocked that.

When you wear Leon, is there a song that comes to mind?

LB— You know what? Only because the inspo initially came from Bobby Womack. I kind of envision a cool dude just strolling with some "Baby! You Oughta Think it Over” playing.  

KC— That was so good. Yeah, I love that.

Is there a color that you really resonate with that style?

LB— Man. Yeah, my whole thing is the earth tones, and outside of that, I love the fucking Johnny Cash, all-black look.

KC— The onyx.

What was your favorite part of collaborating together? 

KC— Getting to talk to Leon all the time. Being like, "Hey, what's up?"

LB— My favorite was the photo shoot. Sometimes those things are draining, but I was lucky enough to be with a cool crew.

KC— It was super. And the crew is so cool and it's people that I always work with. I feel like I work with the same people and just keep good people around. And it was low-key and fun. I'm like, "This is fun." If we're not going to have fun, we don't need to do this. And that’s how the rest of the journey has been as well. 

The Party at Chapel Club

After the poolside soirée, I found myself staring up at a pair of towering black doors with the words "Chapel Club" above in a bright red. When the doors opened, laughter and music echoed out. As I entered, DJ Honey was already getting the party started with throwback jams.

Within minutes, the room started to fill and soon everyone was skin to skin as the dancing went on and on. Eventually, Leon joined the celebration and took to the booth with DJ Honey for a brief performance.

The rest of Jazz Fest

After the night was done, I found myself on Bourbon street with the VADA crew once more, who – knowing it was my first time in New Orleans – wanted to show me what it was all about. It was so much like New York City, in the sense that there was so much going on, but it still had that small town charm. Throughout the next couple of days, it became clear that behind VADA was a network of people with a genuine connection and that the brand was a conduit of their shared creativity. The weather that Saturday called for a muted adventure, one that entailed thrift shops, poboys, and gator balls. What shined through was the way they incorporated VADA shades into their everyday outfits.

I look forward to grabbing my own pair, but have yet to decide whether “Eartha” or “Leon” are the right one for me. Either way, both are now available for pre-order on Vada.World for delivery in June. Take a look and make your pick before the summer months really come around.