Issue link: https://www.balharbourdigital.com/i/1538963
P H OTO BY P I E T E R H E N K E T style setter like to end things with an exclamation, more so than a period," muses June Ambrose, the creative director, costume designer, and entrepreneur, about her personal style. It's no surprise then, that she's become known for her oversized hats, eccentricity, and distinct point of view, all deeply rooted in her Caribbean heritage. "I'm from the British West Indies, and it was always these formal settings. You wore your finest, you dressed your best. It was well-tailored and curated—but also punctuated with color and texture." Ambrose brings that same punctuation to her clients. She's worked with Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, and other icons. Jay-Z, her longtime collaborator, wore a perfectly tailored yellow linen suit in the 1996 Feelin' It video, a breezy, tropical vibe captured in Negril, Jamaica, early in his career. It was a visual disruption: hip-hop elegance reframed through Black joy and ease. "We were doing things that stepped us out of the social confines of how society saw us," says Ambrose. In the early '90s, hip-hop and high fashion often clashed. There was a lack of representation across models, designers, and creative teams, and some brands borrowed from streetwear without context or used African prints as trends rather than a meaningful tribute. "There was a period of time where fashion didn't recognize that music and Black culture were influencing popular culture," Ambrose reflects. Through her work, style became a language of power—one that redefined how people saw themselves and expanded what was possible. "There was a time when everything felt like a carnival—shiny, metallic, over the top," she recalls of her music video era. That imagery wasn't just art; it drove culture. "At the time, that was our social media. Music videos were our PSAs." She has long used celebrities as muses to attract and inspire: "Who doesn't want to look and feel like a superstar?" she says. "That's what's attractive… and now we're creating that mentality in streetwear, in Ready-to-wear, in sports." Missy Elliott is another longtime muse. For the 2024 "Out of This World" tour, Ambrose designed more than 250 looks for Elliott and her dancers. "We could've gone to fashion houses and asked to collaborate, but instead, I built my own atelier and we got it done." Even as the industry evolves, Ambrose's creative signature remains unmistakable. "I still have that same celebratory, peacocking kind of attitude—and that definitely comes from my Caribbean roots." She has plenty to celebrate. With a career spanning decades and powerhouse collaborations, Ambrose has proven her staying power. She shapeshifts between image architect, designer, creative director, and entrepreneur. And although she's most often found in the rarefied air, stepping out of a black car while mingling with the fashion elite, the style stories that excite her most are happening on the streets. "Style is innate. It's about character, craftsmanship, point of view." A cultural guardian and trendsetter, Ambrose was blending fashion, beauty, and sports long before it became a brand play. Five years ago, she was creative director of women's basketball at Puma Hoops. Today, she holds the same title at Naturalizer, where she also serves as a global ambassador. And what's next? She smiles coyly. "I'm not sure I can say." Though her resume reads like a highlight reel, Ambrose insists she's still evolving. "I'm still a student," she says. One day—maybe—she'll feel like she's made it. "At the end of my life cycle, maybe I'll feel like I've arrived." I Image architect June Ambrose rewrote the rules of fashion with hip-hop as her runway. Now she's shaping the future with a style that punctuates. BY DANIELLE C. JAMES welcome to the BALHAR B O U RSH O P S .CO M