ʻ Diarra From Detroit’ Is a Love Letter To Diarra Kilpatrick’s Hometown
The new BET series follows a teacher who decides to investigate the disappearance of her Tinder date.
No matter how much Diarra Kilpatrick is her own guiding light when it comes to what art she makes, it always feels good to have it hit home with an audience. Such is the beauty of the week of screenings Kilpatrick has been attending lately, getting to sit in a room with viewers, who have proved to her that while she may have made her new show for her, they're happy she did.
“I subscribe to the whole Jordan
Peele thing of ‘make the thing that you desperately want to see.' And so that's really where I'm coming from. When I'm making all the decisions, I really try to speak to myself as the viewer,” Kilpatrick says. “But then of course, you hope that it resonates with other people. That's the part where you're like, ‘I've made myself happy, but will I make anybody else happy?' So that really feels good.”
Kilpatrick is the creator, producer and star of the new series “Diarra from Detroit,” out now on BET, which follows a teacher in the midst of a divorce who decides to investigate the apparent disappearance of a man she met on Tinder.
“I had a friend, we were talking at a party, and his mom just kind of casually mentioned that she worked as a PI for a while,” Kilpatrick says. “And I was like, ‘what? That's crazy.' She was kind of like a middle-aged woman, not in necessarily the best shape, just a regular woman. And I was like, that makes a ton of sense. Not only has every woman turned into a private investigator at some point to get some kind of information on someone that we're dating, but also we're underestimated. And when we walk into a room, no one feels endangered necessarily. And so I thought a regular teacher who moonlights as a private investigator would be a really fun show.”
The one word Kilpatrick keeps hearing from people who have seen the show is “unique.” Kilpatrick says that while mystery shows are something we're all familiar with, her take on the classic genre was something she personally hadn't seen before.
“There's a nostalgia for [mystery shows]. A lot of us have watched them with older generations, but people have never really seen a younger Black woman in the driver's seat of those kinds of stories,” she says. “I grew up reading Nancy Drew and all those novels, and we just haven't seen the edgy version of that yet, especially mixing it with comedy.”
Kilpatrick, who is known for her Emmynominated web series “American Koko” as well as her role in “Perry Mason,” grew up watching mystery shows with her grandmother, whom she describes as “that old fashioned grandma.”
“She cooked, she cleaned, she watched television. And so I watched what she watched, and a lot of those shows were white shows. But because I watched them through her point of view, they became Black shows to me,” she says. “Her commentary on them, the way she thought about what they were doing or who she thought had committed the murder and why they were always for very Black female reasons. And so I think that genre was born in that moment.”
The idea for “Diarra from Detroit” first came to Kilpatrick in 2020, and took another two years before she got to pitch the idea to BET. She knew early on that she wanted her next project to be set in Detroit, her hometown, following the failure of a pilot she had written for Showtime starring a character from Detroit.
“I realized I had the most fun writing the scenes that were about her friends from back home. And I just really enjoy writing about these people. I feel these characters that are quintessentially Detroit I don't think people have seen, particularly with a softer kinetic point of view,” she says.
“I just think everyone's a stand-up comedian in search of a stage in Detroit. Everybody has a one-liner, everybody has a clap-back. Everybody has a kind of a humorous point of view. I think that when you think about Detroit, you think about it's fast-paced or it's aggressive or it has a masculine energy to it. But I think a sense of humor has been so important to the resiliency of its people,” she continues about her hometown.
“We can have a tough exterior, but I think the mark of a Detroit character is when you get all the way 360 degrees around a person and all the way inside a person, you realize why that exterior is so tough. There's usually a gooey center on the inside. And unless you know those people intimately, you might not get to see that. So I really wanted to show that to the world.”
DKNY is ready for baseball season.
The company has entered a multifaceted, long-term partnership with the New York Yankees.
The company will once again have a presence in Yankee Stadium with an 855- square-foot billboard in right field featuring the new DKNY logo. In 2010, the company made history as the first fashion brand to advertise on this scale at Yankee Stadium.
DKNY has had a relationship with sports for some time, with multiple past collaborations with the Yankees. G- III has had a history of holding licensing agreements with MLB, the NHL and the NFL.
“This unique partnership is part of DKNY's overall brand strategy to increase visibility across multiple media channels to a loyal and passionate audience,” said Jeff Goldfarb, executive vice president at G-III Apparel Group.
“DKNY has had a longstanding relationship with the New York Yankees, and having our presence back at Yankee Stadium in such a prominent location demonstrates the connection our brand has with the Yankees' iconic franchise and legacy,” he said.
“We are extremely excited to partner with DKNY this season,” said Michael Tusiani, New
York Yankees senior vice president of partnerships. “DKNY is an iconic New
York company and having its logo prominently displayed in the outfield will provide its brand great exposure at Yankee Stadium throughout the year.”
DKNY and New York Yankees co- branded hats will be available to shop on DKNY.com. In addition to the billboard, DKNY will have other digital in- stadium formats.
The DKNY billboard at Yankee Stadium will be visible beginning on the team's home opener on Friday.
After five years of being on a first- name basis with customers, Dunkin' changed its name for a day to “Donuts.”
Quite the April Fool's
Day prank, the Canton, Mass.- based coffee and donut chain has launched a limited- run of apparel. After being known as Dunkin' Donuts for decades, the company retooled its name to just “Dunkin'” five years ago. In an Instagram post on April 1, Dunkin' explained “we're changing our name again. now we're just DONUTS'. we will have coffee still. pls. don't ask any other questions. just going thru it rn. - DONUTS'.”
A Dunkin' publicist emailed WWD Monday morning to say, “The brand has decided to go back to its roots and rebrand to just Donuts'… today, April 1st.” Asked to confirm that the rebrand was not an April Fool's Day joke, she wrote, “The merch is very real. The brand name change to donuts won't stick past tomorrow but donuts merch is real!”
Shoppers may want to snatch up this drop, because just like with the jelly, glazed and Boston crème doughnuts that are sold every day in its stores, once they are gone — that's it for the day. Dunkin' followers learned of it via Instagram, TikTok and X. Tonal crewneck sweatshirts imprinted with “DONUTS” are being offered in beige, white and Dunkin' Donuts signature pink. The company first favored that “Barbie”-friendly pink as part of a redesign in 1960 — long before Barbiecore emerged or Pantone released a
Barbie pink.
This is the second apparel drop Dunkin' has made in the last few months, following its release of the designs sported by Ben Affleck,
Tom Brady and Matt Damon in the brand's Super Bowl commercial with Jennifer Lopez. That lineup sold out in a matter of minutes and a re-stock also sold out.
The name Dunkin' Donuts was hatched in 1950, two years after founder William Rosenberg had unveiled a coffee and doughnut shop outside of Boston. Corporate lore attributes the name change to an executive architect, who was inspired by the idea of dunking doughnuts into coffee.
Anticipating a hot item — and inevitably a dataharvesting opportunity for thousands of new customers, visitors to the Dunkin's e-commerce site require a password to access the limited-edition apparel. Like the chain's affordable doughnuts, the apparel is within reach too — with sweatshirts selling for $25 plus shipping and handling. Although consumers have 5,000 different options for ordering a coffee at Dunkin' or “Donuts'” — according to its site, the branded clothing is considerably more restricted. And although the company has 12,500 locations in 46 countries, the “DONUTS” apparel is only available to those in the U.S.
In recent years, doughnut shops have been a culinary trend in New York and other foodie- loving cities. Artisanal ones are of particular interest with Dough, Doughnut Plant, Fan Fan Donuts, Bear, Doughnut Project and Daily Provisions giving the indulgence an upgrade. Designers like
Tom Ford and Vera Wang don't need convincing — each has shared their fondness for doughnuts publicly. Ford reportedly claimed to eat one a day, although his physique suggests otherwise. During New York Fashion Week, some designers lace their backstage catering with doughnuts for models, who presumably hold off until after the show.
Dunkers, sinkers, crullers — however you define them — doughnuts ring up an estimated $3.6 billion worth of business annually in the U.S. For a “National Donut Day” article in WWD, Dunkin'
Donuts created a one-off Chanel-inspired doughnut with a strawberry-frosted doughnut with sprinkles that was redesigned to be reminiscent of the luxury house's signature interlocking “C's.”
The high- low appeal of doughnuts is not new, though. In 1903, Isabella Stewart Gardner served Champagne and doughnuts as refreshments after the Boston Symphony performed at the black tie unveiling of her Italian palazzo art museum. That combination prompted one guest — Edith Wharton — to compare the choice to being fit for a provincial train station in France. Leaving the party, Gardner, who unbeknownst to Wharton spoke French and had heard the slight, offered a sign of thanks before telling Wharton she needn't expect another invitation to eat in this railroad station.
Hurley, a Bluestar Alliance brand, has signed a new licensee, Mamiye Brothers, for its women's and activewear line.
The first collection under Mamiye will launch for spring 2025. InMocean, which had the license for women's and activewear, will continue to do Hurley swim. The last InMocean women's and activewear collection for Hurley is holiday 2024.
Mamiye, founded in 1947, produces and markets apparel brands for babies, children, juniors, young women and women. Its portfolio includes such brands as Scotch & Soda, C& C California, Habitual, Kensie Jeans and Little Me.
Carissa Moore, five-time World Surfing Champion and Olympic Gold medalist, will work with the Mamiye team to support the Hurley brand, designing and acting as a consultant to add authenticity to the women's side of the business. Moore's collection for Hurley launched in the summer of 2021, with swim only at the time.
“I am super excited about the opportunity to work closely with the new women's sportswear and activewear licensee Mamiye on creating some pieces beyond swim. Outside of the water, I'm constantly on the go and need gear that will keep up. From training to running errands, catching up with friends, walking the dogs or date night with my hubby, I'm looking forward to collaborating with the team to make something fun and functional for every occasion,” said Moore, who has been collaborating on a collection for several seasons.
Nathan Mamiye, executive vice president of Mamiye Brothers, said, “We are honored to embark on this exciting journey with Hurley Womenswear, a brand network whose energy, people and culture are truly inspiring. The addition of Hurley to Mamiye's portfolio of brands not only complements our current business but also opens new avenues for growth and innovation in womenswear.”
Ralph Gindi, chief operating officer of
Bluestar Alliance, added, “We know Mamiye Brothers well, having had the pleasure of working with them on other brands in our portfolio, and have always appreciated their ability to expertly adopt and evolve a brand's aesthetic. We are confident, given their keen eye for fashion and function, that Mamiye Brothers is the right partner to elevate the women's category and contribute to the continued success of the Hurley brand.”
Hurley was founded in Huntington Beach,
Calif., in 1999 and today manufactures such categories as shorts and bottoms, dresses and rompers, activewear, hoodies and fleece, wetsuits and swimwear.
Its lines are geared to women's, men's and kids.
Bluestar Alliance's brands include Hurley, Scotch & Soda, Bebe, Elie Tahari, Kensie, Justice, Catherine Malandrino, Nanette
Lepore, English Laundry, Brookstone, Joan Vass and Limited Too. Its current portfolio of brands manages more than 300 licensees who distribute product throughout North America, Europe, Australia, South America, Asia, the Middle East and India.
The 46th Annual Outstanding Mother Awards will honor four influential leaders across beauty, retail, business and medicine on May 9 at The Pierre Hotel in New York.
Hosted once again by mistress of ceremonies Joanna Coles, this year's honorees are Nyakio Grieco, cofounder, Thirteen Lune and founder of Relevant; Debbi Hartley-Triesch, executive vice president, general merchandise manager, accessories, beauty and home at Nordstrom; Dr. Dendy Engelman, board certified dermatologic surgeon, Shafer Clinic Fifth Avenue; and Hannah Bronfman, activist, author, creator and founder of Pres10 Ventures.
“We look forward to recognizing our incredible honorees for their contributions as mothers, leaders, and role models in their communities while raising funds for the important work being done by this year's charity partners,” said Nance Hastings, chairman of the National Mother's
Day Committee. “Our organization has long recognized women who have dedicated their lives to balancing the commitments of family life and careers with grace, and we are excited to welcome four more Outstanding Mothers to our ranks.”
Proceeds from this year's luncheon will benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, a mentoring network that develops positive relationships that have a lasting impact on the lives of young people, and Boys Hope Girls Hope New York, which provides personalized academic support and wraparound services to break the cycle of poverty and empower young scholars.
The National Father's Day/ Mother's Day Council, inc. has donated more than $ 35 million to deserving family- related charities over the years.