Blackbook Weekly
The campaigns and moments in culture that you need to see
We are back with your weekly digest of the moves shaping the creator economy, brand partnerships and cultural currency.
Here’s what caught our eye this week.
Joy Ogunbambo marks Style of Play’s one-year anniversary
Writer Joy Ogunbambo marks Style of Play’s one-year anniversary with “Nigerian Identity Through Football,” a campaign featuring Ola Aina exploring heritage through AFCON, produced with 30&9.
This is what happens when you build with intention. Joy spent a year writing about culture, identity and the stories beneath the surface of sport, and now she’s turning that into a full campaign with a Premier League footballer, a production company and a vision that stretches across Medium, Substack, and Instagram.
Independent creators aren’t waiting for permission anymore. They’re building platforms worth partnering with.
Topicals closes funding round with Angel Reese and Rema
Skincare brand Topicals closed a funding round with investors including WNBA star Angel Reese and Nigerian singer Rema, bringing its total raised since 2020 to over $20 million.
Speaking exclusively to The Business of Beauty, founder Olamide Olowe said that she wanted to invite investors from the Topicals community. “When you think of Topicals, you think of our marketing, storytelling and products, and you think a lot about culture,” she said. “These are people who control culture.”
This isn’t just about beauty, it’s about who gets a seat at the cap table. Influence is becoming equity, and the smartest founders know it.
Corteiz’s Clint featured in The New York Times
Corteiz founder Clint was featured in The New York Times.
When legacy media validates streetwear and its ongoing new-gen resurgence, it’s acknowledging where power has shifted, away from the usual conglomerate brands and fashion houses.
The gatekeepers aren’t gone; they’re just scrambling to cover the people who bypassed them entirely. And it’s becoming increasingly difficult when the independent brands are doing as well as, if not better than, the ones who’ve had decades of institutional backing and billion-dollar budgets.
Footlocker’s European campaign
British creator fdfromthefuture, along with other basketball stars such as Ovie Soko, features in Footlocker’s European campaign “The Game Never Sleeps,” part of the retailer’s expanded 2025 NBA partnership.
The campaign ties basketball culture to street style through a social media campaign. This follow’s Footlocker’s activation during the NBA All-Star event in 2025, where the brand brought in Anthony Edwards and Jayson Tatum for fan experiences, and in Europe, they’re gave away away 50 limited-edition Jeff Hamilton jackets.
Liverpool FC x Tommy Hilfiger
Liverpool FC announced a landmark global partnership with Tommy Hilfiger, marking a first in world football as two cultural icons unite to define the next era of game-day style.
Football clubs aren’t just sports entities anymore, they’re lifestyle brands with global reach that fashion houses can’t afford to ignore. This partnership is proof that the lines between sport, fashion and culture have fully dissolved.
Huda Beauty refreshes REAL Easy Bake Pressed
Huda Beauty announced the launch of its renewed REAL Easy Bake Pressed powder.
In an oversaturated market, sometimes the smartest move isn’t launching something new, it’s fixing what didn’t land the first time.
Legacy brands are learning that staying relevant means actually listening when customers tell you what they need. It’s not about what’s new. It’s about what works.
These moments show us where the industry is heading: equity over endorsements, creators as campaigns and independent platforms becoming institutions in their own right.
The rules aren’t secret anymore. The access isn’t hereditary. But you have to move like you already belong at the table, because the people who are winning already do.
If you spotted a campaign we missed, let us know.
And if you’re not already part of the conversation, you know where to find us on LinkedIn and Instagram @thebrandingblackbook.