If you’re like us and couldn’t get enough of the show-stopping looks from the WACO Theater’s 2019 Wearable Art Gala, you’re in luck.
Brought to life by Tina Knowles-Lawson and Richard Lawson, the annual soiree combined artistic fashion and philanthropy for the third year in a row as the star-studded event got underway last Saturday—and now, it’s coming to television.
Marketing executive, producer and content creator Steve Jones partnered with Oprah Winfrey’s OWN Network to give viewers an exclusive look behind the magical evening with OWN Presents: Inside WACO’s Wearable Art Gala, so fans can watch what happens at the highly-publicist event for first time ever in its three-year history.
As a member of the Wearable Art Gala planning committee, Jones brought the idea of a special to OWN President, Tina Perry, spearheading the OWN and WACO collaboration. Jones serves as executive producer of the primetime special through his company, Brand Maverick Entertainment.
“I feel very blessed to partner with The Lawson’s and OWN on this project as an Executive Producer,” Jones told ESSENCE. “I’ve produced several projects for OWN including the record breaking Black Love and Motherly Love, [a] Mother’s Day special. But to have this project feature heavy hitters such as Beyonce, Tyler Perry and Viola Davis, all for a great cause such as underprivileged children? I couldn’t be more thrilled. I’m very blessed to be in this position, and I don’t take it lightly.”
Event c0-chairs Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Solange Knowles-Ferguson, Kelly Rowland were all on hand for gala, which was hosted by Emmy-winning actress and comedienne Tiffany Haddish and carried a theme of “A Journey To The Pride Lands” as a salute to Disney’s highly-anticipated fall 2019 release, The Lion King.
Award presenters included Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis and author Shaka Senghor, with creator Tyler Perry and ESSENCE Ventures Founder and Chair Richelieu Dennis among the honorees recognized for their positive contributions to the entertainment industry and world at large through their art.
OWN Presents: Inside WACO’s Wearable Art Gala airs June 11 at 10 p.m. ET on OWN.