Last May, actress and beloved social media personality Tabitha Brown debuted her very first collection in partnership with Target. It began with a line of apparel, including swimsuits and summer staples that were a huge hit with her fan base and Target shoppers. It makes sense that nearly a year later, as summer is slowly around the corner once again, Brown and Target are announcing their final collection. Launching on May 14, which is Mother’s Day, the final line is an assortment of outdoor and summer entertainment items inspired by the starlet’s own love of entertaining friends and family.
“When I’m not working and traveling, my favorite place to be is at home. I just love being at home,” she tells ESSENCE. “We have everybody come over, get in the pool, play cards. I cook and make some good food and just get to be around family and friends. Because that’s really what that matters to me. A meal with my family and friends, like that is the best time for me.”
The collection of pieces, ranging from outdoor furniture to games, tableware and more, are inspired by her gatherings both in her current home of Los Angeles but also her Eden, North Carolina beginnings.
She couldn’t be more excited about the collection, but of course, so is Target.
“Our guests have loved the vegan food assortment and vibrant finds from our partnership with Tabitha Brown, so I can’t wait for them to see the offerings in this latest collection, featuring outdoor and entertaining items designed for the summer season,” says Jill Sando, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer, Target. “This entire collection, which is incredibly close to Tabitha’s heart, helps our guests bring nourishment and joy to their friends and family.”
The collection ranges in price from $3 to 150, and as usual, is colorful, bringing a spirit of happiness and togetherness to every gathering.
We talked to the vegan queen and mama mogul about her favorite items from the rollout and how she’s feeling about this final line of goods. Granted, this might be the last collection planned in Brown’s yearlong partnership with the company, but she says, in the spirit of all things summer fun and family, she will always be connected to Target.
“I will forever be Target family,” says Brown. “Forever, forever, I love them. They love me. It’s a family up there and you know, can’t get rid of family.”
ESSENCE: Congratulations on the fourth installment of your collection with Target! This one that you have coming is all about entertaining and summer fun. How important is entertaining to you and how did you come up with the pieces for this line?
Tabitha Brown: Well, honey, it’s very North Carolina, so summertime is the time. Like we all are outside. Cookouts, barbecue, family reunions, everybody’s getting together. It’s parties in the evening. Any given Sunday’s like a family reunion, even though you just at your grandma house, but everybody is over.
We’re playing cards, we’re having food, you know we’re drinking, we’re playing music. It’s just always fun in the summertime. And so that was how I grew up. And even now that I live in Los Angeles, summertime, I’m always trying to invite people over and just have a good time. And as you get older it’s kind of like, “Even though I want to have a good time, I also want to relax and party a little bit and just chill out and have a nice little lounge chair and all those things.”
So when I had this opportunity, I was like, it’s got to be all about family, fun, relaxing, entertainment. And that’s what made me decide to do this one.
And listen, one of my favorites is card games. We love playing some Spades. And so when they were like, “Did you want to do cards?” I was like, “Oh my God, can I please do cards? Like I play cards.” It’s just, oh, I can’t even tell you how excited I am about them cards.
So yes, I know it seems so small but it’s so big to me because we are a card playing family. And so making the cards, the dominoes, the puzzles, which is kind of like a tribute to my great aunt who was deaf, but she loved puzzles. It was her thing. And so as a little girl I was always putting puzzles together with her. And for it to be my dog Blackie, his whole face, it’s just so cute. Blackie’s excited about it. He was like, “Thank you, very kindly.”
But then it’s like the lounge cushions just for comfort. They’re colorful and fun. I just think people are going to enjoy that and serving their drinks and their food on these colorful plates and cups. These people are just going to be like, “This is so Tab. This feels like I’m at her cookout or at the family reunion,” you know?
What are some of your favorite pieces that people will get to get their hands on once the collection launches? I know you mentioned the puzzle with Blackie, which is super cute. The cards. What else is kind of really close to your heart?
The speaker. Music is a big thing. And so my daddy was like, “Make sure I get that speaker.” Because you know music brings people together. It’s a universal language. Music speaks to all of us and it makes us all feel a certain way. And summertime vibes, you know I can already hear that Will Smith “Summertime” playing. I can already hear the vibe. That’s one of my favorites. The projector for people to have movie nights on their lawn, in their yard or at the park, wherever they decide to have it and watch movies. That also makes my heart happy.
The pool float, which is so much fun. You know I love a good pool float. The vibrant color, what I feel like will make people happy in the moment. You know because sometimes even in summertime, although it’s a fun season, some people don’t have family and friends so they look to their things to bring them joy. You know, the things that they buy, the color and patterns that bring happiness into their space. And so those are the things that I’m really excited about, just having those options for people.
With this being the fourth and final collection with Target, how are you feeling about all four iterations of the collection that you put out there and the way that they were all received by your fans and supporters?
I feel so blessed. Like I am still overwhelmed with gratitude because it just blows my mind that people still show up and support me the way they do. Never gets old. It just never gets old to feel the love and the support. You know I still see ladies with they dresses on. I see y’all, you got your clothes. I be like, “I love y’all so much. I’m so thankful.”
But I feel grateful to Target for even giving me the opportunity, for believing in me, for believing in my fan base. You know, knowing how loyal that they are and that they show up. I’m just thankful all around. I mean, what a blessing to be able to not only have a dream but for a dream to be bigger than you imagine. And for God to bless me in this way, girl, I’m just so grateful. I’m so thankful.
Shop the collection when it’s released on May 14 at Target stores and on Target.com.