Gabrielle Union just took her New York & Company partnership to the next level.
The 46-year-old actress, who has been collaborating with the brand since 2017, dropped her spring 2019 collection Wednesday — and PEOPLE has all the exclusive details behind her colorful campaign shoot in this week’s issue!
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“Every collection gets stronger and stronger, and I feel more and more confident to really reveal more of myself and my interests, and they [New York & Company] roll with me,” Union tells PEOPLE of her latest clothing drop with the womenswear label. “It’s super collaborative — it’s very much my vision and what I wear and what I’m inspired by. My world, as it ebbs and flows and changes.”
Union, who describes her personal style as “evolving, mildly edgy and comfortable,” says the new collection is centered on her and husband Dwyane Wade’s love of art. The couple, who married in 2014, have been very involved in the Wynwood art scene in Miami, where Wade, 37, plays basketball as the point guard for the Miami Heat.
“With trying to push the boundaries a little bit, I wanted to do a collection that was inspired by a lot of art,” she shares. “My husband and I are budding art collectors, and we are so inspired by all the different kinds of art that we see all over the world. I wanted to use that as an inspiration and jumping off point for this collection with the really bold prints and the colors and the textures. That’s really much a part of our home and our life and what inspires us.”
Another reason why this collection, which ranges in price from $59.95-$129.95, is extra meaningful to the superstar? It’s her first since becoming mom to daughter Kaavia James, 3 months.
Union, welcomed her long-awaited baby girl with Wade, via surrogate on Nov. 7 after years of infertility struggles.
And when she was shooting her New York and Company campaign in L.A., Kaavia was never far from her side.
“If I don’t bring her, I will miss everything,” Union says. “She changes every day.”
The star made sure to keep working moms in mind when designing this collection, and she hopes the pieces empower women to feel confident and comfortable.
“I want to be fly, I want to be able to put on clothes by myself,” she says. “I know a lot of times we’re getting dressed by ourselves, we don’t have a team of people. I need to be able to get dressed, look fly and be comfortable and not feel like my clothes are attacking me as I’m with her, as I’m at work. I need to be able to have transitional clothing that can go from day-to-night. It needs to be able to be wiped off, like spit up that comes right off, and clothes that I can throw in the washing machine.”
She adds: “We’re all trying to cut bills, and I don’t want to create a ton of pieces that have to be dry cleaned. I want you to be able to throw your clothes in the washing machine and they don’t lose their shape and you can wear them more than once. And clothes that you can mix and match. That all comes from, ‘How do I get out the door in the least time possible, looking as good as possible, but still be comfortable?’”
Gabrielle Union’s spring 2019 New York & Company collection is available now at nyandcompany.com and stores nationwide. Pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE — on stands everywhere Friday — for more on Union’s fashion passion project.
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