We love Rosario Dawson. The original Downtown girl first repped the LES at the tender age of 16 in Larry Clark’s gritty New York classic Kids, before embarking on a career that has seemingly only gained momentum as the decades have passed. Now it turns out that in addition to her talent and stunning looks, she’s also damn a good person, and we have the proof. It’s called Studio One Eighty Nine: a social enterprise co-founded by Dawson and Abrimah Erwiah that brilliantly mixes fashion and commerce to provide a platform for artisans and creatives both from Africa and the global diaspora.
In case you missed it, the Manhattan-born Cubana-Boricua recently took a pie in the face on the Queen Latifah show to raise money for the both the brand and foundation that serves as its social outreach wing. Now, the star of Netflix’s upcoming original series Daredevil has teamed up with the celebrity social media service WhoSay and Lexus to to promote the grand opening of her Studio One Eighty Nine pop-up store on Oscar weekend (apparently that’s a thing in L.A.). The videos will follow America’s chica-next-door as she tools around Los Angeles preparing for the store’s grand-opening, and of course, she will be driving a Lexus.
In addition to attaching her name to the Studio One Eighty Nine brand, Dawson also actively curates a collection of brightly colored and boldly printed African-inspired ladies wear that displays her unique eye for funky fashion. But even if your budget falls short of the $300-plus price tag attached to some of these pieces, it might be worth cruising by the popup shop even if it’s just to snap a selfie with the multi-hyphenate actress-activist-singer-writer.
But of course, Dawson’s good deeds don’t stop there. A quick glance at her Wikipedia page reveals her involvement in everything from the Lower East Side Girls Club to Amnesty International to Doctors Without Borders along with being a co-founder of Voto Latino. Hey Rosario: you single?