- The Bookum Buzz
- Posts
- 👕The Book World Enters High Fashion With the TrayReadThat Dior Collaboration
👕The Book World Enters High Fashion With the TrayReadThat Dior Collaboration
Howard Bryant, Brandon Sanderson, Rosamund Pike
Happy Thursday!
Thank you everyone that joined us for Stranger Things: Lucas on the Line and our People We Meet on Vacation conversations!
Special shoutout to Tyreke Wesley, Hannah Lisa Lohr, and Annotated by Sara as our co-hosts on the respective conversations.
 10/10 on the hat |  The Vibes were high! |
Let us know what book we should discuss as a group next!
Make sure to check out our new Creators Talk Podcast with Leader, NFL legend, and Coach Drew Davis.
We discuss the importance of reading, coaching student-athletes, and staying fully dedicated to your craft.
The episode is now streaming on YouTube and all major podcast platforms 📚
The Tale of the Table:
📚 Author Talks Podcast with Howard Bryant
📺 Book World Enters Fashion (Tray x Dior)
📖 Kings and Pawns
This Week On Bookum:
What's better than one Bookum Podcast… Two.
Check out our new Author Talks Podcast with award-winning author, journalist, and producer Howard Bryant on his new book, "Kings and Pawns: Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson in America."
We discussed the life of these two iconic figures, Jackie Robinson testifying at the 1949 House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) against Paul Robeson, baseball integration, and the second Red Scare during the Cold War.
For our sports and history buffs, this is a conversation you will absolutely enjoy!
Check out the interview now!
This Week in The Book World:
First you get Hollywood, then you get art and fashion.
The book world isn't just taking over Hollywood (like we previously mentioned) but is also making a statement in fashion.
In the first of its kind crossover, book content creator and fashion model Travawyn Taylor… (wait for it) collaborated with DIOR!
(Photographer Angèle Châtenet) Get your Book Tote Bag Here
Yes, Christian Dior, Dior (to quote Pop Smoke), as an homage to the joy of reading, featured book reviewer @TrayReadthat in an ad for their new "The Book Cover Collection."
If you know Dior, the Book Tote has been an impeccable piece within their iconic brand since 2018, styled by actresses such as Rosamund Pike, Natalie Portman, and Nine d'Urso.
The elegant bag has been reimagined to embrace the literary world and first-edition book covers from the 19th and 20th centuries of classic literature, from Dracula to Ulysses by James Joyce.
Along the banks of the Seine in Paris, Tray, with other writers and booksellers, joined in the launch of the collection.
"I was initially lost for words," Tray said when receiving the news, "thinking maybe the email was a scam, but a phone call sealed the validity of the moment!"
And what a moment it was. This is not just another moment, but rather a crossover with a go-to voice that represents the online book content creator space.
It shows book content creators are paving new paths and continuing to influence culture.
If you are a book content creator, start that book club, share that post, and talk about the books you love because, again, you never know who is watching.
Sources:
We had a chance to talk with Tray for an exclusive interview. Full conversation below:
Bookum: What was your initial reaction like when you officially booked (no pun intended) the collaboration with Dior?
Tray: I was initially lost for words, thinking maybe the email was a scam, but a phone call sealed the validity of the moment!
Bookum: What do you think collaborations like this do for the visibility and evolution of book culture in today’s pop and creator-driven landscape?
Tray: I think this opportunity is bigger than a cool campaign opportunity. For a Black creator to be amplified in this way is such a testament to how important it is that we Black creators continue to exist unapologetically in our experiences in the literature spaces we inhabit and communities we are involved with.
Bookum: What do you think this collaboration signals about how fashion brands are starting to view readers, writers, and book creators differently than before?
Tray: There has been a recent resurgence in bookstores, book communities, genres, etc., so it makes sense that high-quality brands are intrigued and see a lucrative opportunity.
I think it is important for book creators to hold our respect and integrity in terms of alignment with certain brands, while being open to what amplification of books and the readers that build conversations around them can do for the spaces.
Bookum: We see the Book World taking over spaces like Hollywood, and now we are seeing this Dior collaboration. What other spaces would you like to see book content creators in?
Tray: I would love to see book creators in magazines, documentaries, and movies! I think people forget how multidimensional we are outside of our love for reading! We are not one thing and should show our respective layers of identity and being.
Bookum: What's your advice to content creators that want to get into the book space?
Tray: Some advice I would give to anyone wanting to start book content is to have a firm and honest why at the start. Get comfortable with coming back to this why when things do not go as planned.
Become adaptive and reiterate your why if necessary because everything is ever changing. Keep the love and support for yourself and your audience strong. Be about the books! USE YOUR VOICE!!
This Week in Publishing:
Well, lucky for you (read lucky for us), the book ‘Kings and Pawns: Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson in America’ we mentioned above is also out this week!
Book Summary:
"A path-breaking work of biography of two American giants, Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson, whose lives would forever be altered by the Cold War, and would explosively intersect before its most notorious weapon, the House Un-American Activities Committee, from one of the best sports and culture writers working today."
Get Your Copy of Kings and Pawns Today!
As always, if you enjoyed this week’s newsletter, please share it with others. Every share helps and keeps us growing!
Definitely share to a book content creator friend that might enjoy our newsletter!
Share this newsletter on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or via email.
Happy Reading!
See you next week!
Footnotes (Aka other articles we are reading and Bookum content):
Start Your Book Club Today - www.bookumapp.com
