Viola Davis & Julius Tennon To Create Docuseries On Black Dandy Movement

44 Blue Productions has partnered with Viola Davis and Julius Tennon’s JuVee Productions for a Dandy Lion docuseries.

Deadline reports that 44 Blue has acquired the rights to Shantrelle P. Lewis’ book Dandy Lion: The Black Dandy and Street Style.

The docuseries is “inspired by the book and its curated collection of photographs and stories, Dandy Lions will chart the history of the Black Dandy fashion and style movement and its increased attention in recent years, with the popularity of social media platforms such as Street Etiquette, and celebrities like Jidenna, Amar’e Stoudemire and Janelle Monae.”

Book description:

“Suits that pop with loud colors and dazzling patterns, complete with a nearly ubiquitous bowtie, define the style of the new “dandy.” Described as “high-styled rebels” by author Shantrelle P. Lewis, black men with a penchant for color and refined fashion, both new and vintage, have gained popular attention in recent years, influencing mainstream fashion. But black dandyism itself is not new; originating in Enlightenment England’s slave culture, it has continued for generations in black cultures around the world. Now, set against the backdrop of hip-hop culture, this iteration of dandies is redefining what it means to be black, masculine, and fashionable. Dandy Lion presents and celebrates individual dandy personalities, designers and tailors, movements and events that define contemporary dandyism. Throughout the book, self-expression is communicated through personal style, clothing, shoes, hats, and swagger. Lewis’s carefully curated selection of contemporary photographs surveys the movement across the globe in spectacular form, with all of the vibrant patterns, electrifying colors, and fanciful poses of this brilliant style subculture.”

44 Blue co-founder Stephanie Noonan Drachkovitch will executive produce with Tennon, Davis and Lewis.

“This project looks at how men dress in the Dandy style across the world and how they influence culture through a powerful positive lens,” said Davis and Tennon.