Meet One Of The Designers Behind Beyoncé’s Ivy Paradise Collection

Through Ivy Park, Beyoncé Knowles has more than proven herself as an astute and savvy fashion designer. The athleisure line, named after the Houston park where Knowles exercised as a kid, has found its stride through a buzzy and lucrative years-long partnership with Adidas that was first announced in 2019. The pairing’s first collection – streetwear in burgundy and tangerine – was released in early 2020 to much fanfare, and quickly sold out. Over time, gender- and size-inclusive collections built around imaginative concepts have arrived: “Ivy Rodeo” (denim chaps, cow-print sports bras); “Ivy Ice” (a faux-fur mink, reflective trousers); “Ivy Heart” (latex dresses and gloves). Earlier this year it was announced that the partnership will come to a close. Still, in a short period of time, Adidas X Ivy Park has raised the bar for celebrity-led fashion ventures.

But it takes a considerable team of trained hands and creative minds to make each collection happen. Ivy Park X Adidas is the result of a careful and considered collaboration between Parkwood Entertainment, Beyoncé’s media and management company, and the multi-billion, multi-national behemoth that is Adidas. Ruben Gonzalez, a senior designer at Adidas, is responsible for bridging both worlds. The Los Angeles-based, Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising-trained designer played a key role in the creation and production of Ivy Park’s latest collection, Ivy Paradise.

Released online and in-store last week, the clothes read as a fabulous ode to Studio 54 through fringe jackets, crystal mesh, and short shorts. And everything was made in a poppy shade of fuchsia. (“That colour was a challenge,” the designer shared.) Gonzalez says of his shape-shifting, multi-pronged role in the collection: “It is basically taking the partner’s vision – everything comes from the partner, of course – and sort of taking that and references and creating sort of a visual moodboard to present.” The work does not end there. “Then we’ll create so many looks based on that for the partner and her team to decide what they want the actual collection to look like.”

The collection has certainly made an impact. Ever the canny promoter, Beyoncé, along with her back-up dancers, wore looks from the Ivy Paradise drop for the Renaissance gig in Amsterdam on Juneteenth, the holiday commemorating the emancipation of US slaves. The singer wore a double-slit dress and sparkly opera gloves that would have been perfect for a performance of “Freakum Dress” (missed opportunity). The specific look did not go to all stores – it is available only in Brazil – but represented a real moment for Ivy Park.

Gonzalez describes the “driving storyline” behind Ivy Paradise as “the 1970s and the freedom of gender expression and identity”. The collection’s moodboard included Donna Summer, Studio 54, Houston, and “anything having to do with ’70s disco”. There were also more airy, esoteric ideas propelling the collection, which first began taking shape in February of last year. “Sort of that moment of rebirth and coming out of your shell,” Gonzalez says, a theme that also aligns with Beyoncé’s most recent album Renaissance. (The singer revealed on Instagram that she worked on the album and Ivy Paradise simultaneously.)

For this collaboration, Gonzalez says they tested out new materials and experimented with production capabilities. “We really did push the needle up in terms of what we can do,” he says. “Some of the sequins and crystal-mesh that we used… that took years to develop. I know that sounds crazy, because you can find crystal mesh out there, but it had to pass our testing at Adidas.” Heat transfer was a big sticking point: “We had to make sure the crystals were not going to fall off if you went into the water or played sports in the pieces. All of that testing took a really long time for it to be considered a viable fabric that we could send to market.”

A process of experimentation and diplomatic collaboration – with a global name, no less – is nothing new for Gonzalez. “I’ve been in this weird collaboration world for the last seven years,” says Gonzalez, who previously worked at H&M, where he produced collaborations with Dua Lipa. Ivy Rodeo – full of sliced-and-diced cowboy-inflected items – was the first collection Gonzalez contributed to. He says, from there, he became the senior designer on the partnership within a year and a half. “When I got the call to work at Ivy Park I thought it was going to be a really exciting challenge to work with all of these developers and product marketers who have this really deep knowledge of sportswear, and really bring in a lens of a more fashion-forward product.”

The upcoming end of the partnership between Adidas and Ivy Park was announced in March. The overarching code to all of the ideas and the partnership as a whole, according to Gonzalez? “It’s always paying attention to Beyoncé’s Houston background,” he says. “It’s the blend of street and glam. That’s what I think makes Ivy Park so special, and a different collaboration to the ones already out there.”