BUSINESS Celebrity and Urban Driven Destination, The BLOCK, to Launch at Vision Expo West By Staff Monday, August 13, 2018 12:00 AM ALEXANDRIA, Va.—The BLOCK, an extension of the Galleria featuring celebrity-influenced and independently designed urban eyewear, will launch at Vision Expo West 2018 in Las Vegas (Education: Sept. 26 – 29; Exhibit Hall: Sept. 27 – 29). In this new Exhibit Hall destination, fashion-forward retailers will find a customized environment that complements urban eyewear and elevates the presence of celebrity designers through fashion shows, meet-and-greets and panels focused on style and design, according to an announcement from show organizers. “We are excited to offer our exhibitors new environments in which to showcase their brands that are more representative of their attributes and speak to the diversity of the product offerings at the show,” said Melissa Ashley, senior vice president, Reed Exhibitions. “The BLOCK is one of the communities we are curating at Vision Expo to offer exhibitors a unique atmosphere in which they can showcase their products and engage with attendees in the manner to which they are accustomed.” The BLOCK will launch several new eyewear lines. Raquel Smith, longtime personal stylist of Beyoncé, will unveil a new luxury children’s eyewear line based on Beyoncé’s daughter Blue Ivy called KIDRAQ. In addition, attendees will see the latest handmade and high fashion frames from Cynthia Bailey Eyewear, launched by the model and star of “Real Housewives of Atlanta.” Thierry Lasry, Selima Optique and Coco and Breezy have also signed on to exhibit in the BLOCK. Representatives from Vision Expo plan to announce more additions leading into the show. “When I started my company Eye Candy Creations in 2013 with my husband, we were dedicated to developing celebrity branded and private label eyewear collections. We started this journey with Cynthia Bailey Eyewear and are proud to now include KIDRAQ,” said Tiffany Williams, CEO of Eye Candy Creations. “When I was approached by representatives at Vision Expo, I was very excited to help develop an environment that would speak to an intended audience who understands the power of celebrity brands with an urban flair.” The BLOCK will feature several activations including a daily BLOCK Party deejayed by Coco and Breezy, panel sessions and fashion shows emceed by each brand’s celebrity designer, and a personal styling session for attendees by Raquel Smith and Ty Hunter, both fashion designers and longtime personal stylists to Beyoncé. The current activation schedule for the BLOCK is: Thursday, September 27 Frames to Complete Your Look Panel featuring Raquel Smith and Ty Hunter at 1 p.m.Cynthia Bailey Eyewear Fashion Show emceed by Cynthia Bailey at 2:00 p.m. Block Party deejayed by Coco and Breezy from 4:30 – 6:00 p.m. Friday, September 28 KIDRAQ Children’s Fashion Show emceed by Beyoncé’s stylist, Raquel Smith at 12:15 p.m.Fashion & Frames Panel featuring Cynthia Bailey and Raquel Smith and moderated by Tiffany Williams at 1:00 p.m. Block Party deejayed by Coco and Breezy from 4:30 – 6:00 p.m. Dates and Times Pending Fashion + Frames Panel featuring Cynthia Bailey, Raquel Smith and Tiffany Williams Frames to Complete Your Look Panel featuring Raquel Smith and Ty Hunter To register, learn more and stay up-to-date on the BLOCK, visit VisionExpoLV.com.