Shonda Rhimes Landed Her Very First Fashion Campaign at St. John

Megaproducer and starmaker Shonda Rhimes can add one more major achivement to her résumé. While, yes, she is always on the search for the next Regé Jean-Page, her latest accolades put her squarely in the realm of fashion, not film and TV. St. John Knits, the American fashion brand known for dressing first ladies and — believe it or not — the cast of Euphoria, enlisted Rhimes for its Spring-Summer 2023 campaign. But because Rhimes can't ever just be one thing, she's also the face of St. John's new #OwnYourPower campaign.

“St. John is a brand that I have worn and loved for years. It’s rare to find clothes that are this comfortable and well-made. I can look professional while feeling relaxed enough to be creative,” Rhimes said in a statement.

Rhimes will partner with St. John for various initiatives that encourage women to #OwnTheirPower (whether they're stay-at-home moms, activists, or superstar producers) and do extraordinary things. All the while, she'll star in the brand's new ads, which showcase dresses from executive vice president of design Enrico Chiarparin and superstar stylist Karla Welch, who joined as a creative consultant for the brand in 2022.

“Discovering the motivation behind the collection and its connection to supporting women’s empowerment was exciting and made the choice to align with St. John a simple one for me," Rhimes continued. 

The St. John team pointed out that Rhimes has been a fan of the brand for years, so having her step forward to share her love of the line and incorporate her values into her campaign was a perfect fit. Global CEO Andy Lew added. “We believe Shonda represents St. John so well. As a loyal customer, she was a natural brand ambassador, and through her career, she perfectly represents what all our clients do — this is more than a brand. We are building a network of incredible women doing extraordinary things. Our clothes empower global audiences, and Shonda does the same.”

Rhimes famously wore a St. John turtleneck when she appeared on the cover of Time magazine in Jan. 2022. She points out St. John's extensive size range as one of the many reasons she's worn it — and keeps wearing it.

"I love that they’re an American company, that they were female-founded. And I also love the fact that they are size inclusive," she told WWD when news of the partnership was announced exclusively to the outlet last week. "I’ve worn these clothes when I was an 18, and I’ve worn these clothes when I was a 10.”

In addition to being the creator of Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, How To Get Away with Murder, Bridgerton, and Inventing Anna, Rhimes has written a New York Times bestselling book, Year of Yes. She has also earned a Peabody Award and was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2017. She has been nominated for five Emmy Awards and is the CEO of Shondaland, the production company behind her shows.