Entertainment

Hundreds of Followers. Thousands of Dollars. What Happens When Hudson Williams Wears an Indie Brand

It’s no secret that the Heated Rivalry fandom can be, well, intense.
Since the hit Canadian show premiered on Crave last year, the steamy hockey-themed series grown into a full-on cultural phenomenon—and its lead stars, Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, are at the center of all the feral energy. The two actors have now earned top high-fashion contracts (Storrie at Saint Laurent, Williams at Balenciaga), attended the Met Gala, and garnered hundreds of fan accounts devoted to documenting their each and every move.
Both of their A-list impact in the fashion world is clearly tangible—but even more so for the smaller, independent designers that they now choose to wear. Case in point: This week in New York, Williams attended the Kate Spade New York Global Summit on Women’s Mental Health event, and wore a striking knit cardigan by the Canada-based Indigenous designer Justin Jacob Louis. Just moments after Williams donned his blue-and-black striped “Journey” sweater, which retails for $350, the style instantly sold out online. “It’s pretty surreal,” Louis tells Vogue. “It’s cool when somebody who has that much influence sees and appreciates your work.”
It was a meaningful moment that extended beyond just earning a splashy celebrity placement: Williams chose to wear Louis’s sweater on Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Day, which honors the history of Indigenous children who were forcibly taken from their homes and forced into Canada’s residential school system, a movement that lasted until 1996. (He also wore an orange ribbon, the day’s official symbolic color.) “Love that he’s giving a nod to the day,” wrote a Williams fan on Instagram. “He knows that this will generate sales of the sweater, thus supporting that Indigenous artist as well as just bringing the awareness of Indigenous artists to the forefront.”
For Louis, the impact was instantly felt: The brand gained hundreds of new followers as a result, and the sighting also earned the designer thousands of dollars in sales. Below, Louis shares more of the story behind how his viral cardigan placement came to be.
Vogue: So, how did this whole thing begin?
Louis: I was told that Hudson wanted to support an Indigenous designer for [Canada’s] Truth and Reconciliation Day. He was very intentional about wanting to wear something by an Indigenous designer, and he must have been doing some research and came across my stuff. He found that cardigan, fell in love with it, and wanted to wear it for the red carpet in New York. That’s the coolest thing you can ask for as an Indigenous designer: We make our stuff for everybody! We love to see other people wear it.
What inspired the specific design of that cardigan?
The design is called “The Journey.” It’s actually from a dream I had about being back home at my dad’s. In the dream, I was wondering where all my ancestors were. It was in the wintertime, and when you look over the prairies, you see all of the blue hues from the moon. That’s where the tipi and the colors come from: It represents the time in winter when the moon is big and lights the prairies up. The stars represent where my ancestors were: In the dream, the stars turned into eyeballs to represent my ancestors looking down on me. The sweater represents being far away from home and feeling disconnected, but realizing that your ancestors are with you always.
Who reached out from Hudson’s team to get it?
His agent chased us down last week to buy the piece. I get emails like that all the time, and I usually ignore them because I think it’s just people wanting free shit. But then she DM’d my personal account and said it was for Hudson. I just so happened to have one in my studio in his size, so it worked out. We had more in our warehouse, but it was a last-minute request, and the shipping times were going to take too long. Then someone from his team drove all the way from Vancouver up to my house to pick it up on Sunday.
Wow, the dedication! Then he wore it this week. When did you realize?
As soon as he wore it, people went and bought every single last one of those cardigans. I had almost forgotten about it. Yesterday was Truth and Reconciliation Day, so I wasn’t thinking about trying to sell anything—I was just spending time with my family. I went for a paddle on the lake at 11:30, and I got back at 12:30. I came back and looked at my phone, and all of a sudden my phone was blowing up. I was like, “What’s going on?” Then I realized that he wore it, because fan pages were tagging me on social media. I looked at the cardigans on the site and realized we had $12,000 in sales from it. I had so many DMs, and had a couple hundred followers added. The amount of eyes on all of my social media was pretty wild.
That’s a big sales day. How did that compare, say, to a normal day?
A day like that is the difference between being able to pay some bills at the end of the month. It definitely creates some breathing room for a small business like ours. People think we have a lot of money—we don’t. We’re always grinding. Sometimes, that amount of sales takes half a month, depending on the time of year—so to do that in one day is huge. We’ve had some big sales days before, but usually it’s on a drop day—not a random Wednesday.
So, are you going to restock the cardigan again?
We only had 60 units left in stock—there wasn’t a lot left—but it sold out. I opened up a few pre-orders for it, because the requests kept coming in. But the whole point of the brand is not to overproduce: It’s about exclusive and limited releases. Though, there is a knit hoodie version [of that cardigan] that I have been wanting to release, so maybe I will. If people really appreciate and want something, you want to try your best to get that to them.
What can people score now, if they couldn’t get their hands on the cardigan?
There are some really nice coats and lettermen jackets. A lot of pieces from my first collection are still there, including some hoodies.
Do you hope to dress Hudson again for his Heated Rivalry season two press tour, perhaps?
I hope so! I’ve stayed in touch. They said he really likes some other things. I gifted him one of the letterman jackets. There might be some opportunities in the future—and I’m 100 percent down.

Entertainment

Disney Inks Dude Perfect to Deal for Original Content

The Walt Disney Co. is cutting another major creator deal, this time with the prolific sports-focused Dude Perfect, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
The deal, which the company is framing as a “company-wide creative partnership,” will span entertainment sports, consumer products and experiences.
Like Disney’s other creator deals, it will see some Dude Perfect content come to Disney+, including some of the group’s short-form library content. But it will also see the group create original content for its platforms and channels inspired by Disney events, with Super Bowl LXI, the 50th anniversary of Star Wars, and Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Doomsday among the projects being highlighted.
Dude Perfect was founded in 2009 when Tyler Toney, Coby Cotton, Cory Cotton, Garrett Hilbert and Cody Jones were all students at Texas A&M and decided to start a trick shot YouTube channel. It has since grown into a fully-fledged studio, with an 80,000-square foot facility in Frisco, Texas, and a full slate of programming and brand deals.
Dude Perfect raised $100 million from Highmount Capital in 2024 to help it kickstart its growth, with Coby Cotton telling THR at the time that they wanted to push further into live events and products, two areas that Disney happens to have particular expertise in.
Disney, meanwhile, has inked deals with creators like Dhar Mann and Like Nastya as it seeks to push further into that ecosystem. It also has a deal with TikTok that will bring some short-form content to Disney+.
Dude Perfect and Disney have worked together in the past, with the creators publishing videos like “Going to Every Disney Park in 75 Hours,” but the new deal significantly builds on that relationship.
“Disney has always been a place where great storytellers come to create, and Dude Perfect brings a distinctive voice and an inventive approach to everything they do,” said Asad Ayaz, Disney’s chief marketing and brand officer, in a statement. “By building on our longstanding relationship, we’re able to give fans even more ways to experience and be part of the Disney stories they love.”
“We’ve been Disney kids forever, from wearing out the VHS tape of The Lion King to making core memories as a family at Disney World,” added Dude Perfect co-founder Garrett Hilbert. “Disney taught us to go big and dream, and that has shaped everything we’ve built. Now, we get to make more of those dreams come to life with the Disney team, and we can’t wait to bring our fans along for the ride.”

Entertainment

Brendan Fraser Sequel Gets New Title Ahead of 2027 Release

Brendan Fraser‘s forthcoming installment in Universal Pictures‘ popular The Mummy franchise is alive and well.
The studio announced Thursday that the new movie will be titled The Mummy: Book of the Dead. Radio Silence duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett are set to direct the film from a script by David Coggeshall (The Family Plan). It hits theaters Oct. 15, 2027, exactly a year after the title announcement.
Fraser returns as Rick O’Connell alongside Rachel Weisz as Evie O’Connell. John Hannah, Michael Johnston, Numan Acar, Kevin J. O’Connor and Oded Fehr round out the cast.
The classic Universal monster property first sprang to life with Boris Karloff in the titular role of the 1932 feature The Mummy. After a number of offerings over the decades, Fraser and Weisz’s franchise kicked off with the Stephen Sommers-helmed 1999 version of the same name.
Producers include Sean Daniel, who has produced five previous titles in the franchise, alongside William Sherak, James Vanderbilt and Paul Neinstein for Project X Entertainment. Clayton Townsend also produces, while Fraser and Hivemind’s Jason F. Brown serve as executive producers.
Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett, who helmed 2022’s franchise-reviving Scream and follow-up Scream VI, most recently directed this year’s Ready or Not 2: Here I Come.
The Mummy: Book of the Dead is a direct sequel to 1999’s The Mummy and 2001 sequel The Mummy Returns. The franchise also includes 2008’s poorly received The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, which was followed by 2017’s Tom Cruise-led The Mummy reboot. The 1999 movie spawned the 2002 spinoff feature The Scorpion King, marking Dwayne Johnson’s first lead film role.
For the 25th anniversary of 1999’s The Mummy, director Sommers told The Hollywood Reporter that he continues to be pleased with the film’s lasting cultural impact. The franchise’s five theatrical features that began with the 1999 offering have surpassed $1.8 billion at the global box office. The 1999 movie centered on treasure hunter Rick heading out on an adventure with Evie and her brother, Jonathan (Hannah), where they accidentally awaken a mummy.
“It’s so funny how it just never went away,” said Sommers, who also helmed The Mummy Returns. “It’s always on TV somewhere. And I know, especially because the residual checks are great. I hate to say it, but somehow, it’s endeared itself to a lot of people.”

Entertainment

Diane Paulus-Directed Rhinoceros Replaces The Full Monty Revival in Roundabout Broadway Season

Roundabout Theatre Company has postponed its Broadway revival of The Full Monty.
David Yazbek and Terrence McNally’s The Full Monty was scheduled to return to Broadway at the Haimes Theatre in the spring. The production has now been postponed indefinitely due to cast availability. “More information on production timing will be announced at a later date,” reads a press note.
Instead, Rhinoceros by Eugène Ionesco will replace it in Roundabout’s season. Previews will begin April 7, 2027 with the official opening night set for April 25. The limited engagement will continue through June 13.
The production will come to Broadway after bowing at Massachusetts’ American Repertory Theater, with Artistic Director Diane Paulus back at the helm (read reviews here). Tatiana Maslany and John Turturro will reprise their performances as Daisy and Bérenger, respecitvely, newly joined for the Broadway bow by Tony winner Tony Shalhoub as Jean. Further casting is to be announced.
In Rhinoceros, everything seems normal one Sunday morning, until it’s not. One by one, friends and colleagues transform into rhinoceroses, and Bérenger is forced to decide: will he follow the crowd or stand his ground?
The production will feature scenic design by Riccardo Hernández, costume design by Anita Yavich, lighting design by Jen Schriever, sound design by Fitz Patton, special effect design by Markus Maurette, hair and wig design by Tom Watson, make-up design by Kyle Krueger, fight direction by Thomas Schall, and movement by Jill Johnson.

Entertainment

Bryce Hall Asked Court For Protection From Ex Days After Alleged Violent Fight

Bryce Hall rushed to court asking for a restraining order against his ex, Mika Lafuente, days after the alleged fight that led to his domestic violence arrest … TMZ has learned.
According to court records, obtained by TMZ, the influencer filed a petition on August 6 accusing Mika of stalking or harassment … and five days later, on August 11, the court denied the request.
The case was filed 10 days after Mika called police on July 27 and claimed Bryce got physical with her at his home during their split.
Per court docs, the two got into it over who got to keep a Roomba after Mika went over to Bryce’s Las Vegas home to pick up stuff she left behind.
Mika says she put a phone in her pocket to record the encounter. Cops say Mika could be heard telling Bryce to slap him … he said he wasn’t going to slap her but was going to force her out of his home.
According to the docs, Mika, who dated Bryce for a little over 2 years, could be heard saying, “Let me go.” She told officers he put her over his shoulder and took her outside … where he allegedly threw her on rocks, and the docs include photos of her alleged injuries.
Bryce was charged with one count of coercion constituting domestic violence with physical force or immediate threat of physical force and one count of battery constituting domestic violence.

Entertainment

North West, 13, and mom Kim Kardashian address claims she dresses ‘demonic’

Kim Kardashian and her eldest daughter, North West, addressed claims that the teen dresses “demonic.”
“Oh no, I’m not demonic, guys. Stop saying I’m demonic. No, I’m not,” the 13-year-old aspiring rapper said on a recent TikTok Live.
“Just because I like to dress this way, don’t judge a book by its cover,” West, who sported bright blue hair, added.
Kardashian, 45, said she feels like people call her daugther demonic because of the black grill and piercings she wears.
“But I don’t know why you guys should put that with demonic because I don’t get that,” West said to her viewers.
The Skims co-founder told her daughter that she doesn’t think people “really get it.”
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Kardashian, who shares kids North, Saint, 10, Chicago, 8, and Psalm, 7, with ex-husband Kanye West, has faced criticism for how she allows their eldest child to look.
Last year, people slammed the “Kardashians” star after North was seen with a dermal finger piercing on her middle finger while they were vacationing in Rome in August 2025.
Additionally, North has also been seen wearing face tattoos and piercings, bright colored wigs and a corset and miniskirt.
In response, Kardashian shared how difficult it’s been for the nepo baby to grow up in the public eye while trying to experiment with her style.
“It’s really hard and it’s really interesting because all the kids are wearing the same things,” the mom of four said on “Call Her Daddy” last October.
“But then my daughter tries to wear it and then I’m like, ‘Okay, we’re never wearing that again.’ Unfortunately, we made that mistake in front of the whole world,” she shared.
However, Kardashian has prevented her daughter from doing certain things, like getting the bridge piercing she wants.
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