Telfar x Joseline's "Dumpling" Bag: The Collab We Didn’t Know We Needed but Absolutely Do

The Breakdown: Former Love and Hip-Hop star Joseline Hernandez is making her debut in the fashion world. She teamed up with a popular Black-owned luxury brand for an edgy handbag campaign.

Former Love & Hip-Hop: Atlanta star Joseline Hernandez has never wanted to put herself in a box, and anyone who tries to do so should certainly proceed with caution. Since we met the self-proclaimed Puerto Rican Princess on the VH1 show that launched her parlay into fame, she’s kept us guessing and reminded us why doubting her is a severe error.

In early 2025, Joseline got into her designer bag (literally) by debuting her first handbag with Black-owned luxury label Telfar. Let’s get into the details of this bomb and nostalgic collab.

Telfar and Joseline debuted their collaboration in February 2025. The collab’s first teaser trailer showed her behind the scenes of the rollout for the bag’s launch. The product, the Dumpling bag, dropped on Feb. 28.

Telfar and Joseline’s promotional videos included the musician’s song, “I Like The Way You Are (Disco Shoes)” — which she released on Valentine’s Day 2025. The music fits the bag, as it’s hard not to find something to love about its design.

The blue denim bag nods to the 90s nostalgia, which launched the rise of FUBU, Rocawear, and other brands inspired by the era. Telfar also adhered to the national economic blackout day that began on the day of the launch, Feb. 28. In the brand’s Instagram caption, it held 50 percent of its stock to customers to give them the following day to buy from the brand. Respect!

“We didn’t and still don’t know if global blackout day applied to Black businesses when we scheduled this,” Telfar explained. “Still not sure it applies to debit purchases. If you are unsure, don't worry; we will re-drop tomorrow. Giving a f--k and exacting consequences on power is a step in the right direction, even if it will take more than ‘consumers’ to get there.”

Telfar is owned and operated by Telfar Clemens, a Black and openly gay designer. Telfar began working on his brand in the early 2000s after graduating from Pace University with a degree in accounting. He first gained the fashion industry’s attention in 2014 when he launched what would later become his signature shopping bag.

The brand continued gaining traction, with Telfar’s vegan leather designs and standout T logo being called “The Bushwick Birkin.” Before long, celebs like Lil Kim, Beyonce, Blue Ivy, and others were spotted wearing the bag.

In November 2024, Telfar opened his brand’s first flagship store in New York City. With the store, the designer hopes to expand with projects like his 24-hour live network Telfar TV.

“It’s the beginning of a new chapter,” Telfar told Interview Magazine about his expansion. “I will be releasing a couple new collections in the next couple of weeks, so there will be ongoing releases of new clothes. It will be the first place you see and get new bags. Things that we don’t post online are going to be here.”

Whatever is in store for Telfar, just know it will be everything and more!