Mommy Moments with Sasha Marina is BrownStyle Magazine‘s new column that encourages moms to practice mindfulness and create a soft life that speaks to their souls. From adventurous family trips to products that make parenting a little easier, learn how the mother-of-two is navigating motherhood one day at a time.
There are stories that shape us… and then there are stories that become us.
For me, Harry Potter was never just a book series. It was a language my Dad and I spoke without ever having to explain ourselves. A world where two self-proclaimed outsiders suddenly felt brave, seen, and understood.
I can still feel the moment it all started. It was November 2001—only two months after the world shifted forever. In the heaviness that followed 9/11, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone hit U.S. theaters like a beam of light. A reminder that courage still mattered. That even in dark times, magic finds a way through.
My Dad and I sat in that theater, wide-eyed and completely transfixed. And the second the credits rolled, we practically ran to Barnes & Noble to keep the experience going. Holding The Sorcerer’s Stone in our hands felt like discovering our own secret universe. Page after page, chapter after chapter, we stepped into a world that somehow understood us more than the real one did.
We rooted for the misfits. The rebels. The brave ones who didn’t fit the mold but always found a way to rise. In that way, Hogwarts felt less like fiction and more like home.
Years later, in 2016, we finally walked into that home together at Universal Orlando’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I’d been before with friends, but this time was different. This time, I was walking through Diagon Alley with the man who had handed me that book all those years ago. Sipping Butterbeer, wandering shop to shop, and watching the castle rise above us felt surreal… like our shared imagination had stepped off the page.
Fast-forward to today, and the magic hasn’t dimmed; it’s simply evolved.
Enter the Blvck Paris x Harry Potter capsule collection: a monochrome, high-fashion reimagining of the Wizarding World that feels made for grown-up fans who still believe in a little magic. This isn’t cheesy merch. This is a fantasy meeting of streetwear elegance. Just imagine Nagini woven across embossed hoodies, sleek reinterpretations of house cardigans, and acid-wash details that feel amazing.
What I love most is how this collection honors everything Harry Potter stands for—identity and mystery—while blending it with a modern, elevated aesthetic. There is nothing costume about it.
For me, that translates to embracing the courage to stand out. The loyalty that grounds me. The quiet strength I learned from characters who didn’t fit in but still found their place. Fashion, like magic, is a form of self-expression and a story we tell without saying a word.
And now, thanks to this collection, I get to wear a piece of the world that shaped me… and the world that shaped my bond with my Dad.
Two decades later, I’m still enchanted. Still discovering new ways to reconnect with that girl who found magic in the midst of uncertainty. Still honoring the story that taught me bravery, belonging, and style can all coexist.
If you’re a Potterhead like me, pour yourself some hot cocoa, nibble on gingerbread, and settle in for a cozy Harry Potter marathon with the kids or someone who makes your world feel magical—just like my Dad always did for me.
Editor’s Note: This story has been edited and condensed for clarity.
By BrownStyle Magazine in Special Editions
72 pages, published 1/17/2025
