This year’s New York Fashion Week featured several Black creatives – a record number of 28!
Black fashion designers are no longer a rarity in the industry, but they still have a long way to go. In honor of Black History Month, which takes place throughout February each year, we’re highlighting some of the most influential Black fashion designers who are changing the industry.
1. Dapper Dan
Dapper Dan promotes collaboration with Pepsi Football Watch Capsule Collection in September 2021. Photo: @dapperdanharlem/Instagram
Daniel Day, 78, known as the legendary Dapper Dan, began his career as the “King of Copycats,” according to Trill Mag. He is now recognized as one of the biggest influences on menswear and streetwear.
Diane Dixon wearing custom Louis Vuitton by Dapper Dan Atelier. Photo: @dapperdanharlem/Instagram
According to the Guardian, Day began his career in Harlem, New York, making clothing for gangsters. According to Ciafe, his clothing atelier, Dapper Dan’s Boutique, was known for reworking the logos of luxury fashion brands such as Louis Vuitton and Gucci into his own creations.
Over time, his talent was recognized by the industry, and he went from being a luxury fashion pariah to launching his own line at Gucci in 2018.
2. Carly Cushnie
Carly Cushnie poses at the David H. Koch Theater in New York in October 2022, one of today’s most influential designers. Photo: @carlycushnie/Instagram
According to Fashion Elite, Cushnie first launched the brand as Cushnie & Ochs with her friend Michelle Ochs shortly after graduating from Parsons School of Design in New York City. She went on to strike out on her own, running one of the “most prominent black-owned brands in American fashion,” according to the New York Times, and paving the way for more women of color to enter the industry. It is said that he cut it open.
