Black Fashion Fair’s new Volume 0 brings together creators from around the world, including Kerby Jean-Raymond, Bianca Sanders and Mowalola.
Communities are not only a welcoming space for those within the community, but also a form of heritage for those outside the community and beyond to understand movements and moments in history. Black Fashion Fair is one such movement, a community of black designers, image-makers, and creators, and like most great things, it started out as a Twitter thread from 2016.
Founder Antoine Gregory is a multitalented fashion creator, stylist, and brand director who has created a one-stop shop to tell the stories of black designers who are often forgotten, while also documenting and preserving the past, present, and future of black fashion. The impact of black culture on culture and fashion society as a whole is immeasurable, but black designers have rarely had agency or ownership over cultural milestones, instead ignoring creators and their communities or limiting their work to a specific audience.
Black Fashion Fair is an inclusive event that aims to engage everyone interested in the contributions and influence of Black people in fashion, art, design, and popular culture. What started out as a directory has grown into a global community that Gregory has plans to eventually organize. But for now, there’s a new book that aims to amplify the voices of people who have historically been erased from these stories.
Produced with the support of Warby Parker, Volume 0: Seen features a handpicked team, including Atlanta-based photographer AB+DM as artistic director and director of photography, shining a spotlight on the past, present and future of Black fashion across 200 pages. Featuring work from established and emerging creators such as LVMH Prize finalist Bianca Sanders, formerly of Fashion East Mowalola Ogunlesi, Brandon Blackwood and Hanifa’s Anifa Mvemba, the book is also packed with essays and interviews with Black writers, scholars and activists, including: Ricky Byrd and Bethan Anderson.
Courtesy of Black Fashion Fair
There are also three physical covers, two by supermodels Maria Borges and Aleya Ali (photographed by AB+DM), one by Joan Smalls (photographed by Quil Lemons), and a digital edition by former Dazed 100 member Amber Pinkerton. Inside, the editorial comes to life through looks from esteemed Black designers, including Pear Moss, Theofilio, Lure, and Sergio Hudson.
To launch the publication, we met with the founders of Black Fashion Fair to discuss archiving, imagining, and how the whole project came together.
Courtesy of Black Fashion Fair
Hi Antoine! You’ve spoken about the importance of the physicality of this publication and embodying the spirit and values of Black Fashion Fair in something physical. Why was a real-world publication more important than, say, an online film or a digital zine?
Antoine Gregory: [Because] You couldn’t go to a bookstore or library and find books about Black fashion, style, and culture. There was nowhere else you could reference, explore, or find anything like what we created here. For Black fashion designers, artists, and image-makers to create something of value, they had to go beyond a screen, something they could touch, feel, and see – an artefact that could be passed down or shared. Being passed down gives it value not just as a physical item, but as something to discuss among people and for people to scrutinise.
Having a physical publication also showcases the incredible talent that is curated: up-and-coming models, established models, writers, photographers, designers, etc. There’s something global and collaborative about not only who appears in the publication, but also the idea of a physical, tangible object that can be passed down.
The publication has a really global feel and features some incredible creatives, from fashion heavyweight Kerby Jean-Raymond of Pear Moss to rising British star Bianca Sanders. How did you decide who to feature?
Antoine Gregory: I’m proud to be embedded in the culture and community, but I’m also super grateful to AB+DM. We started by curating a list of people who we think are amazing but don’t always get the access or representation they deserve in work, and we’ve built from there. The shoot started in late November through December, so it all moved pretty fast. We’re also super grateful to the designers we have a personal connection with who trusted us and lent us their clothes. Grace Wales Bonner lent us her long collection to bring to the shoot in Jamaica. I think the implicit trust with the designers we’ve worked with speaks to the community-driven organization we aim to be.
Courtesy of Black Fashion Fair
The international community you’ve built both online and offline seems so vast and so interwoven. Have you seen any domino effects in terms of BFF-based or BFF-initiated communities?
Antoine Gregory: That’s absolutely true! All the designers we feature are friends and collaborators, sharing different resources: factories, embroiderers, networks. There is definitely a certain camaraderie, as part of a family, supporting each other in every way. If you look at Volume 0, all the designers have worked with us before, and there is a long-standing relationship of mutual growth and development that attracts other like-minded people.
In other fashion shoots, the photographer is there to execute the vision of the fashion editor or client, but you specifically gave the photographer freedom and complete authority during the shoot – why was this important to you?
Antoine Gregory: I wanted to give Black image-makers the freedom to create the imagery they wanted to see. Again, this was based on mutual trust. I explained the theme to them and gave them the freedom to create. The result was beautiful imagery that valued Black designers and their work. For example, the Pyer Moss Couture 001 collection, which “spotlighted the inventions and innovations Black people have contributed to modern everyday life,” was not only beautiful, but historically significant and could be truly valued and captured through the lens of Black image-makers because it had already been released and hadn’t been covered in editorial coverage or received mainstream attention.
But equally, black designers and image-makers are often denied agency when their work is perceived as being for black people only and not for everyone. Blackness is not a monolithic or universal experience, and while some designers create work that centers around blackness and others do not, both deserve to be valued and consumed, not segregated and limited to black audiences. The way to give value to black designers and image-makers is to protect and promote their agency.
“Blackness is not a monolithic or universal experience. Some designers make Blackness central to their work, while others do not, but both deserve to be appreciated and consumed, not segregated, exclusively by a Black audience.” – Antoine Gregory
When it comes to Black art, why is storytelling like yours so important?
Antoine Gregory: Storytelling is what my people have always done. It was the only way to tell our history. We had no documented history or physical archives, so oral storytelling was at best the only way to preserve and tell history. I decided that simply telling stories was not enough, visual history was essential. When I studied fashion in higher education, the curriculum did not have much mention of Black creators, designers, or image-makers, but it was something I would research in my own time and sometimes stumble upon by chance.
For example, I first discovered Andre Leon Talley through Mariah Carey because I loved her music and he styled her campaign for her album The Emancipation of Mimi. Whenever I mention black designers, it’s limited in scope and always Patrick Kelly or Stephen Burrows, even though there are countless others. Despite this limited visibility, Kelly and Burrows’ work is not as well archived or photographed as their white counterparts, and there is far less to reference.
Volume 0 of Black Fashion Fair documents the history of Black fashion as it exists in this moment. We are not waiting for what is happening now to be fondly reminisced about or archived in 20 years. We will exist as long as there is space and opportunity to shine a light on amazing designers like Isaia Rankin that most people may not know about, as well as current designers that people are discovering today. Black designers of the past may have been forgotten due to the fact that no one documented their work at the time and the actual garments were not preserved, but storytelling keeps those designers and their work alive in a way that will stand the test of time.
Courtesy of Black Fashion Fair
You’ve said that during your higher education, you were underrepresented in your studies and in your surroundings. You graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology and have promoted educational initiatives through the Black Fashion Fair, including your partnership with the Brooklyn Sewing Academy…
Antoine Gregory: I graduated from FIT twice (Fine Art and Fashion Business Management). Both times, there were 2-3 Black people in my class. I knew those experiences would inform my career, and there were times when I was the only Black person in a company. It’s not fun to be the only person who looks like you or have to explain to a professor why Rick Ross is my endorser at work.
My experience attending one of the world’s top art and design schools has made me keenly aware of the importance of giving others like me the opportunity to gain access to these spaces. Our partnership with Brooklyn Sewing Academy allows aspiring and emerging fashion students to learn sewing and pattern making for fashion illustration for free. These skills will help them build a strong portfolio, essential for admission. Equality of access and opportunity is what we promote. Ultimately, I want BFF to become a unique research archive, education, and design institution. The ultimate goal is to provide programs that promote access to spaces that have been historically excluded.
What do you want people to take away from this book?
Antoine Gregory: This is a proof of concept. Many of us needed this to exist because what we are doing, and being seen to be doing, is important. It also serves as a call to action to the fashion industry. With a 200-page directory compiled, brimming with Black talent and two of the greatest models of our time on the cover, there is no excuse that Black designers “can’t be found.” Give Black designers and image-makers the opportunity to create work and have agency over that work. Volume 0 became the blueprint for what we want to take further as a publication and institution.
Courtesy of Black Fashion Fair
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