Author: uno_usr_254
Photo by Paige Ricks Creating a legitimate space for Black stylists, models, photographers, designers, and more to be recognized for their trendsetting work. Last night, ESSENCE held its first annual Best in Black Fashion Awards, celebrating and celebrating Black trendsetters. Fashion icons such as Billy Porter and Pat Cleveland were honored, and designers like Rich Mnisi and Fe Noel were recognized. Many popular trends have their roots in Black culture, but that culture is rarely given the credit for creating them. The CFDA and Vogue Fashion Fund have been criticized for repeatedly ignoring great designers of color. ESSENCE is here…
Diane Bondarev The Kentucky Derby is probably not the place you’d expect to find a young, black fashion and beauty journalist, but that’s where I found myself last weekend. Though my Southern upbringing (I was born and raised in Texas) meant the Derby had always been on my bucket list, I was always well aware that this elite, all-white sporting event wasn’t for me — it wasn’t for us. The invitation to the Grand Race was kindly provided by the luxury watch manufacturer Longines, one of the official sponsors of the race. Besides what to wear, I was also curious…
Antoine Gregory has never been afraid to criticize the fashion industry. The stylist’s candid and incisive Twitter commentary on the state of the fashion industry, fashion presentations, collaborations with designers and the shifting media landscape has helped propel his elusive Twitter account @bibbygregory into one of the social media site’s leading industry voices.Especially when it comes to issues of diversityIn the fashion world, or lack thereof. After years of being one of the few Black people in the room and on set, Gregory was inspired to create and produce Black Fashion Fair, an immersive online platform where Black fashion designers…
June 2 will go down in history (or in infamy) as a day on Instagram. Black tiles flooded Instagram feeds as part of #BlackoutTuesday, a social campaign to raise awareness for the Black Lives Matter movement. It had been just a week since George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was killed by Minneapolis police. The incident sparked protests and calls for change across the country. The calls for an end to systemic racism, police brutality, and white supremacy were loud and valid. As a result, the hashtag #BlackoutTuesday went viral, with nearly 28 million posts.Many businesses, including countless fashion brands,…
From the hottest fashion shows and the latest happenings in the industry to photos of today’s outfits, Antoine Gregory’s Twitter account Bibby Gregory It has always served as a window into his mind. And at the forefront of that? Always black designers. As one of only a handful of black students studying design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, Gregory has always felt the need for more black faces in the fashion world. In 2016, he created a Twitter thread called “Black Designers You Should Know,” listing the names and websites of established and emerging black designers,…
“What I’m most excited about with the Fashion Stories section is that it gives Black designers, who have also been historically marginalized, an opportunity to be featured in the editorial space,” Gregory says. “A lot of these designers are great at telling stories. We just need to be good at selling our products and our stories.”One of the young designers taking part is Nicole Zizi, a Florida native who now lives in New York and runs a sustainable streetwear brand called NICOLE ZIZI STUDIO. She met Gregory through Twitter and became intrigued by the concept of a Black Fashion Fair…
1920s — Josephine BakerMichael Ochs ArchiveJosephine Baker was one of the leading dancers and singers of the 1920s. Growing up poor, she taught herself to dance and quickly rose to worldwide fame, never shying away from pushing the boundaries of fashion and style. Later in life, she became a leader in the French Revolution and the American Civil Rights Movement. If you’re looking for a new role model, she’s here for you.Dais K.E.K. Puffy Sleeve Signature Shirt in FuchsiaJosephine Baker’s style is defined by risk-taking and bold details – she practically invented the puff sleeve – so recreate her look…
“To say a black square is not enough is an understatement,” says Georgia Medley, a stylist and junior fashion editor at Harper’s Bazaar UK, reflecting on the criticism that many infamously non-diverse fashion brands were hit with last month when they chose to post a black square in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, but without making any real promises for change. “This in itself just shows that the problem is much bigger than us,” she continues. “We are fighting against a system of constant oppression. There is a psyche, that has been embedded into the mind of the…
The Black Lives Matter protests this month have forced us to look at and reexamine many sectors of society, from law enforcement and social service programs to the fashion industry itself. Unfortunately, the fashion industry has earned a bad reputation for being elitist, snobbish, and having an extremely narrow view of beauty, which has resulted in many creative voices being left out of the high fashion conversation. One conversation that has arisen over the past month is the need for more diversity within the fashion industry, from the models who wear the clothes to the fashion editors who dictate the…
Over the past few weeks, brands have flooded their social platforms with solidarity statements and pledges against racism and inequality. From instant donations to organizations dedicated to supporting and amplifying Black voices to long lists of calls to action outlining ways companies can move forward in the fight against racial inequality, it appears companies are taking a step back to educate, listen, and learn in order to implement long-term change. The fashion industry is an industry that has always been criticized for its lack of diversity, and now actual change is being called for beyond simple social posts.While this is…