The fashion industry may be bursting with creativity, but it struggles to represent the entire population it serves.
Last year’s British Fashion Council diversity report stated that while some progress had been made, “urgent change is needed” and that “industry leadership remains dominated by men and white leaders” – a point underscored by the recent appointments of new white, male creative directors at Alexander McQueen and Moschino.
The Standard’s Black Fashion Power List celebrates the trailblazers who continue to pave the way for generations to come. Meet the people shaping the future of fashion.
Dave Bennett
Streatham-born Naomi Campbell is one of the UK’s most respected models. Her incredible career spanning nearly four decades will be showcased in a comprehensive retrospective, ‘Naomi’, at the V&A next summer. She told the Standard: “London fashion is incredibly innovative – there are always cutting-edge new styles, often coming from the streets and talented emerging designers. It’s always exciting to see such an influential new movement emerging in our capital. But I won’t be slowing down in the fight to increase diversity in fashion – I’m determined not to let the great progress made so far go to waste.”
Dave Bennett
Adwoa Aboah was Model of the Year in 2017 and appeared on the cover of Edward Enninful’s British Vogue in December of the same year. She has walked the runways for Chanel, Dior and Versace, and this season she graced the scene again by walking the runways for Burberry, Moschino, Ahluwalia and Holzweiler’s Spring/Summer 2024 collections. Last year she made her acting debut in the hit Netflix show Top Boy, and she is also the founder of Girls Talk, a non-profit organization that promotes youth mental health.
Kai Isaiah Jamal, model
Dave Bennett
Hailing from South London, Kai Isaiah Jamal has walked the runways for Burberry and Louis Vuitton and been on the covers of ELLE UK, iD and ES magazines alone. Accomplished poets, they were described by Virgil Abloh as the “voice of their generation” in 2021 and are dedicated to advocating for the transgender community. In a historic nomination, Jamal has been nominated for Model of the Year at the 2023 Fashion Awards, making them the first transgender nominees in the category this year and the only ones from London.
Dave Bennett
Jourdan Dunn made history when she walked the Prada runway in 2008. She was the first black model to do so since Naomi Campbell in 1997. When she won Model of the Year at the Fashion Awards that year, she said, “Until that moment I had always felt like an outsider, but winning that award made me feel seen and accepted.” Since then, she has graced the cover of British Vogue, walked runways for numerous designers, and been a regular in the front row supporting London’s emerging designers.
Edward Enninful OBE, Editor
Dave Bennett
Edward Enninful is a prodigy in the industry, having been scouted as a model at age 16 and appointed fashion director at iD at age 18. Fearlessly disproving the outdated myth that using black models reduces circulation, his groundbreaking 2008 “Vogue Italia Black Issue” sold out in 72 hours in the UK and US. He was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 2016 for his contributions to diversity in fashion, and the following year he became the first black editor-in-chief of British Vogue. “We have made great strides in welcoming more black designers and models into the industry, but there is more we can do to pave the way for the next generation,” he says. “The fashion industry needs to reflect all communities. We must continue to encourage the industry to be more inclusive in all aspects.”
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Chioma Nnadi, British Vogue’s newly appointed head of editorial content, is the first black woman to lead the 107-year-old fashion magazine. She started her career as a features editor at the Evening Standard before moving to New York. She’s been at US Vogue since 2010, and is editor of Vogue.com. Now back in London, she’s passionate about elevating the British fashion industry. “There are so many outlets for young people from all walks of life to have a voice,” she says. [here]”It creates a more democratic system and allows us to hold the industry to account in a different way, but more than that, it creates an urgent, vibrant and truly important conversation around fashion,” she says.
Dave Bennett
Kenya Hunt is the first black woman to hold the position of Editor-in-Chief of Elle UK, but began her career in the US as an assistant editor at Jane Magazine. After crossing the Atlantic in 2008, she was Global Style Director at Metro International and Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Grazia and Elle UK. In her current role, which she describes as her “dream job,” she gives back by supporting aspiring fashion creators as the founder of ROOM Mentoring. Hunt takes to heart the words of Toni Morrison: “When you get these jobs that you’ve had great training for, remember that your real job is to free someone else. If you’re powerful, it’s your job to empower someone else.”
Dave Bennett
Appointed Editor-in-Chief of Dazed and recipient of the Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator at the 2021 Fashion Awards, Eve Kamara has built an impressive career in a short space of time. After graduating from Central Saint Martins in 2016, she gained attention as a stylist before becoming Fashion Editor-in-Chief of iD two years later. Kamara has collaborated with photographers such as Rafael Pavarotti, Mert & Marcus, and David Sims, as well as consulting for brands such as Louis Vuitton and Burberry. She currently splits her time between Dazed and Off-White, the latter of which she will serve as Art Director and Image Director from 2022.
Misan Harriman, photographer
Dave Bennett
Misan Harriman is Chair of the Southbank Centre and in 2020 made history as the first Black person to shoot both the cover and September issue of British Vogue. Self-taught, Harriman began his creative practice in 2017 and has since photographed Rihanna and Cate Blanchett, and become the go-to for the Duchess of Sussex. Harriman says her work is “for all the Black poets of light out there, and it’s important for them to know that their work has limitless potential.”
Campbell Addy, photographer
Dave Bennett
Campbell Addy is known for his striking photography with a focus on black and queer culture. His first solo exhibition, “I ♥ Campbell,” opened at 180 Studios in May. His notable collections include photographs of Tyler, the Creator, Naomi Campbell, and FKA Twigs. As founder of Nii Journal and Agency, he was honored as a New Wave Creative at the 2017 and 2018 Fashion Awards.
Ama Quashie, manicurist
Dave Bennett
Ama Kwasie is a Brixton-based top manicurist who recently did Carey Mulligan’s nails for US Vogue and has worked on numerous cover shoots as well as brands such as Alexander McQueen, Chanel, Jimmy Choo and Loewe. She says she deliberately draws from a “globalised palette and reference sheet” and wants black women to “get the credit they deserve” for initiating so many nail trends.
Charlotte Mensah, Hairstylist
Dave Bennett
Charlotte Mensah’s expertise spans both styling and developing her unbeatable product line, Munketti Oil. Her 2020 book, Good Hair, with a foreword by Zadie Smith, is both a beloved guide and memoir for those with afros. She was the first black woman inducted into the British Hairdressing Awards Hall of Fame, and her Portobello Road salon sees a clientele that includes Tracee Ellis Ross, Michaela Cole and Erykah Badu. For Mensah, hairstyling is more than a job; “it’s a shared cultural expression that looks different every day.”
Bernicia Boateng, makeup artist
Dave Bennett
Bernicia Boateng’s expert makeup knowledge has attracted 240,000 Instagram followers and a host of high-profile clients, including Jourdan Dunn, Jodie Turner-Smith and Michaela Coel, with whom she worked on both the cover of US Vogue and her Met Gala appearance last year. Boateng, who was named to Forbes’ prestigious European Arts and Culture 30 Under 30 in 2020, has used her success to support her local community, offering internships and career advice at her Leighton studio.
Make-up artist Pat McGrath
Dave Bennett
The legendary Dame Pat McGrath has been at the helm of the beauty industry for 25 years. Her pioneering looks include adorning models in jewels, lacquered masks and feathers, and working on catwalks for Alexander McQueen, Maison Margiela, Prada, Gucci and Givenchy. Her makeup brand, Pat McGrath Labs, launched in Selfridges in 2019, and at the time, it became the store’s biggest-selling beauty product launch in history. In 2019, she was named one of Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People” and in 2021, she became the first makeup artist to be awarded the Order of the British Empire for her contribution to and diversity in the fashion and beauty industries.
Jeannie Annan Lewin, stylist
Jeannie Annan Lewin
Jeannie Annan Lewin
Stylist Jeannie Annan Lewin has worked for publications such as iD, Harper’s Bazaar, and LOVE Magazine, and has recently styled cover shoots for Naomi Campbell, Gwendoline Christie, and Shy Girl. As creative director at Perfect Magazine, she promotes undiscovered, emerging talent. An outspoken voice in the industry, Annan Lewin argues that we need more people of color in decision-making roles. Those in positions of power “have to hire visionaries, take risks, nurture talent, and be comfortable being uncomfortable.”
Jessica Skit Cross, stylist
Dave Bennett
As style director at ES magazine, Jessica Skiet Cross has styled cover shoots for Pharrell, Robert Pattinson, Louis Theroux and Charlotte Rampling. This year at London Fashion Week, she worked as a styling consultant for Skiet Cross, producing his debut Maines catwalk show. “There’s so much incredible talent in the industry and diversity is improving, but I think there’s still room for improvement when it comes to the people working behind the scenes,” she says.
Ozwald Boateng OBE, fashion designer
Dave Bennett
Ozwald Boateng made history in 1995 as the first black tailor on Saville Row, and his sharp cuts and vibrantly printed suits have been unmissable ever since. In 2005, he had a 20-year retrospective at the Victoria & Albert Museum, and from 2004 to 2007 he was Givenchy’s menswear creative director. Speaking to The Standard ahead of his show at London Fashion Week last year, Boateng said: “There are more people of colour in the industry than I’ve ever known. For decades, I was always the only black person in the room. Now it’s a totally different experience. It’s surprising for me and it’s exciting to see how the industry has changed.”
Grace Wales Bonner, fashion designer
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Grace Wales Bonner’s soulful tailoring won her the LVMH Young Designer Prize and the BFC x Vogue Designer Fashion Fund within five years of graduating from Central Saint Martins in 2014. Her 2019 collaboration with Dior for a resort collection was a career highlight, and she has since presented a collection with Adidas and designed the uniforms for the Jamaican soccer team.
Foday Doumbouya, fashion designer
Dave Bennett
Foday Dumbuya, founder and creative director of Labram, is breaking down barriers by establishing cultural inclusivity as a natural touchstone of style. This year’s winner of the Queen Elizabeth II British Design Award, Dumbuya is known for his flawless fusion of West African and British fashion. For young black designers hoping to follow in his footsteps, Dumbuya’s advice is simple: “Be true to yourself, be authentic, be humble and work hard.”
Samuel Ross, fashion designer
Dave Bennett
Born to second generation Windrush parents, Samuel Ross landed his first big job as first design assistant to Virgil Abloh, who discovered him on Instagram in 2012. From there, he founded luxury menswear label A-COLD-WALL* in 2014, which quickly gained a cult following and has 200 stockists and a brick-and-mortar flagship store worldwide by 2022. For Ross, the design process is “a language that influences every surface and layer of expression, from the garments to the physical environment.”
