For this spring-summer 2022 season, thirteen emerging black designers were invited to exhibit their creations during New York fashion week, which took place from September 7 to 12, in a showroom in the Tribeca district. An initiative of the Black in Fashion Council (BIFC), organization launched in June 2020.
Co-founded by fashion journalist Lindsay Peoples Wagner and communications director Sandrine Charles, two important figures in the American fashion industry, this collective aims to promote and support black people working in fashion. “As a collective, we envision a world in which blacks in the fashion and beauty industry can speak freely about their issues, and in which their rights are guaranteed, equal, and their voices celebrated”, explained Lindsay Peoples Wagner, in the platform launch press release.
Created shortly after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020 and the protests of the “Black Lives Matter” movement that followed, this initiative is hailed by the Council of Fashion Designers of America: « The CFDA was the first institution to commit to having the Black in Fashion Council recognized by the fashion industry. We support this initiative, which is needed today to promote diversity and inclusiveness ”, says Steven Kolb, CEO of the Council of Fashion Designers of America. Many brands have since joined the Black in Fashion Council and are thus committed to promoting diversity within their company, such as Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Tiffany & Co. or even Proenza Schouler.
Pleats games
This season, the young creatives chosen to join the BIFC showroom have very diverse profiles. Among them, Adreain Guillory, graduated from the School of the Art Institute in Chicago in 2019, and who offers under the name Ajovang a delicate and ultra-feminine wardrobe, articulated around pleated games. The designer Letesha Renee and her brand Eugene Taylor, meanwhile, offers unisex, cheerful and offbeat clothes. The accessories are also highlighted, in particular through the line of shoes imagined by the American-Nigerian Amina Means, under the Nalebe brand. Her colorful and jeweled shoes are fashioned with eco-responsible materials.
The autodidact Blake Van Putten, meanwhile, caused a sensation from the launch of his brand, Cise, in June 2020. His bags flocked with the words “Protect Black People” all sold out in a few minutes. A project initially created to raise funds for an association fighting against racism. Another universe, that of the designer Neumi Anekhe, who offers gold jewelry with minimalist contours, inspired by her African heritage. A young brand in the light… since her earrings were worn by Michelle Obama.
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