From prominent historical designers such as Ann Lowe to present-day designers such as Telfar Clemens, Black fashion designers have boldly broken barriers of the hitherto Eurocentric and white fashion industry with their incredible talents, guts, and panache. These designers have created a path for other Black designers to rise and thrive. However, they still face many challenges in an industry that is disappointingly still predominantly white.
Fashion is an industry where there are many gatekeepers. Black designers in the main are often not welcomed into the board rooms and studios of power (as it were). It’s often more challenging for them to access the needed resources, opportunities, and capital. The path to success is full of many obstacles, setbacks, inequality, and downright disappointment, which leaves many Black designers and creatives feeling hopeless and discouraged at times. One of the biggest challenges these designers face is the theft of their work by bigger and more known fashion brands, particularly fast-fashion brands. But that’s a topic for another day….
Despite these challenges, Black designers, with their inborn resilience, continue to change the landscape of fashion through their innovative work, daring nature, and resourcefulness.
In celebration of Black History Month, here are some Black fashion designers, including those of African descent and Caribbean descent, whose work has paved the way for other Black designers, transcended their borders, and touched me personally.
Who are some of your favorites?
Ann Lowe
Ann Lowe was the first African-American to become a noted fashion designer. Her designs were worn by high-society women and she designed Jacqueline Kennedy’s wedding dress, one of the most famous wedding dresses in history. Between 1968 and 1972, she opened the Ann Lowe Originals shop on Madison Ave.
Zelda Wynn Valdes
Zelda Wynn Valdes was the first Black designer to open a boutique, which was located on Broadway in NYC. She is credited for designing the first Playboy Bunny waitress costume. At the height of her career, her designs were worn by many celebrities, including Ella Fitzgerald, Josephine Baker, and Eartha Kitt.
Jay Jaxon
Jay Jaxon was a costume designer and made a notable impact in the NY and Paris fashion scenes. He worked in the Parisian fashion houses of YSL and Christian Dior, creating many couture and ready-to-wear collections for them. He also created costumes for popular tv shows, such as Sabrina: The Teenage Witch, and designed clothing for singers and performers.
Patrick Kelly
Patrick Kelly was the first American designer EVER to be admitted into the Chambre Syndicale du Prêt-à-Porter, which governs the French ready-to-wear industry. He came to fame in France and his designs were known for being joyful, humorous, and bold. Many of them made political statements by confronting racist iconography.
Willi Smith
Willi Smith is credited as the inventor of streetwear. He launched his label, WilliWear Limited, in 1976. Ahead of its time, WilliWear mixed the relaxed fit of sportswear with high-end elements of tailoring. His clothes were accessible and affordable, democratizing fashion.
Dapper Dan
Dapper Dan introduced high fashion to the hip-hop world. He made his name in the late 80s and 90s as the self-taught tailor who provided rap culture with its signature gangster-inspired style, co-opting luxury brand logos out of his Harlem boutique to make one-of-a-kind outfits. His clients included LL Cool J, Salt-N-Pepa, Jay-Z, etc. In 2017, he launched a line with Gucci and in 2018, he opened up Dapper Dan’s of Harlem.
Stephen Burrows
Stephen Burrows is a NYC-based designer and was the first African-American designer to sell internationally. His designs are inspired by the 1970s New York dancing/ disco scene. He has been honored with three Coty American Fashion Critics awards, the highest praise that can be awarded in fashion.
Olivier Rousteing
Olivier Rousteing is a French fashion designer who was appointed creative director of Balmain in 2011, at the young age of 24. He still holds that position today! He was the youngest creative director in Paris since Yves Saint Laurent. He has made Balmain a revolutionary force and is one of the most talented designers globally.
Virgil Abloh
Virgil Abloh was a Ghanaian-American designer, stylist, entrepreneur, and DJ. He was the first Black artistic director of Louis Vuitton and was appointed creative director of the brand’s menswear line in 2018. He was also the CEO and founder of his brand, Off-White. Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2018.
Kerby Jean-Raymond
Kerby Jean-Raymond is a Haitain-American fashion designer who founded the NYC-based label, Pyer Moss. Through his label, he engages with and showcases the Black experience through thought-provoking storytelling and enthralling productions. He was appointed creative director of Reebok from 2020-2022.
Heron Preston
Heron Preston is a designer, artist, content creator, and DJ. In 2017, he collaborated with Kanye West and Virgil Abloh to launch his eponymous streetwear brand at Paris Fashion Week. He initially rose to fame as the co-founder of the streetwear label and DJ collective Been-Trill. He is also known for his work as art director for Kanye West’s The Life of Pablo and Yeezy.
Telfar Clemens
Telfar Clemens is a Liberian-American designer based in NYC. He founded his unisex brand Telfar in 2004. In recent years, his brand gained a huge following due to its accessibility, signature shopping bags, and celebration of Black culture.
Shayne Oliver
Shayne Oliver is a designer and musician who founded the NYC-based streetwear brand Hood By Air in 2006. His edgy designs are inspired by 90s streetwear. His brand has earned two of the most prestigious awards in fashion, the LVMH Special Jury Prize and a CFDA award.
Christopher John Rogers
Christopher John Rogers is a womenswear designer who founded his eponymous NYC-based brand in 2016, shortly after graduating college. Since then, celebrities such as Cardi B, Beyonce, Rihanna, and Lil Nas X have worn his designs. He dressed Kamala Harris for her swearing-in as US VP in January 2021. He is a highly awarded designer with acknowledgment from the CFDA, Vogue, and Forbes.
Laquan Smith
Laquan Smith is a NYC-based luxury womenswear designer who started his brand in 2013, at age 21. He was the first designer to stage a runway show at the Empire State Building, for his Spring/Summer 2022 NYFW show. His designs can be seen on celebrities such as Beyonce, Rihanna, and Lady Gaga.
Anifa Mvuemba
Anifa Mvuemba is the founder of the womenswear brand Hanifa. Being of Congolese descent, many of her collections are inspired by her heritage. Her innovative and compelling designs have attracted celebrities such as Tracee Ellis Ross, Zendaya, and Bella Hadid.
Teni “Tia” Adeola
Tia Adeola is a Nigerian-born, London-raised (now NY-based) designer who started her eponymous brand at the young age of 18. Her designs are inspired by the Renaissance period and her aim is to rewrite history through fashion. In 2020, she unveiled her debut fashion film, Black is Beautiful, inspired by Sofia Coppola’s 2006 movie, Marie Antoinette, featuring an all-Black female cast.
Edvin Thompson
Edvin Thompson is a Jamaican designer who founded his Brooklyn-based label, Theophilio, in 2016. He embraces his Jamaican heritage by infusing elements of his background, such as vibrant colors and rich fabrication, into his collections. His hope is to impact the elitist nature of the fashion industry.
Jerry Lorenzo
Jerry Lorenzo is an LA-based fashion and sneaker designer. He founded the luxury streetwear label Fear of God in 2013. Since his debut collection, which he self-funded, his brand has garnered the interest and support of Virgil Abloh, Kanye West, and Gucci’s Michele Alessandro His Essentials collection, under Fear of God, is very mainstream today.
Nigeria Ealey, Esaïe Jean Simon, and Victor James
Nigeria, Esaïe, and Victor are the founders of NYC-based streetwear & lifestyle brand, Tier NYC. Founded in 2014, this brand has consistently expressed art through its collections and has coined the motto “Art Never Dies”. In 2022, Tier opened its first brick-and-mortar pop-up shop in the Beverly Center in Los Angeles.
Kenneth Ize
Kenneth Ize is a Lagos-born and based designer who founded his eponymous label in 2013. Through his designs, he reinterprets West African traditional fabrics and Nigerian craft. He collaborates with artists and design groups across Nigeria and supports small communities of local artisans in Lagos. In 2019, he was an LVMH Prize finalist.
Thebe Magugu
Thebe Magugu is a South African-based designer who founded his eponymous label in 2016. Shortly after, he gained critical acclaim for his thought-provoking and inventive collections, which comment on the history, culture, and politics of South Africa. He won the LMVH Young Fashion Designer Prize in 2019.
Kimora Lee Simmons
Kimora Lee Simmons is a fashion designer, entrepreneur, tv personality, author, and former model who founded the lifestyle fashion brand Baby Phat in 1999. Her brand was a Y2k staple, embodying designs such as baby tees and bedazzled jeans. Baby Phat is regarded as one of the most definitive brands of the 2000s.
Rihanna
After dominating the music industry, Rihanna took on a new venture in 2018 with the launch of her inclusive lingerie brand, Savage X Fenty. Savage is now a staple lingerie brand in the industry. Although closed now, in 2019 she launched her luxury label Fenty, making her the first Black woman to head an LVMH-owned brand.
Kanye West
Through his eclectic taste for luxury fashion and streetwear, Kanye West continues to influence the fashion industry, from the way people dress to today’s fashion aesthetics. Alongside designers like Virgil, Kanye paved a way for streetwear to become part of high fashion. He launched his first Yeezy collection in 2015 and the brand continues to be one of the most hyped brands in streetwear.
