Let's Take a Peak Into NYFW's Black in Fashion Council Showrooms
In partnership with NYFW: The Shows, the Black in Fashion Council continues to "amplify" emerging Black designers by giving them an opportunity to showcase their work and meet key industry players.
New York Fashion Week was overflowing with over one-hundred runway shows and presentations drawing talented designers from across the globe. It is a goal for most designers to present their collections at NYFW, but this is not always possible, as only a select few can participate. For emerging designers, it is a dream to get on the NYFW calendar. This is seen as a step closer to attaining greater exposure and renown as this event reels in over 230,000 visitors…talk about exposure! However, it is often quite challenging to get a spot, and even then, to get key industry players to attend the show, especially when established brands are showing. This is even more of a challenge for Black emerging designers. Fortunately, this problem is being addressed by organizations such as the Black in Fashion Council.
The Black in Fashion Council is a collective of fashion professionals in various professions aimed to build a new foundation for inclusivity in the fashion and beauty industries. This organization was created by Lindsay Peoples Wagner, Editor In Chief at The Cut at New York Magazine and PR specialist Sandrine Charles.
The council partners with IMG to host New York Fashion Week showrooms that spotlight emerging Black designers. For many of these designers, the showrooms make it possible to participate in NYFW. This is because they provide critical exposure to the fashion world and its key industry players.
This year, residing on the fifth floor of the IMG showrooms at Spring Studios for the totality of Fashion Week, we have emerging brands hailing from Jamaica, Nigeria, Los Angeles, and Atlanta… and some right here at home in Harlem, Brooklyn, and the Bronx. I was fortunate enough to attend the showrooms to learn more about the brands, meet the designers, and hear their stories.
Come inside with me! Let’s get to know this year’s participants Sincerely Ria, Made By Ciriaco, Diotima, Jeofroi, Oak & Acorn, Torlowei, Cise, Madamette, and Ellaé Lisqué!
Sincerely Ria
Going through the glass doors of the showroom, the impression is of a large common area with glass partitions leading to other showrooms. The collections are moderately spaced with plenty of bright natural light beaming through the French windows framed by champagne-colored curtains. The aesthetics are clean and modern and overall perfect for a comfortable viewing of these collections.
The first showroom to the right is Sincerely Ria, an LA-based womenswear brand dedicated to helping women feel empowered and beautiful in their clothing. This brand was founded by Guinean-born Fulani model Mariama Diallo, who many of you may know as she’s starred in some Savage x Fenty campaigns, been featured in Vogue, Marie Claire, and NYLON magazine, and also has a strong online presence.
Sincerely Ria’s clothes celebrate the vibrant and colorful nature of Guinean culture (West Africa), emulating the bright greens and yellows one sees in nature throughout the country. The clothes are classic, timeless, and sleek— an all-around beautiful depiction of womanhood.
What I love most about this brand: Its simplicity—truly less can be more. Some pieces have the designer’s signature stamp, such as the double collared neck on the buttoned-up t-shirts or the nipped-in waist on the wide-leg trousers, perfect for the woman who feels she constantly needs to tailor her pants to fit her waist (guilty lol).
Through her brand, Mariama aims to create a community of authenticity surrounded by self-love and femininity.
Made By Ciriaco
Right next to Sincerely Ria, we see the Bronx-based eponymous handbag brand, Made By Ciriaco, created by Ashley Ciriaco. Ashley is a self-taught designer who brings fun and simplicity back into your wardrobe through handbags with playful asymmetrical silhouettes.
Ashley’s love for fashion was birthed through watching shows such as Sex and the City and That’s So Raven when she was younger. Inspired by the dazzling and wide-ranging wardrobes of the ladies in these shows, Ashley knew she wanted to become a designer. Some of the Ciriaco designs pull inspiration from these shows.
What I love most about this brand: It’s a delightful mix of street fashion and high fashion. The bags can be dressed up or down depending on your mood for the day. They are very playful and versatile and I can see them becoming a staple in people’s wardrobes. Another thing I love is that Ashley doesn’t care about trends. When designing her bags, she creates what she feels, keeping the thought in mind that she wants her bags to be timeless. Ashley focuses on doing limited-edition drops for certain bags, with the goal that they will be limited-edition vintage bags in the future.
Diotima
Walking back through the common area to the other side, let’s start with the showroom on the left. As we enter, we see a bright room with a centerpiece decorated with pictures of the collection. The other collection pieces are artistically placed on wooden tables, mannequins, and display racks. This time the designer’s signature stamp is crochet and beaded pieces, which blended harmoniously with the uplifting island beats playing in the background. This is Diotima.
Diotima is a women's ready-to-wear fashion brand founded by Jamaican-born designer Rachel Scott. Through her designs, Rachel presents a new vision of Caribbean style. According to the designer, her aim is not to be nostalgic but to evoke a feeling of newness. Her designs are both historical and modern.
Rachel's roots are inextricably woven into her designs. She draws inspiration from her Jamaican roots, giving us a dose of dancehall mixed with Caribbean-style vacation pieces in a luxurious setting, thus making clothes that are powerful, classy, and alluring.
My conversation with Rachel revealed that she has worked in the fashion industry for over 15 years (she worked at J. Mendel and Elizabeth and James) and she always wanted to be a designer. This dream came to fruition during the pandemic when she launched her first line from a studio she set up in her home.
Although the pandemic was an unfortunate circumstance, I love that many people found time to slow down and reflect, thus enabling them to find their true passion and make their dreams a reality.
What I love most about this brand: Rachel highlights and empowers the local artisans in the Jamaican community by employing them to create her crotchet pieces. Their lack of work during Covid is what prompted Rachel to finally launch her brand. Now, she visits the country every 6 weeks or so. Her sustainable approach not only contributes to building livelihood for craftsmen in Jamaica but is also an approach that should be adopted by more brands.
Jeofroi
Right next door we have a completely contrasting brand, style-wise. The room is full of colorful, over-the-top, and luxurious garments that are the definition of drama. All the way from Atlanta we have Jeofroi.
Jeofroi is a women’s ready-to-wear and prêt-à-couture brand created by the designer duo Jeffrey Taylor and Roy Carey. They combine these two design styles by upscaling ready-to-wear pieces with different finishings in order to elevate the garments in a couture-esque way. Together, these designers aim to make Jeofroi a luxury brand known for creating timeless and glamorous pieces.
Each piece is a testament to Jeffrey and Roy’s immaculate design skills and eye. Their attention to detail is obvious, their passion for fashion is glaring, and they dare to be different.
In chatting with them, their camaraderie is evident, it’s obvious they love what they do and they love doing it together. Collaboration and respect are very key to the designers’ success so far.
What I love most about this brand: The designers sell their evening wear as separates. Jeffrey and Roy truly believe in getting your money’s worth when you buy couture pieces. What’s the point of only wearing things you love once? Have fun and mix it up!
Take a look at some of Jeofroi’s most popular pieces to date.
Oak and Acorn
On our next stop in the showrooms, we have the Harlem-based sustainable denim brand, Oak & Acorn- Only For The Rebelles. Oak & Acorn’s designer Miko Underwood pays homage to the untold stories of Black, Indigenous, and Africans and their contributions to denim. Most people associate denim with top brands founded by white designers, such as Levis and Wrangler, however, denim started on the plantations in the southern US. In fact, there was a time when denim was considered “negro cloth”. When speaking to Miko, she mentioned that some of the staples we see in denim brands across the world were items that originated on plantations.
Miko is deconstructing ideas around fabrics and materials that get credited to white-owned apparel brands. Through denim, she recounts historical moments in American history through its product touch points and brand messaging while raising awareness of organizations that support & empower communities. Her brand story is clear and her messaging is impactful.
What I love most about this brand: Oak & Acorn doesn’t “greenwash”. Emphasizing that sustainability is the ethos of her brand, Miko’s premium denim products are made up of eco-fibers like Hemp, Refibra & Tencel, recycled & repurposed denim, natural indigo artisan textiles & deadstock fabrics. Being that the fashion industry is one of the biggest contributors to pollution, Oak & Acorn is doing its part by contributing to a more sustainable future.
Torlowei
At the other end of the room, we see clothing in vibrant colors and eccentric prints— all crafted from various textiles. The styles are wide-ranging; we have separates, evening dresses, nightwear, lingerie, and upscale loungewear. Here we have Torlowei.
Founded in 2017 by designer Patience Torlowei, Torlowei is a Lagos-based womenswear label offering timeless pieces in classic silhouettes. The clothes give a romantic feel; there are a lot of chiffons, laces, and delicate embroidery.
What inspires me the most about Patience is that she never gave up on her dream to become a fashion designer. She finally decided to pursue this dream after her two children had grown up, and within two years she had become a manufacturer and supplier of wedding and cocktail dresses in several countries in Europe. At this time she was operating out of her garage in Belgium. Later, she moved back home to Nigeria permanently as she found this was a more enabling environment for her business. She could also create jobs and offer training. This is where Torlowei the brand was birthed.
What I love most about this brand: The indigenous mix of versatility with comfort and luxury in her loungewear. It’s true… you can still look good while you’re in the comfort of your home and Patience is a believer in that.
Cise
Heading over to our next stop on our showroom tour, we have a brand that you may have seen go viral on social media several times in the past couple of years for their “Protect Black People” handbags.
Cise is an LA-based clothing and handbag line focused on building “Stronger Threads For A Stronger Community”. Their first collection was the “Protect Black People” line that was created during the pandemic and after the killing of George Floyd. This collection had a simple but strong message and call to action. The bags were so popular that they sold out 4 times since their release.
The designer, Blake Van Putten, originally created Cise in 2020 with the intention of it being a creative branding agency. However, after witnessing the mass demonstrations that took place after the murder of George Floyd, he felt like he needed to do more to effect change. That is how Cise clothing came to life. It came out during our conversation that his original intention was to create a line with the purpose of donating its proceeds to an organization that was giving back to the community. But this took on a life of its own, growing into a full-fledged brand.
What I love most about this brand: As mentioned, Cise gives back to the community. That is one of their founding principles. To date, the brand has donated over $40,000 to organizations like Anti-Racism, Women Exceeding, and more.
Madamette
Sharing the large space with Cise and another brand is Madamette, a chic lingerie-inspired womenswear brand.
Madamette was founded by designer Quanasia Graham in 2020. In addition to being a designer, Quanasia is a stylist and talent consultant who pulls inspiration for her designs from her styling expertise and retail experience in the lingerie industry.
Madamette is also inspired by the Black feminine power of the Roaring ’20s, Harlem Renaissance, 60s Glam, 70s Disco, 80s boldness, and 90s cool, in her own words. Her collections also have influences of Harlem, Upstate New York, Charleston, and the small parishes of Louisiana, a reflection of her family lineage.
What I love most about this brand: The designer really stays true to her lingerie-detailing for every product. For example, her collections include corset-shaped bags and thigh-high/ ankle boots accessorized with color-matching layered tulle or feathers. These boots were recently seen on Ziwe.
Ellaé Lisqué
Last but certainly not least, on the final stop on our BIFC showroom tour, we have a sophisticated and chic brand that all the girls love….Ellaé Lisqué!
Ellaé Lisqué is an LA-based womenswear brand that values class, sophistication, and exceptional quality. The brand’s founder is LA native Maxie J. whose designs are meant to empower women and make them feel their sexiest, in a classy and respectful way.
Maxie comes across as a designer who has a genuine passion for her craft and a love for her customers, whom she endeavors to beautify and uplift through her talents. She spoke transparently and eloquently about her journey with her brand, all the highs and lows, and her future goals.
In addition to her brand, in 2022 Maxie also launched a master class called “Fashionaire Academy” and a book called “Fashionaire Success Guide” which teaches aspiring designers how to reach their full potential.
To date, Ellaé Lisqué is a multi-million dollar seller.
What I love most about this brand: The designer herself! She is an inspiration, she’s tenacious, and she’s resilient. She has a genuine love and passion to uplift people through her brand, and she seems to enjoy doing this.
Well, that’s it! I hope you enjoyed the tour of the Black in Fashion Council x NYFW showrooms. There are so many talented emerging Black designers out there and these are only a few of them. I’m looking forward to the next season of talent. The industry needs organizations that are dedicated to creating more opportunities for BIPOC professionals and creatives.
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