Jay Jaxon was born Eugene Jackson on August 30, 1941, in Queens, New York. The youngest of four, born to Ethel Rena-Jackson and Sidney Jackson. His father, Sidney Jackson, was a truck driver, and his mother, Ethel Rena-Jackson, was a housekeeper. While in high school, Jaxon moved in with a family that lived nearby, helping them with childcare. There he would join in with the family when they would make clothing. Jaxon discovered his love of fashion while tailoring a dress[...]
Arthur Smith was labeled as the first African American Jewelry Designer during the mid-20th century. Showing artistic talent at a young age, Arthur received a scholarship to Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. After graduating in 1940, he enrolled in a jewelry-making class at NYU where he learned the basic technique of jewelry making. It wasn't until he met Winifred Mason, that he began to focus and truly develop his true artistic skills. He begin applying the techniques he lea[...]
“I have always wanted to be a designer. But I thought it would be when I turn 30. I didn’t think I would start at 17.” What started as a fashion blog turned into a career for Nigerian fashion designer Dumebi Iyamah. At the young age of 17, Dumebi launched Andrea Iyamah, a line inspired by color and ethnic cultures, catering to women looking to wear fabulous pieces and edgy swimwear. The brand also offers ready-to-wear and custom-made special event dresses, which are influenced b[...]
Eleanor Anukam offers a line of luxury shoes ranging from sizes 9-13. After spending years searching for quality shoes in her size, she never quite found what she was looking for. Realizing that there weren’t many selections for women who wear sizes larger than a 10, she decided to create a luxury line of women’s footwear catering to those women. “I’m designing for a fashion forward lady with broadened global influences with a thirst to disrupt fashion.” Eleanor describes[...]
Scott Barrie was best known for his sexy matte jersey dresses, which were popular in the 1970s and 1980s. Scott Barrie whose real name was Nelson Clyde Barr was born in Philadelphia in January 1946. As a kid, Barrie knew he wanted to be a designer. He started making his own clothing using his grandmother's sewing machine at the age of 10. Barrie studied Applied Arts at the Philadelphia Museum College and Art and Fashion Design at the Mayer School of Fashion where he graduated in 1965. As a wa[...]
// // ]]> Detroit native Kevan Hall knew by the age of seven that he wanted to be a fashion designer. After graduating from Cass Technical High School where he studied fashion design and won first place as "Designer of Tomorrow". He attended the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles. Hall's love for luxury and haute couture came about after a trip to Europe where he visited European fashion houses such as Dior and Givenchy. Upon graduation, he received the Peacoc[...]
Meet Moziah Bridges: 12-Year-Old Bow Tie Designer Moziah "Mo" Bridges loved dressing up at a young age, unlike his peers he wanted to wear suits and ties whenever he could. His style of inspiration came from his father and grandfather who would usually wear three-piece suits for no particular reason. To him, dressing up made him feel good. When he would go shopping for bow ties, all he ever found were plain and ugly clip-on. He didn’t want to wear a clip-on, “real men tie their own ties”[...]
Meet Designer Dapper Dan Before there was Karl Kani, Fubu, Rocawear, or any other urban wear designer, there was Dapper Dan. He was the first to bring high-end designer fashion and mix it with 80’s street culture. He sold custom made clothing to some of hip hop's biggest influencers for thousands of dollars, even though they were counterfeit. He used fake fabrics from Louis Vuitton, Fendi, and Gucci that were imported straight from Korea, and incorporated them into his designs. His custom wo[...]
Meet Designer Armando Cabral Armando Cabra was born in the small West African nation of Guinea-Bissau in 1982 but raised in Lisbon, Portugal. In 2006 Armando moved to New York to pursue a career in modeling. He landed his first modeling gig with Meltin'Pot and Ozwald Boateng ad campaigns. He has walked the runway for many designers such as Michael Kors, Lacoste, Emanuel Ungaro among others. He also signed an exclusive contract to do Calvin Klein’s show at the Milan fashion week. Armando ha[...]
Meet Designers Darlene and Lizzy Okpo “I definitely am a big Black History buff. When you observe the women of our history, their style was amazing.” ~Darlene Sisters Darlene and Lizzy Okpo were born in the Bronx, NY, to Nigerian immigrant parents. Their inspiration comes from their parent's personal style with American culture. With both Darlene and Lizzy's love of fashion, they created a women’s wear collection named after their father, William Okpo. Their brand represents the “imm[...]