Meet Designer Samantha Black Samantha Black attended Pratt Institute in New York, while also interning for Jill Stuart and Michael Kors. She graduated in 2005 with a BFA in Fashion Design. After graduation, Samantha moved to London where she worked personally with one fashions legendary designers the late Alexander McQueen. After returning to the states, she became the head designer for the entire women’s denim line at Jimmyz, which is owned by Aeropostale. Samantha was one of the selecte[...]
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[...]
Kimberly Goldson was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Fashion became apart of her life at a very young age. While attending the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) she majored in Fashion Merchandising Management, but the design aspect was something she taught herself. At the beginning of her career, she designed custom pieces for clients in Atlanta. She also worked as a production assistant for several clothing labels and as a manager for the U.S. Census Bureau. Deciding to take her car[...]
Meet Designer Adrien Sauvage Adrien Sauvage is a British designer, director, and photographer of Ghanaian descent. Adrien Sauvage was born on May 30, 1983, in Wandsworth, London. From the age of 13, he played professional basketball, representing Great Britain at an international level. Taking early retirement from basketball, at the age of 19, he began to establish himself as a stylist and lifestyle consultant. He had clients ranging from society and celebrity circles in the worlds of rock, f[...]
Meet Designers Joe and Charlie Casely-Hayford Casely-Hayford is a menswear line designed by father and son duo Joe and Charlie Casely-Hayford. The London based designers launched their line in 2009. Joe has produced his own brand label for men and women since the mid-1980s. His collections have been seen on the runways in Paris, London, and Tokyo. He has done work for the film, ballet, and bespoke commissions for bands and artists in the music industry, dressing many leading celebritie[...]
Meet Shoe Designer Natischa Harvey Natischa Harvey has been designing shoes since the 10th grade. Wanting her to pursue a more safe and reliable career option, her mother would try and persuade her from such risky pursuits. It got to the point where Natischa could no longer suppress her love of high-fashion, she knew she would have to get her mother’s blessing first. Her mother always knew that she loved fashion and designing shoes, but she felt it wasn't a secure field. In school she stud[...]
Meet Designer Byron Lars Byron Lars started designing under his own label in 1991 with a small collection of sportswear focusing on what he refers to as "twisted American classics." His inspiration came from such an unlikely source, his grandfather's hunting jacket. Byron put his spin on it with a "Dior New Look" proportion to create a Duchess of Windsor meets Field and Stream hybrid. After his second season in the business, Women's Wear Daily hailed him as "Rookie of the Year." His line was[...]
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[...]
Meet Designer Charles Harbison "My heritage and culture are definite influences in how I approach fashion, but my final responsibility is simply to create good design. I'm just excited to be a part of the conversation of "black fashion" and continue to further the range of what that means." Charles Elliott Harbison was born in Lincolnton, NC. Being a child of the 80s, he could remember his mother wearing a colorful power suit regularly. She was his first muse. As a way of spending time[...]
Meet Designer Mimi Plange Mimi Plange was born in Accra, Ghana, and grew up in Southern California. She's been attracted to art at a very young age, its creation, its many faces, and its meanings. The art led her to a passion for clothes. She was hooked on the incredible fantasy that one could actually design beautiful clothing for a living and that was exactly what she wanted to do. Plange stayed focused on that idea, and as a child, she knew that it was what she was going to do, “I just[...]