Celebrate Black Business Month by supporting these runway-ready fashion brands.
August is Black Business Month, and with New York Fashion Week approaching, we’re taking a closer look at some of the Black-owned brands that will take the runway. It’s important to support Black businesses all year round, but fashion month is one of the largest platforms for emerging designers to make an impact. Here, L’OFFICIEL rounds up the Black designers on the official NYFW schedule to watch.
Sukeina
Founded by designer Omar Salam in 2012, Sukeina aims to approach fashion in a progressive, powerful way while still providing elegance. Sukeina is defined as “bright light” and is culturally rooted in the cosmologies of Africa, the aesthetics of Europe, and the reinvention of America.
Marrisa Wilson
Focusing on womenswear, Marrisa Wilson was founded by the first-generation Guyanese-American designer of the same name. Wilson’s goal is to promote and celebrate diversity in the fashion world, wanting to mix vibrant prints and bold colors with relaxed styles for a client base of multicultural women.
APotts
APotts is the brand of Aaron Potts, the Brooklyn-based designer who creates unisex clothing with a clean, trans-seasonal look and feel. Potts loves to celebrate life, community, and self-love with his work.
Frederick Anderson
Frederick Anderson started his brand right out of attending FIT, and now he’s been successful in the fashion world for 20 years. He designs clothing for women based on how he sees them dressing and living today, especially “writing their own rules” and being free-spirited.
Dur Doux
Najla A. Burt, founder of Dur Doux, runs the brand with her mother and Vice President, Cynthia Burt. The Washington, D.C.-based brand has been designing wearable pieces with avant-garde elements since 2013.
Sergio Hudson
Sergio Hudson is a luxury women’s ready-to-wear label based in Los Angeles, combining staple pieces as well as statement clothing. Designer Sergio Hudson was born in the mid-1980s, so he’s inspired by rock’n’roll fashion, specifically Gianni Versace and Grace Jones. Hudson’s name made a big splash at the beginning of 2021 when Michelle Obama wore the designer to Joe Biden’s inauguration.
LaQuan Smith
LaQuan Smith’s brand debuted in 2013, and since then, he has cultivated a dynamic global private order clientele. Designing women’s clothes, Smith has been supported by the likes of Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Lady Gaga.
Connor McKnight
This Brooklyn-based luxury fashion brand was established during the COVID-19 pandemic amidst the unemployment of the designer himself as well as the violence against the Black community. His work combines craft and utility with timeless silhouettes that will never go out of style.
Kevan Hall
A founder of Black Design Collective, Kevan Hall has done more than design a few pieces of clothing—he has also helped young costume and fashion designers with scholarships, education and business workshops, and mentorships. His clothing emphasizes purity and modern design.
Kimberly Goldson
Sisters Kimberly Goldson and Shelly Powell launched this brand in 2012, inspired by their hometown of Brooklyn, as well as the cultures they have experienced in their international travels. They design clothes for fearless, bold women who love luxury.
Junny
Junny Ann Hibbert is the face behind Junny, which is a brand that creates fluid, vibrant, custom, limited-edition pieces inspired by Harlem.
Studio 189
Rosario Dawson has created her very own artisan-produced fashion lifestyle brand and social enterprise with Abrima Erwiah called Studio 189. Produced in Africa, the brand creates African and African-inspired content and clothing aiming to empower people.
Telfar
Telfar Clemens founded Telfar in 2005 in New York City, which prides itself on being “Not for you, for everyone.” The brand has had major success with its signature tote bags, but also has ready-to-wear that celebrates Black culture.
Theophilio
The Jamaican-born designer Edvin Thompson created Theophilio to empower individuals and open up conversations about supporting Black designers. Theophilio offers clothing for all genders, colors, and personalities.
Victor Glemaud
Haitian-American designer Victor Glemaud started his brand of the same name in 2006 as a leisurewear collection, specifically statement knitwear, that is inclusive for people of all genders, races, and sizes.
Kenneth Nicholson
Kenneth Nicholson aims his pieces to “advance the approach of menswear,” and makes sure to combine superior construction and textures with innovative techniques that are special to his brand.
Who Decides War
Everard Best created Who Decides War, a brand with unique clothing for all genders, including specialized jeans, shirts, and sweatshirts.
SOURCE: lofficielusa.com
