New York Fashion Week is in full swing and if you’re like us, you have been eagerly scrolling your social media to see the latest and greatest fashion drops for the season. And we’ve rounded up a few of the Black-owned brands we’re keeping an eye on! Who is walking down the runway, what am I adding to my Pinterest, when will this new item be available to shop? It’s a busy and bustling time for fashionistas far and wide looking for new brands to start investing in.
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As the world of fashion continues to diversify itself with emerging designers and household names, we’re seeing more Black-owned brands get their chance to be seen on the biggest runway in the world. It’s been reported that New York’s fashion lineup is 25-30% more diverse than in previous years with more initiatives and partnerships to provide space and opportunity for Black designers. These efforts mark a step towards progress and change and we’re looking forward to seeing Black designers continue to blaze their own trail in this very competitive market.
Tia Adeola
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Tia was born in Nigeria and raised in London and eventually went to school in NYC where she started working on her fashion brand in her dorm in 2017. As an aficionado of the Renaissance period she has used this for inspiration to help rewriter fashion for people of color. She considers herself a couture designer and dedicated her spring/summer ‘23 collection to the late Thierry Mugler and his love of film noir. This season she debuted design elements like ruffles, feathers, and romantic themes reminiscent of the Victorian age. Her show was closed out by celebrity influencer Jayda Cheaves and Dess Dior.
Fe Noel
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Felisha Noel is a womenswear designer from Brooklyn who is a passionate advocate for femininity and the complexity of womanhood. Her familial influences from her Carribean heritage has played a large role in how she approaches her fashion and her designs are targeted for multifaceted women who love travel and style. The most recent connection pays tribute to her Grenadian roots with maxi slipdresses, bra tops, satin robes, and updated conventions on “power dressing.” Her standout piece from the collection was “the Dre$$” which is a corseted strapless gown valued at $1.6 million that highlights the 30% wage gap between genders.
We went backstage at Fe Noel to interview Celebrity Hair Artist Lacy Redway on the hair, the show, and the way the industry has changed.
an Only Child
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Maxwell Osborne is the disruptor of the fashion halls with his brand “an Only Child” that pays homage to the experience of being alone. His clothing is reminisce of his West Indian heritage and often features jewel-toned satins, draping, ruching and then balances with modern designs like oversized bombers and streetwear. What makes his collections so unique is that they are often constructed of dead stocks found from New York sample rooms, distributors, or donations from fellow designers to prevent waste of excess garments. As his first public runway debut since COVID, Osborne has been a favorite of the New York scene for his experiential shows that include objects and trinkets reminiscent of how only children entertained themselves growing up.
Victor Glemaud
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Victor is a Haitian-American designer who was raised in Queens, New York and studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology where he worked as a publicist and design assistant. He started blazing his own design path when he became the first womenswear design advisor at Paco Rabanne and then the style director at Tommy Hilfiger. His designs are gender neutral and focus on statement knitwear that blends comfort and styles for any race, size, and personality. This season he put his fashion on roller skates with vibrant statement knits, capes, cutouts, and eyewear. He chose to include a number of TikTok celebrities for his show including Brittany Xavier and wanted to focus on a youthful, vibrant, and playful color palette reminiscent of the roller boogie era he infused on the runway.
Black Boy Knits
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Black Boy Knits highlights the contributions of queer, black, and immigrant narratives and works as a made-to-order design studio with hand-operated knitting machines. This Brooklyn-based fashion brand is helmed by Parsons graduate Jacques Agbobly who is making their debut at New York fashion week this year. Jacques was born in Togo, West Africa who prides themselves on having an “international perspective” and approach when creating their designs. As a knitwear designer he loves the comfy and relaxed look of his custom designs and always seeks to celebrate his Togolese heritage with modern takes on vests, school uniforms, and tanks. He had his first NYFW debut on September 12th and will release his full collection in November.
DurDoux
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We love a mother-daughter duo and DurDoux is back to NYFW better than ever with a spring/summer 23 collection that you will be drooling for. Founded by Cynthia and Najla Burt, this is an accessible luxury brand that toggles between opulence and sensibility. Their Carnivale inspired capsule collection features shimmering sequin gowns, formal wear, deep slits, and fitted gowns that are tasteful and bold. Their fashion draws creativity from travel, film and providing timeless pieces that find a happy middle ground between softness and elegance that can be seen in staple pieces like tulle skirts, hues of green, tropical prints, and relaxed luxury. For their NYFW designs they also included fun accessories like palm tree earrings, wide brimmed hats, chunky bangles, and ornate scarves.
Sergio Hudson
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Sergio Hudson is all about bringing Rock and Roll back to the fashion landscape. As a child of 80’s, his inspirations were Gianni Versace and Grace Jones whose iconic looks can be seen in his sultry and sexy collections that balancy androgynous looks and sexy silhouettes. His big break came during Bravo TV’s “Styled to Rock” which provided him the opportunity to work with celebrities like Miley Cyrus and Pharrel Williams, and Rihanna. His NYFW collection represents a hue of shapes, bold colors, and designs inspired by Africa tribal masks. Attendees were treated to color blocking pieces of royal purples, cobalt blues, shawl coat, and keyhole blouses. As an aficionado of pairing bold colors with prints, he also blended signature animal prints like leopard and polka-dots with textures of velvet, suede, and leather.
Kevan Hall
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Keval Hall has been after the fashion world since he decided to become a designer at the early age of 7. He became the Design and Creative Director for Halston in 1998 before launching his own brand in 2002. His designs reflect his fashion philosophy of expert tailoring, draped silhouettes, and purity of style. He’s dressed celebrities like Tina Fey, Debra Messing, Sandra Oh and more. His recent collection at NYFW takes people back to the era of global trade with origins of folklore, textiles, jacquard prints, and twill sheaths.
Studio One Eighty Nine
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Co-founders Rosario Dawson and Abrima Erwiah are bringing the heat to NYFW with their artisan produced fashion lifestyle brand and social enterprise. The brand is made in Africa and focuses on curating African-inspired content and clothing who works with artisanal communities that specialize in various traditional craftsmanship techniques including natural plant based dye indigo, hand-batik, kente weaving and more. They live streamed their runway show on Instagram where bold prints, textured skits, button up blouses, that reflect the beauty and culture of their artisans.
Who Decides War
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The duo behind Who Decides War launched their spring/summer 2023 collection at NYFW and it did not disappoint! Ev Bravado and Tela D’Amore also known as “Everard Best” and sought to create a lighter approach that paid homage to their Caribbean roots. Their collection showcases all the vibrant and light-hearted elements of island life like beaches, palm trees, and tropical elements to bring the varying island societies to the runway. This collection featured denim pieces in a hues of blue and gray washes with distressed detailing and embroidered patches. They expanded their collection with matching sets of tropical pants, jackets, and sweaters in textures of leather, lace, wool, and cotton.
