“Black people are the focal point of many of the conversations and inspirations in fashion,” says Edvin Thompson, the Jamaica-born designer behind Brooklyn-based label Theophilio, while acknowledging that this rarely translates to widespread support on any level. “There should automatically be a safe space for Black designers to thrive within the fashion industry.”
Black Fashion Fair is an attempt to create that space. A passion project for the 26-year-old Fashion Institute of Technology graduate, it’s a natural extension of his “Black Designers You Should Know” Twitter thread, which he started four years ago after noticing a discrepancy between the number of Black designers presenting during New York Fashion Week and the number who were actually included on the official CFDA calendar. As he added to the thread over the years, however, it began to expose some harsh realities.
“As the thread grew, I would notice that, you know, some of these Black designers don’t even exist anymore. I was like, there needs to be something in place that ensures that Black designers have longevity, that they have a sustainable business, and that they remain visible,” he recounts.
Two years of tireless work later, Gregory is creating that sustainability. Rather than fighting to get the mainstream recognition the industry often refuses to grant them, Black Fashion Fair puts the reins into the hands of Black designers themselves, hoping to help them survive and thrive on their own — and more importantly, amongst their own. (“I’m so sick of the same fashion conversation,” Flemons tells me. “I’m ready to have a new conversation.”)
The site, which launched this week, is multifaceted: In the “Designers A-Z” directory, visitors can find an ever-expanding list of Black fashion creatives — from Off White’s Virgil Abloh, the artistic director of Louis Vuitton menswear, to Ruth E. Carter, the Oscar-winning costume designer behind films like Black Panther and Spike Lee’s Malcolm X — helping to establish a working history of the many undiscussed contributions Black people continue to make to the industry.
Then, there’s the titular “Fashion Fair,” an online marketplace with a rotating selection of self-priced items by participating designers, where you can find a cropped sweatshirt by Pyer Moss next to a recycled denim jacket from Phlemuns. Some designs, like Fe Noel’s “Daughter of the Soil” hand-printed knit sweater, are already on sale elsewhere. Others, like a piece from No Sesso, are exclusive to the site. (“[No Sesso] literally drew it up and made it a week ago,” Gregory informs me.)
The hope is that by juxtaposing both established and emerging brands, everyone can benefit. “You’ll see a bunch of different designers, from big names like Pyer Moss to someone like Nicole Zïzi, who’s super fresh but super brilliant,” Gregory explains. “I think it’s great because, you know, Nicole may have her consumer base and No Sesso may have their consumer base, but to be able to put everyone in one place, they become discoverable to so many more people. Now, they can have new eyes on them.”
Pierre Davis and Arin Hayes, the duo behind No Sesso, seem to agree. Since 2015, when the Los Angeles-based brand was still putting on “art shows with clothes that were art pieces,” No Sesso has operated largely on the fringes. Even after their NYFW debut a year and a half ago, the brand is still mostly direct-to-consumer, with the majority of their sales coming through their online store and corresponding Depop shop. Because of that, they relish the opportunity to be included in the Fashion Fair. “Since we are being featured with larger brands, of course there’s potential for new people to be introduced to our art and point-of-view,” they tell me.
An even more effective tool to showcasing their point-of-view, however, is through BFF’s ongoing series of “Fashion Stories,” which reimagines the big-budget shoots usually relegated to the pages of Vogue and Elle by spotlighting the Black creatives that are typically excluded from them — both in front of and behind the camera. The inaugural Fashion Story focuses on Pyer Moss’s SS20 collection and was photographed by Ahmad Barber and Donté Maurice, the duo professionally known as AB+DM, who recently shot prominent magazine covers for Zendaya and Kerry Washington. An accompanying film, soundtracked by a chopped-and-screwed remix of Solange’s When I Get Home cut “Down with the Clique,” was captured by Joshua Binyard.
