7 Black Innovators of Fashion Currently YOU need to Know About!

Attention! Attention! Hear ye, hear ye — I have an important announcement to make.

I would like to put you fashionistas on to some influencers, designers, and models who you may or may not have heard about. I would like to highlight these amazing individuals so we can spread awareness and celebrate their success and accomplishments. This piece is important to me because the fashion industry needs to promote them more, despite their notoriety and success. The fashion industry needs to promote them more and we as consumers need to contribute to the cause, especially if we love their artistic stylings. It is important to see more Black and brown people celebrate as well so we can have more people who look like us, and be the future in paving the way for their community.

André Leon Talley

Andre Leon Talley will be remembered as an amazing jack of all trades in the fashion world. He was a Fashion journalist, Stylist, Creative Director, and Editor at Vogue magazine. The story of where Andre came from and making his way into the fashion world is quite fascinating. Born during the Jim Crow era of the South, he started his career with an apprenticeship for Diana Vreeland, who became impressed, which led him to secure an abundance of opportunities in journalism. He was known for supporting upcoming designers and strongly advocating for diversity in the fashion industry. Andre was also the first Black person to serve as a creative director in American Vogue. He has been regarded as a fashion icon himself, most notably for long capes and robes. He unfortunately passed early this year at the age of 73. His legacy, however, will remain a strong impact in the fashion community. As seen recently during the 2023 Super Bowl, Rihanna was spotted wearing his signature red coat look.

Telfar Clemens

Telfar Clemens is a fashion designer and founder of one of the hottest brands right now which is TELFAR. He founded his brand in 2005 and marketed his brand as unisex clothing. His clothes have a simplistic design concept that offers comfort and inclusivity to all. He is most notably known for his bags. The Telfar bags are made from vegan leather and are marketed as luxury fashion with the appeal of its affordability. Telfar made sustainable, high-end. The challenge that comes from this is actually getting your hands on the bag, because each drop is a different story, with one specific color per release they sell out quickly. On their Instagram page, you can see Mr. Clemens' artistic vision and personality of the brand shine with his festive, upbeat aesthetic.

Monroe Steele

Monroe Steele is a notable mention as well. She is an amazing beauty content creator whose main focus is on fashion and beauty but she covers other areas as well. Located in both New York and Miami, Monroe works as a contributing writer for Bustle, an American women’s magazine that combines both news and politics with fashion and beauty. Miss Steele has made a strong impact with over 160k followers on Instagram and almost 83k subscribers on her YouTube channel. On her YouTube channel specifically, you can find different fashion vlogs, style inspiration and overall following her fashion journey. She also has her own website/blog where you can look for outfit ideas, covering New York fashion week along with tips and recommendations for beauty and skincare.

Laquan Smith

LaQuan Smith is a luxury fashion designer and founder of his womenswear brand Laquan Smith, LLC. He is based in New York and is famous for his 3D leggings that celebrities eventually started to wear. His fascination for well-tailored womenswear began when he learned how to sew from his grandmother. This gave him the passion to start wanting to be a creator. LaQuan made his debut in 2013 and has been blossoming since then — his designs giving a merge between ‘sexy’ and ‘elegance.’ He went from struggling to find his way into the industry to having exclusive clientele buying his work from all over the world.

Wisdom Kaye

Wisdom Kaye is a young fashion influencer and model who gained media attention from fashion gurus during the pandemic. He went viral for his take on the TikTok “Vogue Challenge”. Wisdom continues to blow up by hopping on various other trends, showing off their outfits, and modeling it. Along with having an amazing wardrobe, he shows off his amazing videography, which only adds to his artistic flair. Wisdom got scouted for IMG Models and made his modeling debut at the Balmain 2022 fashion show. Since then, he has worked with brands such as Dior, Fendi, and Coach New York, to name a few. He also used his platform to evolve how we look at fashion, educating us with an amazing concept recently named “time travel series”.

Blake Van Putten

Blake Van Putten is the founder and designer of CISE. He started designing and producing clothes in 2010. His goal is to produce clothes for a community that is typically ignored. CISE is a Black-owned, LA based clothing line with the motto of “Stronger Threads For A Stronger Community.” The brand is committed to a message of supporting the Black community, with the proceeds from every purchase given back to different charitable organizations, such as the Anti Racism Fund and BEAM-the Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective. The brand is mostly known for its “Protect Black Women” purses that come in various colors. It is made from vegan leather and offers a subtle but powerful message. The brand also offers casual outerwear that both men and women can wear: from sweatshirts to T-shirts branded with that powerful message, all while making it affordable, — what is not to love?

Shudu Gram

Have you heard about Shudu Gram? She is the first virtual influencer. Her notable characteristic is her smooth, dark skin, and out-of-this-world aura. They may look real, but they are AI. Shudu was created by a white British fashion photographer and virtual artist Cameron James Wilson. I felt it was important to highlight Shudu because she may be the very future of fashion, especially since AI is becoming normalized and integrated more into the fashion world. In 2018, Shudu was a part of a campaign for the French Luxury fashion house, Balmain. Shudu has gained love and attention from people across the globe and has developed a following of close to 240k on Instagram.

Strike Out,

Imani Doss

Miami

Imani Doss is part of the External team for Strike Magazine Miami. She is a Digital communications major who likes to watch anime in her room and watch various ootds on her Instagram timeline. You can reach her on Instagram @itsimxnii or email @imani.doss@gmail.com or @ imxnisjourney@gmail.com

Picture Sources

Andre Leon

https://images.app.goo.gl/6DxZ8xR1vkRtEDUB9

Telfar Clemens

https://images.app.goo.gl/1m5RnTKzbAbvvqNH9

Monroe Steele

https://images.app.goo.gl/8kPRhpamaULSzRkm9

Laquan Smith

https://images.app.goo.gl/jzmvDCsFz2ZN6oqXA

Wisdom Kaye

https://images.app.goo.gl/mfT9fAZgvVFPnSo49

Blake Van Putten