Books
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Africa's Fashion Diaspora
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Call Number: TT504.6.A35 A475 2024ISBN: 9780300270730Publication Date: 2024One of the first books to examine the wide breadth of the African Diaspora and its influence on international fashion. Tracing the local and global impact of Black Diasporic designers, Africa's Fashion Diaspora is one of the first books to explore the perspectives and significant roles that Black designers have contributed to the creation of international fashion culture. With a focus on the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, this book features some of the best examples of innovative fashion throughout the period and contextualizes how diasporic designers' work can speak to contemporary issues. Diasporic designers cannot be monolithically defined--they come from varied cultures and their work speaks to their personal experiences, as well as wide ranges of influence. Featuring cutting-edge designers such as Oliver Rousteing, Tremaine Emory, Virgil Abloh and their work in the major fashion houses of Balmain, Denim Tears and Off-White, as well as Pathé'O, Stephen Burrows, Patrick Kelly and the iconic designs from the 1970s and 1980s. Hylan Booker's creative output during his time as Head of the House of Worth during the 1960s London relaunch is also explored. Africa's Fashion Diaspora introduces readers to important, yet unexamined fashion histories that form our current fashion ecosystem and support the impactful designers who are shaping contemporary culture. Exhibition Schedule: The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York (September 18, 2024-December 29, 2024). -
Black Designers in American Fashion
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Call Number: TT504.4 .B59 2021ISBN: 9781350138469Publication Date: 2021From Elizabeth Keckly's designs as a freewoman for Abraham Lincoln's wife to flamboyant clothing showcased by Patrick Kelly in Paris, Black designers have made major contributions to American fashion. However, many of their achievements have gone unrecognized. This book, inspired by the award-winning exhibition at the Museum at FIT, uncovers hidden histories of Black designers at a time when conversations about representation and racialized experiences in the fashion industry have reached all-time highs.In chapters from leading and up-and-coming authors and curators, Black Designers in American Fashion uses previously unexplored sources to show how Black designers helped build America's global fashion reputation. From enslaved 18th-century dressmakers to 20th-century "star" designers, via independent modistes and Seventh Avenue workers, the book traces the changing experiences of Black designers under conditions such as slavery, segregation, and the Civil Rights Movement. Black Designers in American Fashion shows that within these contexts Black designers maintained multifaceted practices which continue to influence American and global style today.Interweaving fashion design and American cultural history, this book fills critical gaps in the history of fashion and offers insights and context to students of fashion, design, and American and African American history and culture. -
Black Girls Sew : projects and patterns to stitch and make your own
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Call Number: TT705 .H36 2022ISBN: 9781419754845Publication Date: 2022Black Girls Sew is a nonprofit organization built on strong messaging: teach and empower young girls to take ownership of and have pride in their clothing. Their first book offers the tools, knowledge, and vocabulary to help young people take back their fashion narrative. Black and brown girls and boys need a space where they do not have to encounter misrepresentation of their culture, and this book provides them with a safe space in which to explore their creativity. Primarily the book teaches basic sewing skills and design principles so that readers can create one-of-a-kind looks. By encouraging them to follow their curiosity, rather than telling them what to create, Black Girls Sew helps young fashionistas learn to take risks and explore creative play in clothing design. The way we dress is a means of expression, and by encouraging boys and girls to immerse themselves in the world of fashion, providing projects to create their own wares, and offering historical looks at prominent Black figures who have impacted the industry, Black Girls Sew is a guide for all who are interested in fashion, design, and building their own powerful sense of self and style. -
Fashion Killa : how hip-hop revolutionized high fashion
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Call Number: ML3918.R37 K75 2023ISBN: 9781982176327Publication Date: 2023-10-10This "first comprehensive anthology of the marriage between hip-hop and luxury fashion" (The Cut) draws on exclusive interviews to tell the story of the hip-hop artists, designers, stylists, and unsung heroes who fought the power and reinvented style around the world over the last fifty years. Fashion Killa is a classic tale of a modern renaissance; of an exclusionary industry gate-crashed by innovators; of impresarios--Sean "Diddy" Combs, Dapper Dan, Virgil Abloh--hoisting hip-hop from the streets to the stratosphere; of supernovas--Lil' Kim, Cardi B, and Kimora Lee Simmons--allying with kingmakers--Anna Wintour, Donatella Versace, Tommy Hilfiger, and Ralph Lauren; of traditionalist fashion houses--Louis Vuitton, Fendi, and Saint Laurent--transformed into temples of rap gods. Journalist Sowmya Krishnamurthy explores the connections between the DIY hip-hop scene and the exclusive upper-echelons of high fashion. She discusses the sociopolitical forces that defined fashion and tracks the influence of music and streetwear on the most exclusive (and exclusionary) luxury brands. "An essential book about US culture" (Booklist, starred review), Fashion Killa commemorates the contributions of hip-hop to music, fashion, and our society at large. -
How to Slay: Inspiration from the Queens and Kings of Black Style by
Call Number: TT504.4 .W495 2018ISBN: 9780847861385Publication Date: 2018-02-06One of the few surveys ever published of black style and fashion, How To Slay is for fans of the wildly successful, still-in-print Crowns (Doubleday, 2000) and Pharrell (Rizzoli, 2012). How To Slay provides a lavishly illustrated overview of style among African-Americans, throughout the 20th century but with the primary focus on the last 35 years. Through striking images of icons of black fashion and taste, this lush volume explores a wide array of topics from hats, hair, the use of vibrant colour, and the beauty of black skin to the roots of black style in Africa and the Caribbean. -
Supreme Models by
Call Number: HD8039.M772 U6 2019ISBN: 9781419736148Publication Date: 2019-10-08The first-ever book celebrating black models, filled with revealing essays, interviews, and stunning photographs To date, there has never been a book devoted exclusively to black models. Supreme Modelsfills that void, paying tribute to black models past and present: from the first to be featured in catalogs and on magazine covers, like Iman, Beverly Johnson, and Donyale Luna, to the supermodels who reigned in the nineties--Tyra Banks and Naomi Campbell. The book also observes the newest generation of models--Adwoa Aboah, Jourdan Dunn, and Joan Smalls--who are shaking up the fashion industry by speaking out about racial prejudice and becoming social media sensations.
50 Black Creatives In Fashion You Should Know
To celebrate its 50 years of publication, Essence lists the top 50 individuals who are taking the fashion industry by storm.
Fashion Influencers
1. Color Me Courtney
Her blog is super fun and cute, and so is her quirky personality. Courtney Quinn is an NYC lifestyle blogger with a unique sense of style—she loves bright colors. You’ll love following her (and her dog, Waffles), as they explore the world around them.
2. Her Modern Life
Sydnei started this blog as a journey of self-discovery. She’s passionate about encouraging others to become their true selves, and her thought-sharing platform helps them do so.
3. Blushing Black
LaTisha’s blog is a digital space where she expresses her thoughts and shares her experiences with others. Her blog is full of content and lifestyle topics that all women can relate to.
4. Awesome Luvvie
If you’re ever looking to boost your mood, you’ll want to visit Luvvie’s awesome blog. The pop-culture comedian isn’t just a lifestyle blogger—she’s also a NYT best-selling author, digital strategist, and nonprofit founder. No matter what, she can always see the brighter side of things—which is what makes her so successful.
Supporting Black Fashion
- Black Owned Fashion Brands This is a list of 100+ Black-owned companies that cover everything from affordable jewelry to high-end luxury from Fashionista.com.
- Black Artists and Designers Guild The Black Artists + Designers Guild is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to build a creative culture by advancing a community of independent Black artists, makers and designers in creative industries.
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Black Fashion World Until now, there has not been an organization in existence that provides black fashion professionals sufficient access to higher education, capital, mentorship, the advice of business experts, advertising opportunities and distributors.
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Black Fashion Influencers, Editors, Stylists, Models and More to Follow Right Now / Fashionista A list of Black fashion editors, bloggers, influencers, designers, stylists and models that we think should be on your radar, if they aren't already. Follow them, listen to their stories, amplify them, support their projects, tell your colleagues and employees about them and hire them, if you can.
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Black In Fashion Council represents and secures the advancement of Black individuals in the fashion and beauty industry. We envision workforces where Black people are represented and amplified at every level, holding jobs in both C-suite and junior-level positions, and can work alongside allies to create spaces that directly reflect what the world actually looks like at large.