Although the fashion industry has made many strides in recent years to become more inclusive particularly with casting models, it still remains one of the least represented industries for Black designers. Considering only a few Black designers have been fortunate enough to reach mainstream status, it’s important for us to recognize and celebrate Black designers who aren’t as visible. This is also one of the main reasons why we salute and support Harlem’s Fashion Row, which gives a platform to underrepresented designers of color.
Harlem’s Fashion Row, which was founded by Brandice Henderson-Daniel in 2007, was created to shine a light on Black designers and give them a stage to showcase their fashion collections, promote their brand and drive their brand to retail success.
Last night, Harlem’s Fashion Row celebrated its 10th anniversary with a fashion show and style awards presentation in New York City, and ESSENCE served as the media partner for the event.
Designers Fe Noel, Undra Celeste, K. RaShaé and Kimberly Goldson presented their collections on the runway, and their individual talents were undeniable.
You may be familiar with Goldson as she was actually a finalist on season nine of Project Runway. Noel is a self-taught designer, Celeste has worked in the fashion industry for over a decade for brands like Calvin Klein and Marc Ecko and K. Rashaé just launched her luxury women’s clothing line last year.
Notable director and filmmaker Spike Lee was awarded the Decennium ICON 360 Award and singer Andra Day received the Decennium Trailblazer Award. Additionally, Chioma Nnadi, the Fashion News Director for Vogue.com, was honored with the Editor of the Year Award and Claire Sulmers, founder of Fashion Bomb Daily, received the New Media Award. We’re honored to congratulate Harlem’s Fashion Row on ten years!
To learn more about the designers, follow Fe Noel at @fenoel, Undra Celeste at @love_ucny, K. RaShaé at @krashae and Kimberly Goldson at @kimberlygoldson.