The announcement of the nominees for the 2018 CFDA Fashion Awards and the unveiling of the contestants for the Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy Prize, presents an excellent opportunity for black and modern creativity to stand strong in the fashion world. Keep reading to learn about the six black fashion mavens killing the game right now.
Aurora James
The founder and creator of Brother Vellies first majored in Journalism before venturing into the fashion world. James’s artistic genius is fueled by her frequent trips to Morocco, South Africa and other regions of Africa.
Virgil Abloh
Virgil Abloh is a Grammy-nominated DJ and fashion designer who was responsible for the artwork featured in Jay Z and Kanye West ‘s 2011 Album Watch the Throne. He formed his high-end streetwear line, Off-White in 2013.
Eddie Enninful
The fashion director and designer is the first black Editor-in-Chief of British Vogue Magazine. He began his career at the age of 18, previously emigrating from Ghana and being moved by his mother’s occupation as a seamstress – she inspired him with “the vividly patterned colours and fabrics she used while creating clothing for her British-Ghanaian friends.” As told to International Herald Tribune in 2009.
I made the #ebonypower100 list alongside some amazing people like my friends @thelopezeffect and @hrbsn. ? by @miighty. I’ll text you the high-res if you need a new screensaver. #pyermoss
Kerby Jean-Raymond
Kerby Jean-Raymond is the founder of Pyer Moss which was formed in 2013. Jean-Raymond made the Forbes 2015 30 Under 30 in Art and Style. In 2016 he used the New York Fashion Week runway as a platform to highlight police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement via imagery, street art, and fashion.
Samuel Ross
Samuel Ross is a British designer who founded and self-financed the fashion label, A-COLD-WALL. The line is described as “the curated product of British street culture. It is both a staunch symbol and mercurial component of the clashing of class and environment in the British landscape. Born of the stark subversive brilliance of the underclass, ACW* is expressed and refined by the cerebral sensibilities of the upper sections of society. This amalgamation is materialised through mediums of social commentary, immersive art and cutting-edge streetwear.”
Rushemy Botter
Rushemy Botter is a Curacao native and Netherlands based designer who co-founded his line BOTTER with Lisi Herrebrugh. BOTTER is a Caribbean inspired line that has been worn by rapper Young Thug and famed model Naomi Campbell. Botter aims to infuse his Caribbean upbringing in his shows as he did for the Amsterdam Fashion Week last July – by serving traditional Caribbean food. He says “When I think of floral prints, I think of my grandma’s table back on Curaçao, “She lays down a tablecloth and over these floral prints the whole family is coming together to eat, to tell stories and laugh.”
