The Black Lives Matter movement is still going in full force. It’s time to take a moment and appreciate those in the fashion industry who face the systematic problems that this movement is combating.
There’s no denying that the world of high fashion, modeling, and photography is typically made up of White creatives. For instance, fashion magazine tycoon Vogue hired its first black photographer, Tyler Mitchell, back in 2018, after over 120 years of monthly issues. And even then, some say it was only due to Beyoncé’s influence on the production of the famous September issue.
So, as a homage to the creatives that rarely get the spotlight, here are some of Team SAK’s favorite Black fashion creatives, from designers to photographers and models. Also, all shoppable widgets added to this article are black-owned or people of color-owned businesses.
Tyler Mitchell
I don’t know about you, but I had never heard of Tyler Mitchell before his Vogue debut, but once I started looking into his work, I was astonished at all the campaigns he’s shot—Givenchy, Marc Jacobs, Converse, and many more.
Throughout his film-making and photography, you can see a theme: playful and youthful. There is something child-like about what he brings to the table with his photographs—bright colors, daring accessories, wide-open spaces, and sheet backgrounds that seem perfect for the ultimate fort. This theme runs true throughout his various exhibitions from his debut show; I’m Doing Pretty Hood in my Pink Polo (2018), to his most current work, I Can Make You Feel Good (2020). Mitchell focuses on the Black community’s life and culture, focusing on the neighborhoods of New York, where he grew up and tries to bring the fun and free attitude he experienced to those who haven’t.
Mitchell has received numerous awards, such as Forbes‘s 30 under 30 for art and style in 2019, and British Fashion Council’s New Wave Creative.
Telfar Clemens
If you haven’t heard of Telfar Clemens, you’ve undoubtedly seen his initials. He’s who puts the TC in the TC monogrammed Telfar shopping bags.
Telfar immigrated from Liberia to the U.S at the age of 5 and was made to be a 21st-century fashion icon. Starting from modeling in New York, he quickly found a passion for recreating vintage clothing through the art of deconstruction and reconstruction. This landed his pieces in small boutiques until he launched his official eponymous fashion brand, Telfar, in 2004.
I say that Telfar Clemens is a 21st-century icon because he was doing “it fashion” trends before they were even a thing. For example. Clemens’ brand, Telfar, was made to be unisex. In the early 2000s, this concept was scarcely done, if even done at all, and was risqué—even for fashion. But Clemens made it work, and it was because he had meaning and passion behind the concept: that everyone should be able to wear everything. This mindset could also be due to Clemens’ queer and free identity, which fuels his passion for creating things that are different yet cohesive to all types. In his own wise words, “Try to make clothes that do not exist on the market – just as you don’t exist in the world.”
Telfar Clemens received the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund award in 2017.
Adut Akech
Chosen as “Model of the Year” in 2018 and 2019 as only a teenager, Adut Akech has taken the modeling world in her stride.
As we see with many high-fashion models, bullying was prevalent for Akech at a young age. As a South Sudanese-born child, Akech and her family lived in a refugee camp in Kenya until they moved to Australia when she was 7. As a Black immigrant, she was consistently made fun of for her dark skin, big eyes and lip features, and for her (now notorious) gap teeth. It wasn’t any easier when locals called her “Mary” (her mother’s name) because they couldn’t pronounce Adut’s name. This created a divide between Akech’s self-confidence and identity until she found her passion for modeling.
Starting with family-produced runways, Akech quickly signed to her mother agency, Chadwick Models, and walked in Melbourne Fashion Week in 2016. Soon after, she was cast as a model for Saint Laurent for Paris Fashion Week, signed with Elite Model Management, and the rest is, how you say, fashion history. Since then, Akech has become the face of Black models right under her, who she calls, her ‘second mother,’ Naomi Campbell. She’s walked for fashion houses such as Alexander McQueen, Burberry, Givenchy, Calvin Klein, Acne Studios, and a plethora of others. She also modeled for magazines like I-D Magazine, several Vogue editions, Modern Matter, and many more.
Chrissy Rutherford
From Elle to Harper’s, to InStyle, Chrissy Rutherford has done it all and has done it well.
Besides growing Harper’s Bazaar‘s Instagram account to 4.1 million followers, Rutherford is just like us. She started out reading and fawning over magazines. She was obsessed with fashion and styling and how things were chosen to be featured. That’s when she decided this was her passion, which quickly grew into a career that started as an intern at Harper’s Bazaar.
From there, her career took off from interning to event reporting, to interviews, and to finally the moment where she took over the famous Instagram account. That account now holds the position as the top 5 magazine brand accounts on the platform. Since then, she has evolved her own remarkable Instagram account, with over 140k followers. Why? Because she is a style icon, and who wouldn’t be when you’re in charge of what’s ‘in’ and ‘out’ of the season.
Another reason she may have gained such an enormous following is her stance on mental health and societal issues. Rutherford uses her personal Instagram platform to talk about mental health issues she faces, such as anxiety, and how to combat them and still make yourself into a successful powerhouse. She is also an advocate for creating more Black and POC presences in fashion because the industry dictates what is cool and what is on-trend, so breaking the barrier and creating more notoriety for underrepresented populations is essential to her and needed in the industry.
Sharon Chuter
A founder, CEO, and creative director all in one? It sounds like a heavy, almost impossible workload, but not for Sharon Chuter. After working in the beauty industry for over 15 years, Chuter decided to shake up the makeup world’s norms by launching Uoma Beauty. Much like Fenty, this beauty brand wanted every woman and man to have their perfect shade of foundation. However, in Uoma Beauty outdid Fenty by providing a whopping 51 different shades of foundation (Fenty offers 40) alongside 19 concealer shades.
Not only does Uoma embody the mindset that there should be makeup for all, but also that Black is beautiful! With collection names like Black Magic, Afro.Dis.Iac, and Brow-Fro, Uoma is all about empowering Black women through the power of makeup. Women of all shades, ethnicities, and skin types are plastered all over the brand’s site to show that this brand is for all.
KYLIE HOMES
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