Black women are the backbone of many industries, having been the inventors of many things and yet not getting the recognition they deserve. Well, ESSENCE wants to give Black women in fashion their flowers while they are here. These women are among some of the trailblazers that we need in fashion and the ones who are here to amplify the voices that have not been heard for years — until now. Back in 2020, a look into what it was like to be Black all throughout America was revealed to the world. In an attempt to make up for lost time, there were many initiatives that brands and corporations started that may or may not be working still, but these Black women have stuck to their ethos in representing the Black fashion community.
Most of the time, shows like The Hills reflect where being white in fashion can take you if you work hard enough, but they don’t represent what it’s like to be Black in fashion, working twice as hard just to make it. Not everyone has a support system all the time, but these women have become a support system for so many.
Take a look at a few Black women making waves in the fashion industry below.
Ah-Niyah Gold
Lovingly referred to as fashion’s Olivia Pope, Ah-Niyah Gold is a Public Relations maven who is all about representing Black emerging designers to then turn them into established designers. Many of her clients went on to be CFDA finalists or winners. She’s gotten client placements to be on HBO’s Gossip Girl and has been able to build her team from the ground up. She’s also the Director of Communications at the Black Fashion Fair. Gold is all about representing Black talented designers that are our New Guard.
Aria Hughes
Aria Hughes is the Editorial Creative Director at Complex, and since her appointment, she has changed the experience of reading a Complex article by bringing in her own vision and honing in her own voice to share throughout the magazine. She’s brought a new series to the magazine that is going after the Gen Z audience called Complex Volume. Every cover that has come out since her creative direction has elevated Complex‘s visual voice with her deep knowledge of fashion and music and the intersections of the two.
Chioma Nnadi
When you hear the name Chioma Nnadi, you instantly think about Vogue and all she has accomplished on the digital side of the fashion publishing giant. Before Vogue, the UK native was working at Fader among other publications and was a fashion news director at Vogue before being promoted to The Editor of Vogue.com. Now because of her direction, many Black employees like Naomi Elizée and Cassandra Pintro are getting an amplifier to their voices and a platform to share their perspectives through the publication.
Telsha Anderson-Boone
t.a. new york is a one-stop shop for all things luxury, and it’s one of the few places where being Black in a luxury shop doesn’t feel like you are not welcome. That is because the owner of the storefront, Telsha Anderson-Boone, took a chance on herself and knew that she was destined to make something substantially important in the fashion world. Opening up a brick-and-mortar store in New York outside of SoHo, in the Meat Packing District, made no sense to most but had she not done it, she wouldn’t be the wave maker she is. The fashion industry became very infatuated with Anderson-Boone and her business choices. Today the store is still running successfully and will most likely have more locations in the future. She’s changed the in-person luxury shopping experience for Black people.
Gabriella Karefa-Johnson
A rising fashion star and another fashion editor at Vogue, Gabriella Karefa-Johnson is a force to be reckoned with. Her grace and tenacity in a very difficult and unkind industry show that she has what it takes to be in the position that she’s in. She was the first Black fashion editor to style a Vogue cover and has since gone on to style many, many covers after. Aside from making literal history, she’s an advocate for all Black rights and lets her voice be heard throughout any space that she’s in. She’s since added designer to her resume with her Target Future Collective collection.
Pierrah Hilaire
Stylist, content creator and TikTok fashion influencer Pierrah Hillaire has been bringing Black designers to the spotlight since 2020. The New Yorker knew the importance of using her platform and has continued to make sure that Black fashion pioneers and designers get their flowers. She’s shared historical fashion facts about Black talents in fashion and has since gone on to be a public figure in the fashion world, being invited to fashion shows and even walking in them.
Aiyana Ishmael
Nobody, and I mean nobody, is doing it like this young woman Aiyana Ishmael. Currently, she is a writer at Teen Vogue and has been writing insightful stories about young Black women, plus-sized women, Gen Z, and all the intersections that those topics make with fashion, politics, and people’s personal experiences. Ishmael is a budding superstar in the industry, and the young journalist gives other young Black women a look into what it’s like to work at a fashion magazine. She holds monthly meetings that are open to any other young journalists who want to do exactly as she does; there are no gatekeeping opportunities in her book.