This story was originally published in ESSENCE’s special 55th anniversary July/August 2025 issue, on stands now.
In May 2000, ESSENCE magazine unveiled its 30th Anniversary Collector’s Edition, a memorable issue that became one of the highest-selling in the magazine’s history. At the heart of this epic volume was renowned fashion designer Angela Dean, who crafted the distinctive gowns worn by the eight leading ladies on the cover: Halle Berry, Loretta Devine, Vivica A. Fox, Regina King, Michael Michele, Elise Neal, Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett Smith. Dean’s designs not only showcased her unparalleled craftsmanship but also celebrated the multifaceted beauty and strength of Black womanhood.
Now, as ESSENCE commemorates its 55th anniversary, we revisit that groundbreaking moment. In an exclusive interview with Angela Dean, we comb through her memories of that transformative day, exploring the creative process, the emotions behind the shoot and the lasting impact of the cover. Accompanied by never-before-seen archival photos and behind-the-scenes stories, this retrospective looks at a defining chapter in ESSENCE’s legacy and the enduring influence of Dean’s visionary designs. Here, she shares her recollections of that once-in-a-lifetime creative collaboration.
The Forever Cover
The Inspiration
I met then Fashion Director Pamela Macklin only a few months before we did the cover shoot. She had just started when Susan [L. Taylor] introduced us. Pamela and I immediately bonded. About a week after we met she called me. “Angela,” she said, “I want to let you know something confidential. We’re getting ready to do a 30th anniversary cover for ESSENCE with eight leading ladies. This has never been done before.” She named all of the women, and I was like, “What?” And she said, “Yeah, girl. And I’m letting you know now every designer in New York is bidding for this. But God told me that you were supposed to do it all.” And I said again, “What?”
She said, “This is what I want you to do. I have a bouquet of flowers with the colors we’re thinking of. We want to do it in jersey.” I think I had started working with jersey, which was a newer fabric for me at the time, a newer vibe. But because she knew me, she knew I was capable of being able to be fast and creative, and also that one of my gifts is knowing how to work with different body types.
The Design Process
Pamela told me she wanted to do something that was different with all the necklines. There would be no jewelry and no shoes. She wanted everything to come from a space of just bringing out the pure beauty and essence of what each one of the women brought. Their individual beauty and style. It was my job to pull that out and represent that in visual form, not only through color, but through the simplicity of my design. So I took each one of the leading ladies and I decided, with the bouquet of flowers, which color to put on each woman.
I had a very short period of time, I think it was maybe a week or something unrealistic like that. I’m known to do things, like couture stuff, in just days. I can turn something around in less than a week. So I took on the project and I started creating and designing according to what Pamela said.
The Fitting
The night before the shoot, we had to have a fitting. It was amazing. I think the only person’s look that I had to change was Regina King. I don’t know if it was pants and then I ended up taking the pants away. But the only person I didn’t fit that night was Halle Berry because she couldn’t come to the fitting appointment. So that next morning, I did a fitting with just Halle. When I zipped that zipper up on her dress, I just knew God had opened the skies for me because it zipped up in perfection. There was nothing I needed to do with that dress. Not pin it, not sew something, not tack anything, perfection. She was happy. Everyone was happy.
The Magic on Set
All eight of the ladies were getting their makeup done at the same time in the same room. They were laughing, playing around, talking crazy. Queen Latifah was cutting up. Nobody knows, but Queen is hilarious. So she was having a good time with everybody. All the ladies just had a ball. It was like a big family reunion for them because they all knew each other.
When I saw all eight women merge on set and that picture came to life, I couldn’t take it in. It went through me. I walked away and began to cry. And I’m not really an emotional person. But it just felt like God had showed up for all of us on set that day and you feel the moment.
The Impact
Whenever that 30th Anniversary ESSENCE cover gets posted on social media, it goes viral all over again. A lot of people have said to me, “This cover reminds me of my childhood. My mother had this cover. My grandmother had this cover. This cover feels like empowerment. This cover feels like Black excellence.” The cover is just iconic. We did that.