Since its inception, RAISEfashion has been on a mission to platform emerging designers of color. Its latest event further informs what Felita Harris and her team set out to do with the non-profit organization that was founded in 2020. In a moment where tariffs are dangerously looming and the fashion industry often feels as though it’s imploding on itself, a showcase of rising designers is fitting. Hosted in Manhattan at Posh VIP, RAISEfashion, BoF, and Fluency AI successfully held a one-day affair. The moments at the event offered New Yorkers and visiting guests a chance to revel in community.
The robust space was also strategically designed for guests such as fashion content creator Chee Smalls and industry insiders like myself to take advantage of the fact that many of the designers were in attendance. Upon entrance, smiling faces and high-energy conversations were flowing. This non-traditional approach, presented as a shoppable format, was exactly what designers need right now: a chance to meet and engage with their customers surrounded by their creations. Creator and designer Aisling Camps, a Trinidadian native, who joined the organization in 2021, shared that a few designers have shared with RAISEfashion that this type of event was needed, and this is the first time it’s been done. “We give feedback and then they actually apply [it],” she mentioned.
Camps and her steady rise are one example of how pivotal the organization can be for many designers of color. For instance, Harris says that Rachel Scott of Diotima is one noteworthy success story for RAISEfashion. Scott was recently appointed the creative director of Proenza Schouler; not a small feat, especially for a Black woman hailing from Jamaica. And with the support from RAISEfashion, brands like Diotima are offered consulting, financial assistance, introductory conversations with movers and shakers within the global fashion industry, and much. These facets are broken down into categories of course; however, sentiments from fellow designers I spoke with yesterday showcase that RAISEfashion is not serving up lip service.
“To continue supporting designers, I think, is not only rewarding, it is our responsibility, and we remain accountable to our mission,” Harris shared. “To see 16 designers still in business after five years is a tribute to the work we’ve been doing and what we wanted to accomplish from the very beginning.” She adds that she’s proud to see the designers and how committed they are to scaling their businesses despite what’s happening politically.
Bach Mai, who hails from Texas, expresses that RAISEfashion has been highly supportive of his namesake brand. The skilled designer with Vietnamese roots worked with John Galliano in Paris before launching his own brand in 2021. He is a part of the organization’s latest cohort of designers. To Mai, there’s a level of authenticity that shines through on behalf of RAISE. “We got real support [and]real mentorship sessions,” he noted. “This is what we as young, emerging designers really need.” (Celebrities including Megan Thee Stallion, Lucy Liu, and Ashley Graham have previously worn Bach Mai–the designer is currently a finalist in the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund.)
On a separate note, in recent years, Kanyinsola Onalaja, who is the Nigerian designer behind the eponymous label Onalaja, declared that RAISEfashion is how she was able to cross over into the American market. “I feel like I have a little bit of a cushion, especially when I didn’t know what was happening in America,” she shared. Kanyinsola adds that the grants that are offered by the organization and relationships with retailers have also been highlights of hers. (Kayinsola’s work has been spotted on stars including Kandi Burruss and Chloe Bailey in recent years. )
The celebrity-approved and industry darling Charles Harbison also counts the organization as a formative part of the growth of his label. (Harbison’s work has been spotted on stars, not limited to Tina Knowles and Olandria Carthen of “Love Island” fame). Though he began working with the non-profit two years ago, according to Harbison, meeting Felita Harris was integral to his journey as well. “She was immediately supportive of Harbison, and for me, the thing that’s been amazing is how decidedly she liaises us with key people in the industry,” he shared. Keith Herron of Advisry shares sentiments similar to Charles Harbison.
“I feel like I haven’t been championed in the way RAISE and Felita do within the fashion industry prior in my career,” Herron shared. He added that is an enjoyable experience to be a part of a community that seriously values his presence and creative prowess.
Harbison noted that Harris also follows up regularly to ensure the contacts are delivering too. “It’s been an amazing support system that is key for the business, not only financially, but also artistically.”