Today, ESSENCE Fashion House is back to kick off New York Fashion Week this season. The annual fashion event will hold space for Black creatives who want to make waves in the industry with panels and workshops from fashion icons and industry leaders, a Black-owned retail market. Each year, ESSENCE hosts this event with the aim of keeping Black designers, stylists, and creative professionals well-informed about advancing their careers. The event features exclusive insights and keynote discussions, such as today’s first workshop titled “Protecting Your IP in Fashion” moderated by ESSENCE Content Director Nandi Howard and Marissa Terrell.” This event is to celebrate the influence that Black fashion has on culture.
Other important conversations include Hip Hop, “Haute” Sh*t, & Heritage: The Best of Bed Fellows moderated by Caroline Wanga, President and CEO of Essence Ventures, Free Your Mind: Navigating Mental Health And Wellness Behind The Scenes In Fashion with panelists Jamilah Davis, Vice President of Fashion at Saks 5th Avenue and Devan Wallace, Senior Public Relations at Louis Vuitton moderated by our Senior Fashion Editor Devine Blacksher.
Other conversations to look forward to are Green Is The New Black: What is Sustainability in Black Fashion with fashion brand House of Aama moderated by designer and The Cutting Room Floor podcast host, Recho Omondi, The Ecosystem of African Fashion with Ghanaian fashion designer and co-founder of Chocolate Clothing, Kwaku Bediako, Essence Ventures Chief of Staff and Diasporic Engagement, Barkue Tubman Zawolo and Amira Rasool, founder and CEO of TheFolklore moderated by Nana Agyemang, founder and CEO of EveryStylishGirl and EveryStylishGirl Biz. The last few conversations to wrap the night will be Black Luxury: The New Face of High Fashion with panelists Sherri McMullen, founder of McMullen and fashion designer Tia Adeola, moderated by Mikki Taylor, Fashion Reimagined: SOKO, AI and The Future of Design moderated by Stephanie Duivan and Shamika Lee, and Flip Your ‘Fit: Style Hacks for Every Occasion presented by smartwater® alkaline moderated by Nandi Howard with stylist Kia.
This year’s ESSENCE Fashion House sponsors are Diet Coke®, JCPenney® and smartwater® alkaline and will be open to the public.
Register at ESSENCE.com/FashionHouse2023 the event is also accessible for virtual attendance.