A view of the Black In Fashion Council Showroom during September 2020 - New York Fashion Week: The Shows at Spring Studios on September 13, 2020 in New York City.
New York Fashion Week is here, and the Black in Fashion Council is ready to spotlight up-and-coming talent.
According to a report by Vogue, the group has partnered with IMG Models to showcase 16 emergent designers in a four-day showroom from Sunday to Wednesday, Feb. 14 to 17.
It's a supersized version of Spring/Summer 2020 Fashion Week showroom. In the wake of continued violence against African Americans and international Black Lives Matter protests, BIFC profiled rising designers Kenneth Nicholson, Theophilio, A Potts, and Undra Celeste.
This year’s iteration will spotlight new collections from House of Aama, Edas, Marrisa Wilson, Third Crown, Beads Byaree, Chelsea Paris, Chuks Collins, Kendra DuPlantier, Whensmokeckears, Michel Men, Lola Ade, Nicole Benfield, Nicole Shante, Come Back as a Flower, Label by Three, and Local European.
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Ranging from shoes, jewelry, couture and ready-to-wear, BIFC co-founder and editor of The Cut, Lindsey Peoples Wagner, wanted to show the breadth of Black talent across all fashion lines.
“We call it a discovery showroom, and I really want it to feel like people are actually actively discovering new names and new people,” Peoples Wagner told Vogue. The space will run both in person and online at nyfw.com, with one-on-one appointments available for press and retailers in New York and Los Angeles.
NYFW presents an opportunity for the fashion world to get to know these younger Black designers.
“There are so many talented, young Black designers that [people in fashion] may not even know about,” Peoples Wagner says. “We really take this responsibility seriously. We want to make sure to give them this platform ... Something that I’m personally passionate about is making sure that the next generation of designers has the support and resources that they need, specifically people of color creators in the industry really getting that access to resources."
See also: See Dior's Tarot-Inspired Spring-Summer 2021 Collection From Paris Haute Couture Week
The Black in Fashion Council was created with the aim of building a new foundation for inclusion within the fashion industry. Launched in June of last year, the Council has partnered with more than 70 brands pledging to make the fashion industry more inclusive and securing career advancement opportunities for Black professionals.
Alongside the Fashion Week showroom, the Council also partnered with Depop to educate, empower and celebrate Black entrepreneurs. A YouTube series will launch on February 16, and will feature members of the BIFC leading discussions on retail, business and creative processes,sharing helpful industry insights.
Read more about the Black in Fashion Council’s NYFW showroom in Vogue.
Photography by: Arturo Holmes
