article via clutchmagonline.com
A 10-year-old girl from Queens, NY was constantly being bullied about her weight, and decided to put her sewing machine to work and designed a plus-size clothing line that debuted at New York Fashion Week.
Egypt Ufele, Ify for short, says she was inspired to start designing clothes after she was bullied at school. Ify told the Today Show that she wanted to turn the “negative attention into positive attention,” by embracing her style and creativity to start her own fashion line for people of all shapes and sizes.
Ify’s Instagram account is aptly called bullychasers, and she named her line “Chubiiline” to not only embrace herself, but also to make the world realize, chubby isn’t negative. To see video of Ufele and her story, click here:
To read more, go to: http://www.clutchmagonline.com/2016/02/5th-grader-starts-clothing-line-after-being-bullied-about-weight/
Posts tagged as “African-American Fashion Designers”
Philadelphia-based screen printing company Philadelphia Printworks just released the “School of Thought” collection, which features sweatshirts from fictional universities bearing the names of Black leaders. The company describes the inspiration behind the collection on their Facebook page:
The “School of Thought” collection, designed by Mars Five and Philadelphia Printworks, imagines a different world where colleges and institutions have been established based on the philosophies of Marcus Garvey, Audre Lorde, Ida B. Wells, Harriet Tubman, George Washington Carver and James Baldwin. The collection represents the double consciousness experienced by African diaspora in America and creates a safe space for the praxis of liberation.
Designer Mars Five, whose real name is Donte Neal, elaborated in a statement emailed to Colorlines:
From a graphic design perspective, I’ve always appreciated the visual aesthetics of universities, colleges and similar institutions. I believe we all apply and belong to our own particular schools of thought. Though sometimes multiple, conflicting or harmonious, these theoretical institutions are where we take responsibility for our own educations. Where we craft our social, political and economical morals and values. In collaboration with Philadelphia Printworks, my goal was to give these schools a manifested and wearable pride.
The company’s other products explore similar progessive and anti-racist themes, with shirts reading “Assata is Welcome Here” and “No Justice No Peace.” Check out the “School of Thought” lookbook here.
article by Sameer Rao via colorlines.com
Always impeccably styled in a button down, creased slacks and dress shoes, Moziah Bridges pins patterns and sews stitches after school. As noted in a promotional descriptor, we can find his youthful fingers on a sewing machine for hours or at least until his mother tells him it’s time for bed. He is young, gifted and Black.
While a fourth grader at Rozelle Elementary School in Downtown Memphis, Bridges started his career as a fashion designer at the age of 9 in June of 2011 with his exclusive line called Mo’s Bows. His creations are aimed “at playground pals and adults alike.” Moziah – “Mo” for short – delivered one of his ties to Fox 13’s bow-tie wearing weatherman Joey Sulipeck, who wore the gift on the air. Since then, Bridges has been a guest on The Steve Harvey Show and has been featured in British GQ, O Magazine, and Forbes.
“Oprah is big,” said Mo. “Nobody is bigger than ‘O’. I thought, ‘this is really cool.’ What kind of kid gets to be in an Oprah magazine?” Mo describes himself as a 12 year-old entrepreneur. Recalling his beginnings just three years ago, he says: “I couldn’t find fun and cool bow ties one day. So I decided to use my granny’s scrap fabric to make and sell my own.”
He adds that he likes to wear bow ties, “because they make me look good and feel good. Designing a colorful bow tie is part of my vision to make the world a fun and happier place.” Tramica Morris, Mo’s mom, said that “Old School” trends as mirrored by his well-dressed dad and grandpa inspired his love for fashion and instilled in her son the importance of dressing for success.
A huge selection of Mo’s bow ties are from his grandmother’s vintage fabric, respective selections of which date back more than 50 years. And it was, in fact, his grandmother who taught him to sew. Mo’s Bows is indeed strongly guided by his mother and grandmother. After stopping by his grandmother’s house to pick out fabric and patterns, he settles down with his mother and grandmother and starts stitching.
“He can sew a bow tie from start to finish,” says Morris in Sayle. “But there are some things he really doesn’t like to do, like the ironing. We’ll do some of that for him.” Says Mo, “I just pick whatever I see. It has to speak to me. It has to be fun. It has to be preppy.” Each bow design has its own name: “Night Magic,” “Beale Street,” “Paper Boy,” “Buster Brown,” and “Think Pink.”
Bridges has earned over $30,000 as of 2013 from his creations. He sells on his own website-accessible Etsy page. Mo’s Bows are also available in upscale boutiques in Tennessee, Alabama, Texas, Louisiana, South Carolina, and in Arkansas.
Airing on Bravo, the music-meets-fashion competition series followed 12 up-and-coming coming designers, hand-picked by the pop-star, to create unique fashion pieces for some of the biggest names in entertainment. With celebrity guests such as Miley Cyrus and Kelly Osbourne, the designers experienced demanding real-life challenges, made to push their creative boundaries. Each week, with only a limited time frame, they were asked to create an innovative outfit and complete look based on the celebrities’ detailed brief. In the final challenge, the final two designers had to create two editorial looks specifically for Rihanna. Sergio’s denim ball gown and high-cut denim shorts were the stand out pieces.
Lameka Weeks founded Height Goddess because, simply put, she was sick of settling. For years—decades even—clothing brands and manufacturers have largely ignored the plight of the tall woman. Sure, petites and plus size have dedicated sections and even full stores aplenty, but tall women have had to settle for clothes that don’t fit and don’t flatter for far too long. Height Goddess is a contemporary line for women measuring 5’9” & taller. In 2007, with no formal fashion training,
Weeks sought out to find experienced industry professionals to assist her in developing premium denim for tall women. For over two years, she continuously worked to ensure each style embodied the confidence and beauty of a tall, fashion- forward woman who is innovative and timeless. All of Height Goddess’ garments are designed in house and proportioned for women 5’9″ & taller. Week’s garments are also made in the USA. After a few seasons the collection has grown to include dresses for tall women, tall pants for women and tops for tall women.
Through fashion, Weeks hopes to inspire women to love their height, embrace their uniqueness and spread the same confidence to others.
How did you launch your career and get to where you are today?
I knew at an early age I wanted to do something related to fashion catering to tall women. Initially, I thought to open a boutique but after researching for vendors who produced clothing for tall women there were very few and those that did were very outdated. I realized I would have to create my own brand. HEIGHT GODDESS is a contemporary clothing line designed specifically for the tall, fashion-forward woman.
What have you had to sacrifice along the way, if anything?
Because I’m building my business while working full-time my time is very limited and planning it a must. In the past I have been known to wake-up and decide I want to take a trip and within hours I’d be on a plane or in the car, not so much anymore. It takes a lot to run this business and I’ve had to make a lot of sacrifices but it’s been a great journey thus far.
Black designers made quite an impact with strong representation, if not in the main tents of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Many independent shows and group showcases brought their looks to the forefront.
New black talent, center stage
The Spring 2014 season was a particularly strong one for new talent. Designer competition shows like Harlem’s Fashion Row, Elle Fashion Next, and, of course, Project Runway, introduced unknown designers to insiders and influencers while fresh faces enjoyed the crucial support of industry authorities. Charles Elliot Harbison, for example, formerly a senior designer at Billy Reid and LUCA LUCA, burst onto the scene with nods from The New York Times and WWD.com, while being featured in Vogue’s September issue. Shayne Oliver’s sport couture brand Hood by Air was praised across the blogosphere in addition to receiving coverage on GQ.com, Vogue.com, and WWD.com.
Breaking through to the mainstream
Likewise, many designers who have heretofore enjoyed a following limited to their niches, have broken through to the mainstream. On the heels of receiving the coveted CFDA Swarovski Award for Menswear in June, Maxwell Osborne and Dao-Yi Chow’s haute sportswear label Public Schoolreceived widespread coverage for their Spring 2014 offering.
The new attention on these strong black talents of high fashion is long overdue, but welcome all the same. The talent has clearly always been there — but now more customers will know about it.
For more great upcoming names in fashion, click through our slideshow above for future pieces, or fashion inspiration.
article by Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond via thegrio.com
Stephen Burrows’s collection for Henri Bendel in Central Park in 1970. (Charles Tracy)
Every decade or so, Mr. Burrows has a moment, whenever his disco-era look of rainbow jersey dresses and lettuce-edge hems has an unexpected revival in fashion. This season, there was more than a hint of his influence on the runways of Diane von Furstenberg (color blocking meets glam-rock wrap dress) and Marc by Marc Jacobs (berry colors and groovy prints that suggest the ’40s by way of the ’70s).
People are also talking about Mr. Burrows because he played a pivotal role as one of the American designers who participated in the 1973 fashion spectacular at Versailles, an event recently revisited in a documentary by Deborah Riley Draper and the subject of a book planned by Robin Givhan. That show broke color barriers in fashion in a way that has not been replicated since.
As of March 22nd, in recognition of Mr. Burrows, who is 69, as the first internationally successful African-American designer, the Museum of the City of New York began the first large-scale exhibition of his early work. More than 50 of his designs, including a chromatically colored jersey jumpsuit that Carrie Donovan plucked from his boutique inside Henri Bendel in 1970 for Cher to wear in a Vogue photo shoot, are on display, along with videos, photos and one of his Coty Awards. Mr. Burrows was the first African-American designer to receive one.