Fashion has a long history of avoiding political statements. Kerby Jean-Raymond built an entire career out of making them anyway. The Haitian-American designer founded Pyer Moss in 2013, and from the beginning, his collections were about more than clothes. His breakout 2015 show, “They Have Names,” featured videos of Black people killed by police —…
Leah King is a multimedia artist, music producer, curator, and educator — but ask her what she makes and she might tell you she makes worlds. Born and raised in the Bay Area, King’s work is rooted in Afrofuturist aesthetics, joyful noise, and what she calls “unabashed reclamations.” A former nightclub DJ and burlesque dancer,…
Monetta White grew up in San Francisco’s Fillmore District at a time when it was known as the “Harlem of the West” — a vibrant hub of Black culture, jazz, and community. By the time she was an adult, much of that legacy had been paved over by redevelopment and gentrification. She decided to build…
Lisa Price started making lotions in her Brooklyn kitchen because she couldn’t find anything that worked for her hair. That was in 1993. Today, Carol’s Daughter is one of the most recognized Black-owned beauty brands in the world. Price named the company after her mother, Carol. The name wasn’t a branding strategy — it was…
If there’s a single person who has shaped how the world sees contemporary Black art, it might be Thelma Golden. Golden is the Director and Chief Curator of the Studio Museum in Harlem, the world’s leading institution devoted to visual art by artists of African descent. She began her career there in 1987 as an…
In 2015, Melissa Butler walked onto the set of Shark Tank with a suitcase full of bright, bold lipsticks and a dream. She walked out with nothing but rejection. “I just felt like I was watching someone dismiss everything I’d worked for,” she’s said of the experience. The Sharks called her business “too small” and…
I need to tell you about Kevin Young. If you don’t know his name yet, that’s fine — but you need to. Because Kevin Young is the Andrew W. Mellon Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), which means he’s the steward of the most important cultural institution we…
Quick Facts Hometown: Northampton, England Raised by: Jean McGrath (Jamaican immigrant, dressmaker, single mother) Education: Art and design college (no formal makeup training) Based in: New York City (West Village) Known for: The world’s most influential makeup artist, founder of Pat McGrath Labs Major awards: CFDA Founder’s Award, multiple Vogue Beauty Awards, British Fashion Awards,…
You know Ruth E. Carter’s work even if you don’t know her name yet. She’s the woman who designed the costumes for Wakanda. The armor, the ceremonial robes, the royal regalia, the Dora Milaje uniforms — every stitch of it came from her imagination and her research. Two Oscars later, she’s the most decorated costume…
You know what we don’t talk about enough? The people who build the people who build the future. Dr. Elka Marie Stevens is an associate professor of visual culture and studio art at Howard University. She’s also the program coordinator for the Fashion Design program (BFA and MFA), the curator of the Fashion, Textiles, and…