In its eighth season in partnership with New York Fashion Week, The Black in Fashion Council (BIFC) has, once again, taken the exhibition by storm with a high-powered lineup of indisputable Black talent.
Over the course of five days at Manhattan’s High Line Nine art gallery, the BIFC’s Fall/Winter 2024 Discovery Showroom featured collections from a group of rising Black designers in a provocative, global mix of ingenuity from the countryside of Cameroon to the bustling streets of Mexico City, France and NYC.
Since its inception in 2020, The Black in Fashion Council has been a fierce advocate for representation and systemic change in an industry that doesn’t truly reflect what the world looks like as a whole. Not only are they champions of fair opportunity for underrepresented creatives, but they also form alliances that aim to create diverse workforces on both the C-suite and junior levels.
Led by founders Lindsay Peoples, editor-in-chief of New York Magazine’s The Cut and public relations legend Sandrine Charles, BIFC went even bigger than ever at this month’s NYFW to bring innovative, cultural perspectives to the forefront of the industry.
Ahead are some of those up-and-coming Black visionaries and the inspiration behind their collections.
Amari Carter
With a sharp eye for detail and an uncanny ability to combine the obvious and the obscure, Atlanta, Georgia, designer Amari Carter creates impeccably tailored pieces that both fascinate and spark conversation. With a love for what she refers to as “investments in art,” her designs are much more than just garments; they are wearable works of art.
GVDS
Muktar Onifade, the mastermind behind fashion brand GVDS (pronounced ‘gods’) combines his mechanical engineering roots and West African heritage to reimagine interpretations of modern fashion seamlessly. Completely self-taught (and after using his first paycheck to buy a sewing machine with his first paycheck as a car engineer at GM in Detroit), he debuted his collection six months later.
For Onifade, GVDS isn’t just a fashion brand; it is a tribute to African craftsmanship and the overflowing sartorial talent that is brimming on the continent right now. His painstaking knack for details, perhaps driven by his engineering background, is demonstrated in his latest collection of meticulously constructed pieces, compounded hardware and traditional West African motifs.
OMÔL
Nathalie Chebou Moth, the brains behind the brand OMÔL, is another fashion creative who seamlessly blends her heritage with raw innovation. Rooted in her Cameroonian ancestry, yet currently residing in Paris, her designs challenge conventional boundaries that offer an effervescent show of style, culture and function.
At the heart of OMÔL’s spirit are their signature hand-woven raffia bags that double as musical instruments, proof of Moth’s commitment to showing fashion in new ways without compromising quality or affordability.
Nia Thomas
For visionary Nia Thomas, a commitment to sustainability is the hallmark of her brand. A New York City native (she attended the Fashion Institute of Technology) now living in Mexico City, her worldly background is evident in her deeply engaging, cultural approach to clothing design.
Her meticulous sourcing of native materials and devotion to working with skilled artisans sets the seal on pieces that incorporate unmatched craftsmanship and authenticity while supporting local economies.
