Black History Month is well underway, and Black Fashion Fair launched its first print magazine entitled “Volume 0: Seen” on Monday, Feb. 7.
Per the BFF website, the 200-page publication features “both emerging and established design and artistic talent from around the world.” The book differs from traditional magazines, not only in its pro-black approach to fashion but also in its lack of advertisements thanks to Warby Parker, the eyeglasses retailer.
Founded by fashion stylist and archivist Antoine Gregory, Black Fashion Fair is a “conceptual retail, educational, and cultural experience aimed toward the discovery and furtherance of Black designers.” The online archive and marketplace began as a “Black Designers You Should Know” Twitter thread in 2016.
Gregory tells ESSENCE his passion for black representation in fashion stems from his experience as the only black student at FIT. “I thought, if I’m the only Black student and I’m in one of the best fashion schools in the world, it says to me that Black designers don’t have access to the education.”
The exclusive nature of fashion, combined with the industry’s systemic racism pushed to the forefront of media in 2020, makes a blackity-black index like Black Fashion Fair even more important.
“If you are interested in the contributions of Black people to fashion, style, and culture this is for you. This is a historical reference. And everybody should be interested in it,” said Gregory in a tweet posted on launch day.
Popular brands like Pyer Moss, Sergio Hudson, Hanifa, and Brandon Blackwood can all be found in the debut magazine underscoring the overall community surrounding Black Fashion Fair and the push for a more inclusive and diverse industry.
The $95 print compilation of fashion imagery is currently sold out online but is also available at Iconic Magazines in New York City. Three cover options are available- Alea Ali in Pyer Moss, Joan Smalls in Theophilio, and Maria Borges in Sergio Hudson. A collector’s edition is also available for $300.