With New York Fashion Week and London Fashion Week under our belt, it’s about the time to reflect on this splendid time of year. It’s one thing to pick up on trends in social media, but its another to visualize the designs fresh off the runway, making you more than an enthusiast—a fashion forecaster. In celebration of Black History Month, here are three black designers who showcased their fall ready-to-wear collection on the runway this season.
Christopher John Rogers
No collection encompassed psychedelic teal and electric pink two-piece suits and breathtaking ball gowns like Roger. With Rogers’ strong focus on evening wear, this year’s fall collection truly brought it, with unparalleled fusions of color. The runway was structured as an empowering rainbow; it began with banana yellows to militant greens and transitioned to hot, fiery red. His incorporation of color strays from his church Sunday’s spent admiring the monochromatic looks of his elders. The Baptist church members would wear feathered hats, stockings and gloves to match. His clientele has a strong sense of self, and to prove it, celebrities such as Lizzo, Michelle Obama and Cardi B have all strutted his looks. Overall, Rogers wants this collection’s essence to be timeless pieces passed down from generation to generation. In a Vogue interview, Rogers said, “I’m trying to make clothes that are heirlooms that even I can’t afford, but maybe when I’m 40 or 50 I’ll be able to. It’s not about the now, but it’s very much about the future.”
Sukeina
Omar Salam, the founder of Sukeina, named the brand after his mother, which means “bright light.” Salam strives to accentuate the women’s beauty or “light.” His collection exemplifies the sophisticated, high-fashion woman. Down to the runway models’ pivot and slick-back hair, each aspect was marked with precision. Each piece was either doused in delicate feathers or fringe detailing. Salam told NYFW that “Clothing is a language within itself.” With the release of his eighth collection, he’s going to continue to speak the language of fashion.
Romeo Hunte
As Tommy Hilfiger as his muse, Robert Hunte’s fall collection utilized 12 of Hilfiger’s archival pieces and upcycled them into entirely new garments. His collection was the collaboration of ski-resort wear and dressed-up athleisure. Models walked the runway in face masks, blacked-out shades, helmets and puffer jackets. On the other side of the spectrum, some models wore hooded two-piece suits while others wore elaborate fur coats resembling sleigh dogs. With these pieces, Hunte created patchwork ponchos with various washes of denim and deconstructed double-breasted, gingham jackets. By recycling Tommy Hilfiger clothing, Hunte contributes toward sustainable fashion.