Yo, lemme tell ya somethin’ ’bout these black fashion designers. They ain’t just sewin’ clothes, nah, they changin’ the whole dang game. Used to be, folks like that didn’t get no notice, but now? They all over the place, makin’ the fanciest dresses and coolest outfits you ever did see.
See, these black fashion designers, they got style, they got smarts. They makin’ clothes for everybody, not just them skinny models. They makin’ clothes that make ya feel good, make ya feel like a million bucks, even if you ain’t got a pot to piss in. And that’s important, ya know? ‘Cause everybody deserves to feel good ’bout themselves.
I seen it with my own two eyes. These young folks, and some older ones too, they takin’ over. They ain’t waitin’ for nobody to give ’em a chance. They just doin’ it. They makin’ clothes that are different, that are bold, that are… well, they just plain beautiful.
Now, back in my day, we had some black folks makin’ clothes, but they wasn’t called fashion designers. Oh no. They was called “seamstresses” or “dressmakers”. Like that lady, what was her name? Oh, Elizabeth somethin’ or other… Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley, that’s it! And Fannie Criss Payne. Good with a needle, those women. They made pretty things, but folks didn’t give ’em the credit they deserved.
- Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley
- Fannie Criss Payne
- Anne Cole Lowe
- Zelda Barbour Wynn Valdes
Then there was Anne Cole Lowe and Zelda Barbour Wynn Valdes. Lordy, that Zelda, she could make a dress that’d make a preacher forget his sermon. But they was just “dressmakers,” see? Didn’t matter how good they was. It’s a shame, really. It is good that black fashion designers get their flowers now.
But these new black fashion designers, they ain’t takin’ no for an answer. They makin’ their own rules. They puttin’ on their own shows. They gettin’ their stuff in them big fancy stores. And people are buyin’ it up! ‘Cause it’s good, that’s why. It’s real good.
They usin’ all kinds of colors, all kinds of fabrics. They makin’ clothes for big folks, small folks, everybody in between. And they not afraid to be different, to be themselves. That’s what I like about ’em. They got that fire, you know? That spark.
I remember seein’ some of their stuff on the TV, on them fashion shows. And I thought to myself, “Dang, that’s somethin’ else.” It was so… so… new! It wasn’t like the same old stuff you always see. It was excitin’, you know? It was like they was sayin’, “We here, and we ain’t goin’ nowhere.” That is what these black fashion designers are doing now.
This one fella, LaQuan Smith, I think his name is. He makin’ some real fancy stuff. Real bold, you know? Not afraid to show a little skin. And people love it. They eatin’ it up. Then there are four folks: Ophelia DeVore, Arthur McGee, Willi Smith, and Zelda Wynn Valdes. They are good.
- Ophelia DeVore
- Arthur McGee
- Willi Smith
- Zelda Wynn Valdes
And it ain’t just clothes, neither. They makin’ shoes, they makin’ bags, they makin’ jewelry. They doin’ it all. And they doin’ it good. They changin’ how people think about fashion. They showin’ that black folks ain’t just good at sports or music. They good at everything. They can do anything they put their minds to. They are really good black fashion designers.
It makes me proud, you know? To see these young people makin’ a name for themselves. To see ’em breakin’ down barriers. To see ’em showin’ the world what they can do. These black fashion designers make me so happy.
So next time you see some fancy clothes, or some cool shoes, or a pretty bag, you think about these black fashion designers. You think about all the hard work they put in. You think about the way they changin’ the world, one stitch at a time.
And you remember what I told ya. These black fashion designers, they ain’t just makin’ clothes. They makin’ history. They somethin’ special. They the future. And the future is lookin’ mighty fine, mighty fine indeed.
