Three of my favorite black-owned fashion brands
A bit of joy in these continually bad days
Happy Black History Month! It is still, right? Elon Musk hasn’t taken that away from us yet? No matter what, I hope we’ll all still celebrate and recognize this holiday, just like we’re going to continue calling it the Gulf of Mexico.
I wanted to share a few of my favorite black-owned brands that I find myself drooling over on a regular basis. I’ve only been able to purchase an item from one of these brands because they’re really, really out of my budget, but here’s to hoping I can be a patron one day (you, too!).
Harbison, owned and created by Charles Harbison, has dressed the likes of Beyonce, Michelle Pfieffer, and Sheryl Lee Ralph. Having studied textiles in undergraduate studies, his designs lean heavily on really unique and beautiful fabrics for his work. His designs are bright and whimsical and have an otherworldly quality to them that I deeply adore. I don’t see enough celebrities wearing Harbison - maybe it’s because they would overwhelm someone who didn’t have the confidence or presence to wear them. His brand occupies a space and aesthetic that I do not think any other brand can claim and it really makes his clothing stand out from other major designers.
Charles has design-directed brands like Cult Gaia (another big favorite of mine) and Ungaro, and collaborated with Banana Republic. I love when a designer collaborates with a “mall” brand - the level of design that often accompanies luxury brands is not accessible at the low- and mid- range price point, and bringing that down to a level of affordability for the general public is both smart business and offers some democratization of access that I think designers should find important.
There’s a good chance you’ve heard of Christopher John Rogers, or seen a design with his signature rainbow stripes. His “about the brand” page “encourag[es] [their] customer to take up space.” Certainly. The first muse I think of is the incredible Tracee Ellis Ross, who has been wearing CJR for years - she takes up space in the most inspiring way and is the definition of a fashion icon (and an example of a personality who could wear Harbison effectively). There is a great video on the CFDA website of Tracee in conversation with CJR about his nomination as a CFDA Emerging Designer of the Year - he won in 2020. In 2021, he was a runner-up for the LVMH Prize. You may have seen him as a judge on Project Runway.
CJR’s designs are big and bold. They’re not always colorful - his most recent collection has a few neutral pieces - but his colorful work speaks to me the most, especially when I think about taking up space. Many of the silhouettes are oversized or a little odd. His work in Collection 11 has graphic dots like a Lichtenstein work, or harlequin diamonds. A fantastical line runs throughout. Like Harbison, CJR works with mid-range brands like J. Crew, who currently has a CJR collaboration for sale.
Nigerian designer Andrea Dumebi Iyamah founded her brand in 2011 and has dressed Michelle Obama, Kate Hudson, Issa Rae, and more. One of my favorite things about her brand is the swim collection, which I find hugely flattering for a range of shapes.
I imagine her brand does well commercially. She continues a lot of the same patterns and shapes each season, but with varying fabrics and colors. One of the best examples of this is this beautiful accordion-pleated bodysuit with curved arms.
Andrea’s work features a lot of pleating, ruching, and gathering that celebrates the female form - and, her brand is accessible to more customers. I’ve seen her work on many an influencer on Instagram.
I hope you’ve learned a little about some designers you didn’t know, or maybe found a new favorite designer!