Fashion Week

16 Black Designers To Know From New York Fashion Week

These are the names you need to know ASAP.

by Dominique Norman
A model walks the runway at the Fe Noel fashion show during September 2022 New York Fashion Week: Th...
Arturo Holmes/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Shannon Finney/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

From fashion week regulars like LaQuan Smith, Puma, and Victor Glemaud to newcomers like Sammy B, the runway was glowing with Black excellence. Thanks to the work of the Black in Fashion Council platforming the work of many designers, there was a literal front row seat to the beautiful work.

Shannon Finney/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images
After debuting at fashion week in 2010, LaQuan Smith has become a household name brand, dressing celebs like Rihanna, Beyoncé, and Bella Hadid.
Chris Fox-Kelly
Created for the New York It Girl, Samantha Black — of her eponymous label Sammy B — showed for the first time at this year’s New York Fashion Week. Black integrates her Jamaican heritage, love of streetwear, and statement pieces to create one-of-a-kind designs.
Yuchen Liao/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
After debuting at NYFW 2021, Deity has become a brand to know, with its elevated pieces that feature unique cuts and silhouettes, highlighting the goddess within all of us.
Theo Wargo/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
Founded by Travis Hamilton, Negris Lebrum tells a forbidden love story that translates to fashion through their company slogan “Lenoir est Joli” translated as “Black is Beautiful.”
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
Founded by designer and educator Abrima Erwiah and actress Rosario Dawson, Studio 189 focuses on sustainability and empowering artisans in Accra, Ghana. Their runway show for SS23 was filled with joy, including dancers and models of all skin tones.
Arturo Holmes/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
Felisha Noel founded her Brooklyn based namesake brand Fe Noel in 2011, inspired by Renaissance art as well as her Caribbean roots.
Udo Salters/Patrick McMullan/Getty Images
Maxwell Osborne founded in 2021 AnOnlyChild, the same year he debuted at NYFW. Osborne was met with incredible support, including his line getting picked up at Saks only a few months later.
Theo Wargo/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
Haitian designer Victor Glemaud launched his namesake label in 2006, after a stint at Tommy Hilfiger and Paco Rabanne. He was a finalist for CFDA/ Vogue Fashion Fund in 2017, and has since launched collaborations with H&M and Target.
Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images
Everard Best, otherwise known as Ev Bravado, founded streetwear brand Who Decides War in 2015, showing at NYFW for the first time in 2019. The unmistakeable label has been worn by artists like Playboi Carti and Joey Bada$$.
Shannon Finney/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
Mother-daughter duo Cynthia and Najla Burt founded Dur Doux in 2013 as a luxury lifestyle brand, bringing avant-garde to the everyday. Their SS23 collection, Paradis Palmers, featured bright colors, bold prints, and extravagant textures to take you directly to paradise.
Arturo Holmes/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
Kenneth Nicholson began his fashion journey at the age of 14 in his native Houston. The luxury namesake is aimed at “liberating the bonds of menswear”, providing elevated luxury pieces that push gendered narratives around masculinity.
Yuchen Liao/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
As a member of the CFDA and the Black Design Collective, Guyanese designer Marrissa Wilson founded her label in 2016, later debuting at NYFW in February 2022. Her unique aesthetic combines bold textiles and easy movement fabrics.
Shannon Finney/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
Co-designers Arin Hayes and Autumn Randolph of No Sesso (Italian for “no sex/no gender”) founded the LA based genderless brand with Pierre Davis in 2015. The brand goes beyond fashion, including educational workshops, parties, and presentations.
Craig Barritt/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
The eponymous label of Tiffany Brown was founded in 2008, making its initial debut at Miami Fashion Week in 2010, followed by showing New York Fashion Week in 2013. The designer has made her way from Atlanta to New York, to showing in Milan and London.
Albert Urso/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
As one of the founders of the Black Design Collective, Kevan Hall launched his own label in 2002. His designs have earned him “Designer of the Year” by NAACP, being worn by Michelle Obama, Salma Hayek, and Celine Dion.
Udo Salters/Patrick McMullan/Getty Images
Fashion legend June Ambrose joined forces with Puma in 2020, bringing her experience and expertise as a fashion stylist and hip hop icon working with celebs like Jay Z and Missy Elliot, and working with brands like Cross Colours.