DEAR HIGH FASHION, CAN WE PLAY?

In the midst of fashion month which is February, the fashion industry has started its diversification. But with the slight change of new African/African American faces on the runway, what about the African American’s back stage making it all happen? Not the runway producer or dresser or intern but the designer. We’ve seen black designers thrive in ready to wear, as solo artists such as Kanye West or duo’s such as co-designer of HBA (Hood By Air), Shayne Oliver, ripping the runways of NYFW but those are just new comers into the game. Tracy Reese, Mychael Knight, Michael Alan Stein, to name a few has been blazing the industries runways for years. As crazy as Kanye can be, he makes sense some of those times. When he realized he wanted to be in fashion years ago being a huge fan of designer, Ralph Lauren, he was instantly snubbed. Even now to this day being as successful and slightly innovative as he is with his new collaboration with Adidas and showcasing his new line through the brand at the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in NYC, he’s still getting snubbed. Maybe it’s his attitude, or demeanor, or maybe just his color (probably more then, than now). But where are our Haute Couture Runway designers, our Alexander McQueen, Jean Paul Gaultier, or Christian Dior and Givenchy? We have the goods, the innovation, and the timelessness that makes an haute couture collection more essential than a trench coat so why haven’t we been invited to this table to chat high fashion? Though some of these labels original designer has passed on and an understudy has taken the reigns, when is it safe for us to infiltrate these couture fashion houses? It’s cool to be black, it’s cool to act black, and it’s cool to be a black model, but not a high fashion designer yet? The industry norms have change but its lacking originality. Trends that are being dubbed cool such as a site reporting Timberlands are the new Birkenstocks or models of Chanel rocking an “urban tie cap” also known as the durag in the hood or even the over exaggerating baby hairs on non-POC heads, are not only cool but let the industry tell it “New”. Now in our culture we’ve seen durags in all colors at pretty much every age if not used the product ourselves, and Timberlands has been the jam for NYC black men since the come up of Biggie Smalls, so how is any of this new? At this point I’ve realized not only do we have the buying power, especially in our own community, but the power to change fashion. People of Color are the “It” factor in fashion. Since we can’t come to the haute lunch table, let’s make our own lunch table. As individualistic the fashion industry can be, it is even more snobbish, and uppity towards black designers. We’re timeless people and as cultural appropriation has been the forefront of this year, it proves our culture is timeless, but who should let the world know that we’re cool? Sure not Caucasians. I say instead of asking to play, we take over the whole playing field from street wear, to ready to wear all the way up to haute couture, because we’re cool like that. Happy Black History YEAR to us all because we’re a 365 type of culture. Stay fashion forward. XO