In 2016, Black Fashion Fair founder Antoine Gregory created a Twitter thread of “Black designers you should know,” which led to a serviceable brand that has since become the go-to place to shop unique products from emerging Black designers and learn more about their respective crafts. Now, the digital index and marketplace of Black designers is releasing its first-ever print magazine.
Per the Black Fashion Fair website, the mission is to “focus on fashion related specifically to the contributions of Black designers and the impact of Black culture, and we will tell the often forgotten stories of Black designers while also documenting and preserving Black fashion: past, present, and future.” With the support of Warby Parker, Black Fashion Fair continues to push forward that message with the launch of their new magazine titled, Black Fashion Fair Volume 0: SEEN.
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“It's been an honor to partner with Black Fashion Fair on their first magazine. Every page is an inspiring testament to their commitment to community and creativity, a belief that Warby Parker shares,” says Neil Blumenthal, co-founder, and co-CEO of Warby Parker.
The limited-edition issue is an exploration of Black representation in fashion today, featuring editorial images that highlight the brand's new Sculpted Series collection. The magazine is filled with 200 pages of essays, interviews, and editorial photography from a collective of Black creatives, including designs by Pyer Moss Couture 001 Collection, Sergio Hudson, House of Aama, and Theophilio. Other notable contributors include Brandon Blackwood, Grace Wales Bonner, Rikki Byrd, Bethann Hardison, and many more Black fashion creatives. Styling and imagery were also provided by Antoine Gregory and AB+DM (Ahmad Barber and Donte Maurice).
“These pages are about collaboration and the power of community,” says Gregory of the magazine’s debut. “As we continue to create references for the future, Black Fashion Fair becomes our own institution of exhibition, discovery, and research.”
The starting price point of Black Fashion Fair Volume 0 is $95, and it will be available for purchase starting February 7th on Black Fashion Fair’s website or in-person at Iconic Magazine in New York City. Consumers will have the option to select between three different covers — featuring models Joan Smalls (shot by Quil Lemons), Maria Borges, or Aleya Ali (both shot by AB+DM). Although some covers have already sold out online, they’re still available in-store.
Black representation in the fashion industry continues to be a work in progress, but this generation of Black creatives is taking charge and pushing the needle forward. Black Fashion Fair’s latest launch sets a new precedent, showing that Black creatives are no longer waiting for the approval of white-led magazines or white fashion industry leaders. Our culture can no longer be ignored, and our story will never go untold because we’re going to share it with our community in our own way.