Global — African Americans have made significant contributions in the fashion industry, from walking the runway to editing major magazines. Here are few notables who have impacted the fashion world.
Naomi Campbell on cover of October 2010 issue of Interview magazine.
Naomi Campbell
The English born supermodel, known for her sophisticated style and stunning facial features, burst onto the fashion scene at the age of 15, when she appeared on the cover of Elle magazine. Two years later, in 1988, Campbell became the first African American to grace the cover of Vogue Paris. Although the top of her career occurred mainly during the 1990s, Campbell remains very involved in charity work and entrepreneurial endeavors. Next year, Campbell will celebrate 25 years in the industry, a landmark date in the fashion industry.
Robin Givhan
A successful fashion critic and style writer who hales from Detroit, Michigan, Givhan received a Bachelor of Arts in English from Princeton University and a Master’s of Science in journalism from the University of Michigan. Her journalism career began at the Detroit Free Press, where she was an entertainment writer. Next, she relocated to the San Francisco Chronicle In 1995, Givhan became fashion editor at the Washington Post. In 2006, she won the Pulitzer Prize for criticism. Currently, Givhan is Newsweek’s special correspondent for style and culture.
André Leon Talley
A prominent figure in fashion style setting, Talley is revered in fashion society as a style guru. Having formerly worked very closely with Anna WIntour, as editor-at-large of American Vogue, Talley currently holds a different, but similarly involved position as contributing editor at the magazine. His Masters degree in French, from Brown University, allows Talley to be extremely influential in the fashion world, as he can communicate his visions for models and photo shoots with Paris’ fashion capital. After receiving his Masters, Talley’s next position was that of a fashion journalist for Women’s Wear Daily. He worked closely with Diana Vreeland, he wrote for the New York Times, and in November 2010 he joined the judge’s panel on Tyra Bank’s reality show America’s Next Top Model.
Anne Lowe
Born in Alabama in 1898, Lowe faced many racial adversities during her journey to becoming a fashion designer. After attending the S.T. Taylor Design School in New York, she worked as a commissioned designer for some of the major design houses in New York’s Fashion District. Although she received little recognition for her work with these design houses, Lowe eventually became the prominent designer to prestigious families, including the Roosevelts and the Rockefellers. One of her most highly acclaimed works is the wedding gown (pictured above) she designed for Jacqueline Bouvier in 1953, when she married John F. Kennedy. Lowe worked well into her elderly years and died in 1981. She remains remembered for her artistic needlework and designs for high society.
Michael McCollom
Named Vogue magazine’s designer to watch in 1990, McCollom has become a well-acclaimed fashion designer and historian. His debut collection for ISAIA NYC, attracted a great deal of media exposure and celebrity clientele. In 1997, he began taking photos that led to several fashion exhibitions in New York. His book, The Way We Wore, Black Style Then, documents past African American fashion icons in an effort to display fashion sense when it was more organic, rather than the current fashions, which tend to be highly media influenced. McCollom’s historical view on fashion has led him to become an influential part of the industry.
