Black History Month is an important time to learn about and reflect on the innovators who’ve changed our world in immeasurable new ways. But to us, the Black game changers working in the present are just as worthy of praise, admiration, and—in the case of the many excellent fashion and accessory designers in the industry—patronage.
That’s why we’ve assembled a list of some of the most inspiring Black tailors, cordwainers, jewelers, and other style professionals, which we’ve alphabetized below for your perusal and convenience. Their brilliantly constructed wares run the gamut from bespoke suits and Goodyear-welted shoes to vibrant, multicolored high jewelry and artful outerwear. In other words, you could assemble an entire wardrobe from this list, and be prepared for everything from boardroom battles to relaxing weekends. In other words, you could slip into a wearable piece of Black history every single day.
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A-Cold-Wall*
Image Credit: A-Cold-Wall* London-based Samuel Ross, a protégé of the late Virgil Abloh, started his own brand in 2015 and is known for applying a tailor’s rigor and a graphic designer’s eye to streetwear. The result is decidedly futuristic, and people love his screenprinting, but the man can do things to knitwear that few other designers have the skills or vision to achieve.
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Ahluwalia
Image Credit: Ahluwalia Priya Ahluwalia, a London-born designer of Nigerian and Indian heritage, launched her eponymous brand in 2018. Offering both men’s and women’s clothing, Ahluwalia releases seasonal collections inspired by art, music, and literature. The brand, which uses dead stock and repurposed vintage materials, was named a joint winner of the prestigious LVMH Prize in 2020 and has dropped unique collaborations with Adidas, Ganni, Microsoft, and Paul Smith.
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Armando Cabral
Image Credit: Armando Cabral Model-turned-entrepreneur Armando Cabral launched his eponymously named brand in 2009, and offers a range of African-inspired luxury footwear. Since then, he’s dropped a candle collaboration with D.S. & Durga and added tons more options to inventory. The designer plans to reopen his Rockefeller Center shop next month, where you’ll find its spring 2024 apparel and Italian-made footwear on display including jackets, shorts, and a new series of sneakers.
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Art Comes First
Image Credit: Art Comes First Art Comes First specializes in clothing and accessories with a story. Its London-based founders Sam Labert and Shaka Maidoh launched the arts collective with a focus on highlighting independent creatives and charitable organizations. Aside from its collaborations with names like Fred Perry and Ozwald Boateng, the brand stocks everything from tweed jackets to African-inspired hats.
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Ashya
Image Credit: Ashya American and Jamaican design duo Ashley Cimone and Moya Annece launched their eco-friendly accessories brand, Ashya, in 2017 as an “ode to exploration.” Their Los Angeles-made assortment ranges from a vegetable-tanned leather crossbody bags to handstitched passport carrier.
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Bernard James
Image Credit: Bernard James Brooklyn native Bernard James’s eponymous brand offers a host of whimsical jewelry, ranging from floral-laced rings to pave diamond necklaces. In 2022, he partnered with the National Diamond Council to launch the “Process” collection which highlights raw and semi-finished stones. He opened a dedicated storefront in Greenpoint and launched a home goods capsule collection with USM Modular Furniture last year.
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Bianca Saunders
Image Credit: Bianca Saunders British West Indian designer Bianca Saunders is a rising star of the London menswear scene. She combines sharp tailoring with fluid draping and oversized proportions to create strikingly fresh versions of old classics, like sleek trench coats and diaphanous track pants.
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Blackstock & Weber
Image Credit: Blackstock & Weber Loafers are the new sneakers, and operation like Blackstock & Weber are part of the reason why. The Brooklyn-based fashion and lifestyle brand by Chris Echevarria was launched in 2017 with a variety of sophisticated takes on the classic style. Since its inception, the brand has collaborated with names including Kith, Brooks Brothers, and Rowing Blazers. Its most recent drop with Rocky Mountain Featherbed spawned a trio of water-resistant European down-filled jackets ideal for the slopes, or your local farmers market.
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Botter
Image Credit: Botter Rushemy Botter and Lisi Herrebrugh, two Paris-based Caribbean designers, have referred to their menswear collections as a sort of diary. On its pages, you’ll find a blend of forward-thinking, generous tailoring and streetwear that comments on being immigrants in Europe.
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Brett Johnson
Image Credit: Brett Johnson Brett Johnson’s studious mix of sportswear and suiting is borne of a love for Italian craftsmanship—and the timeless classics he creates are unabashedly luxe. Think vicuña sweaters, double-faced cashmere outerwear and the kind of feather-light suits that are normally only produced in bespoke ateliers.
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Brother Vellies
Image Credit: Brother Vellies Toronto native Aurora James founded her African-inspired lifestyle and accessories brand Brother Vellies in 2013. Its unique offerings for men are handmade in South Africa from eco-conscious materials, and range from suede and leather desert boots to braided leather Huaraches and totes bags. In 2020, James launched the 15 Percent Pledge which challenged retailers to devote 15 percent of their shelves to Black-owned brands. Its impact has “created the potential to shift over $14 billion to Black entrepreneurs,” Forbes reports.
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Casely-Hayford
Image Credit: Casely-Hayford Joe Casely-Hayford was a force in British menswear, from his early days dressing the likes of U2 and The Clash to his tenure at the helm of Gieves & Hawkes. While Joe passed away in 2019, his son, Charlie Casely-Hayford, continues to turn out slyly irreverent takes on Savile Row tailoring at the brand they launched together.
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Castro NYC
Image Credit: Castro NYC Terry Castro crafts jewels that are both fantastical and rugged, like gem-studded lock pendants that look as if they’ve been excavated from buried treasure. Even when working with diamonds, Castro’s designs have a hand-hewn earthiness that keeps everything free from flash.
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Connor McKnight
Image Credit: Connor McKnight Classic utilitarian and workwear silhouettes rarely look better than in Connor McKnight’s refined offerings. The D.C. native and Parsons graduate launched his fashion brand in 2020, following stints at Kith and Bode. Based in Brooklyn, the designer continues to churn out gender-neutral collections that offer everything from printed shirts to relaxed trousers. This January, operating platform The Loyalist invested in the emerging brand. And given its recent fall 2024 showcase in Paris, the label seems to be off to a great start in the new year.
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Coup De Grâce
Image Credit: Coup De Grâce A great tailor can be a man’s best friend. Emerging atelier Coup De Grâce is a solid choice for New Yorkers and frequent visitors alike. Founded by Daniel A. Mays II in 2018, it offers ready-to-wear collections and bespoke tailoring. Like the brand’s name which translates to “stroke of grace,” its sophisticated creations are often finished in neutral hues of camel and beige, alongside navy and cool gray tones. Coup De Grâce’s offerings are produced in the Big Apple, ranging from $1,295 for trousers to $5,495 for overcoats.
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Darryl Brown
Image Credit: Darryl Brown With a résumé that includes stints at a steel mill, as a railroad engineer and at General Motors, designer Darryl Brown is intimately acquainted with real deal workwear. Now, he creates more refined iterations of those utilitarian wares, like trim cargo pants and streamlined blousons.
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DeBose
Image Credit: DeBose DeBose’s first line of sneakers, dubbed V Escapes, dropped in 2020. Made in Italy with Motown Era influences, the footwear is designed with soft leather uppers accented by vibrant pops of color. Their lugged outsoles also provide enough traction for year-round wear. Parson’s graduate Kariah DeBose launched the label as a “lab” of sorts, which is open to collaborations with new artists and designers.
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Denim Tears
Image Credit: Denim Tears Tremaine Emory launched his buzzy menswear label Denim Tears in 2019. Its clothing has become popular among rappers like A$AP Rocky and Fat Joe. But it also offers a host of African American-inspired sweat suits, t-shirts, and accessories sure to break the ice. Emory collaborated with Dior’s Kim Jones on a capsule collection in 2022, then landed the role of creative director at Supreme a year later. After cutting ties with the brand last fall, he was expected to launch the Denim Tears flagship in N.Y.C.’s SoHo district.
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Fear of God
Image Credit: Fear of God This L.A.-based brand, founded in 2013 by designer Jerry Lorenzo, was a pioneer in bridging the gap between streetwear and luxury. His minimalist renderings of everything from silk-lined bomber jackets to corduroy blazers to suede Chelsea boots telegraph a quieter kind of swagger. Upping the luxe factor even further, Fear of God recently collaborated with Ermenegildo Zegna for a collection that’s dropping this September.
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Frere
Image Credit: Frere Before creating his eponymous menswear label, Davidson Petit-Frere held stints as the co-founder of a successful tailoring house and as a made-to-measure specialist at Tom Ford. That experience informs the colorful and flattering approach to the suits he sends down the runway.
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Golf Wang
Image Credit: Golf Wang Why so serious? Tyler, The Creator’s playful Golf Wang clothing brand offers a casual approach to menswear that resonates with skaters and off-duty businessmen alike. Its name is a word play on the artist’s hip-hop collective, known as Odd Future Wolf Gang. The brand has stores in L.A., New York, and London where you’ll find handbags and kicks made in collaboration with Converse, in addition to original streetwear designs.
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Heron Preston
Image Credit: Heron Preston At the core of Heron Preston’s eponymous label is a mission to find sustainable solutions for the fashion industry. But his work is far from granola: his workwear-meets-streetwear design ethos has produced collaborations with Carhartt WIP, HP, NASA and New York City’s Department of Sanitation.
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Khiry
Image Credit: Khiry Following a class trip to Japan in 2016, University of Pennsylvania undergrad Jameel Mohammed returned home to launch a jewelry brand. The N.Y. label’s rarified designs are inspired by the African diaspora. In addition to sterling silver and 18-karat gold rings, necklaces, and bracelets, Khiry also takes custom orders. You may have spotted a few of them on stars like Alicia Keys and Solange Knowles.
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Martine Rose
Image Credit: Martine Rose Jamaican-British designer Martine Rose launched in 2007 with a collection of shirts that quickly developed a cult following. Drawing on motifs from traditional menswear, utility garb and streetwear, she imbues the humblest basics, like button-ups and trucker jackets, with a deeply cool attitude.
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Mateo New York
Image Credit: Mateo New York Jamaican-born designer Matthew Harris launched his jewelry brand Mateo New York in 2009 at a time when men’s jewelry didn’t resonate with his sensibility, he tells Robb Report. Its chic offerings now span sterling silver bracelets, 14-karat gold rings, and white gold diamond huggie earrings that make a subtle statement. Harris, a self-taught designer, opened the brand’s N.Y.C. flagship in the SoHo neighborhood in 2016. It has gone on to become a CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Finalist and feature in Sotheby’s lavish Brilliant & Black sale.
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Maurice Sedwell
Image Credit: Maurice Sedwell London’s esteemed Savile Row is home to a few of the world’s greatest tailors, including Maurice Sedwell. The bespoke tailoring house first opened its doors on Fleet Street in 1938. After being awarded the Tailor & Cutter Academy’s Gold Medal in 1956, it joined names like Gieves & Hawkes on the Row. Its current owner, Andrew Ramroop, purchased the business from Sedwell in 1988 after spending time as his understudy. As its master tailor, he continues to offer “ultra-bespoke” services that takes clients through a three-stage fitting process in which suits and garments are constructed with the finest cloths, 80 percent of which are British.
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Michel Men
Image Credit: Michel Men Whitney Michel cut her teeth styling menswear for Vogue, GQ and several other marquee glossies. That experience led her to launch her own collection of dapper men’s accessories like cashmere ties and hand-printed bandanas.
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Nicholas Daley
Image Credit: Nicholas Daley British designer Nicholas Daley’s Jamaican-Scottish roots have been inspiring his clothing since he launched his brand in 2015. The Central Saint Martins grad’s collections offer luxe athleisurewear with a twist, ranging from multicolor track tops to printed Japanese-made jackets, plus a variety of stylish accessories including Baker Boy hats and hand-crochet belts. Last October, the 2020 LVMH Prize finalist winner and Chelsea FC launched a collab in homage to its first Black player. A month later, Daley reimagined G.H. Bass’s Weejuns loafer.
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Off-White
Image Credit: Off-White The late fashion designer Virgil Abloh launched his luxury fashion label Off-White in 2012. Its street-style designs like oversized skate hoodies and denim shorts are just as popular as its sartorial efforts including slim-fit blazers and wool trousers made in Italy. The LVMH Prize finalist collaborated on unique designs from apparel to cars with names like Mercedes Benz, the NBA, as well as rap icons Jay-Z and Kanye West. Former fashion journalist Ib Kamara is now the brand’s art and image director, following Abloh’s passing in November 2021.
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Ozwald Boateng
Image Credit: Ozwald Boateng One of the few people of color with a firm on Savile Row, Ghanaian-British designer Ozwald Boateng rose to fame with immaculately-cut suits and a flair for bold color. Offering bespoke, made-to-measure and ready-to-wear options, Boateng is a favorite of modern day dandies.
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Post-Imperial
Image Credit: Post-Imperial Designer Niyi Okuboyejo founded his menswear label Post-Imperial in 2012. He regularly fashions eye-catching releases in collaboration with African artisans that include hoodies with Baye (vertical) style patchwork, Ajah printed shirts named after a town on Lagos’ island area, and colorful beaded jewelry crafted from vintage glass beads that were sourced from Ghana.
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Rich Fresh
Image Credit: Rich Fresh For a self-taught designer whose business is still young and growing, L.A.-based Rich Fresh has quickly established a recognizable aesthetic. His bold, bright bespoke tailoring has made repeat clients of a wide swath of celebrities, from Dwyane Wade to John Legend.
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Sunni Sunni
Image Credit: Sunni Sunni Stars including Dwayne Wade, Burna Boy, and Lil Nas X are all too familiar with the luxe footwear offerings by Sunni Dixon. The Washington, D.C. native launched his brand Sunni Sunni in 2020, following apprenticeships with two cobblers while working at Ralph Lauren. Its modern boot designs—now stocked at Saks—are crafted from leather and suede with a signature square toe and a heel height of up to 3 inches. If you’re looking to make a statement, start here.
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Telfar
Image Credit: Telfar Liberian-American designer Telfar Clemens promotes a utopian vision of fashion with modernist riffs on unisex wardrobe staples, such as his streamlined leather shopping bag that’s been dubbed the “Bushwick Birkin” for its popularity among stylish Brooklynites.
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Ten Thousand Things
Image Credit: Ten Thousand Things New York-based jewelers Ron Anderson and David Rees’ sculptural, handmade designs have made them a favorite of the downtown set for over 25 years. Their understated Chicklet necklaces and freeform gold rings are ideally suited to guys.
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Thebe Magugu
Image Credit: Thebe Magugu South African fashion brand Thebe Magugu’s ready-to-wear collections make an impact. Its menswear aims to incorporate timelessness and innovative design. Its latest drop includes heritage-inspired printed shirts that catch your eye with artful representations of colorfully dressed people. Over the past year, the brand has collaborated with Samsung, Adidas, and Canada Goose on everything from tech to apparel.
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Union LA
Image Credit: Union LA Chris Gibbs and Beth Birkett, the couple behind the LA retailer Union have their finger on the pulse of what’s next in menswear; their store has been a key player in blurring the line between luxury and streetwear. On its racks, and online, they mix Heron Preston, A-Cold-Wall* and other emerging brands with Thom Browne, Marni and Comme des Garcons.
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Vinny’s
Image Credit: Vinny’s Late 2019 saw the launch of Virgil Nicholas’ footwear brand, called Vinny’s. The Copenhagen-born designer created the brand with “the need for good loafers” in mind. Since then, its bold yet sophisticated range of styles has been photographed on street-style stars and celebrities including Chris Evans. Vinny’s assortment spans multi-colored penny loafers, Cognac crocodile leather loafers, plus strapped mules, and handmade boots.
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Wales Bonner
Image Credit: Wales Bonner London-based Grace Wales Bonner has emerged as one of the most exciting new voices in menswear today. Her collections blending traditional tailoring with softer, nostalgic touches—crochet-trimmed trousers, embroidered over-shirts—are as artful as they are wearable.
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Waraire
Image Credit: Waraire California State University alum Waraire Boswell launched his eponymously named brand in 2002, following stints at two talent agencies. All of its menswear offerings are custom-made and range from a plush merino wool overcoat to corduroy pants, as well as suits for men and women. The label has also made first steps into the lifestyle category, offering an Italian cashmere and wool blanket with cross-hatch weaving designed to evoke Pasadena in the fall.
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Winnie New York
Image Credit: Winnie New York Following a three-year run at Tom Ford, Nigerian designer Idris Balogun launched his menswear label Winnie New York in 2018. The experience he acquired as an apprentice at Hardy Aimes on London’s famed Savile Row, paired with Empire State grit, has been expressed stylishly in over five polished collections since the brand’s inception. Its offerings range from upcycled jackets to Swiss-cotton shirting, as well as luxe basics.
Authors
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Demetrius Simms
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Kareem Rashed
