Black designers have to work twice as hard - and are still 'emerging'

Anna Wintour and Diane von Furstenberg

As far as fashion goes, participating in the Council of Fashion Designers of America/Vogue Fashion Fund can be a pivotal moment in an emerging designer’s career. Winning the $400,000 prize and a year of mentorship from some of the industry’s biggest names has the power to change the trajectory of a brand, or even create one. It’s what brought us Alexander Wang, Proenza Schouler, and Public School. It isn’t often that outsiders are privy to the making of a fashion label, and the awards, which are live-streamed each November, offer an inside look into how winners were selected. Which is why a photo on Eva Chen’s Instagram last week showing this year’s panel of CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund judges was particularly telling.

Seated at a long table were 10 judges with the future of the fashion industry in their hands: five women and five men; three were of Asian-descent, and all extremely fair-skin. From Anna Wintour to Diane von Furstenberg, the group is comprised of fashion veterans who are very much a part of Vogue’s insular world. But given the fact that streetwear is actively helping to reshape the fashion industry (see: Supreme’s James Jebbia, who was named menswear designer of the year at the 2018 CFDA Awards, Louis Vuitton appointing Virgil Abloh as men’s artistic director, and Gucci collaborating with Dapper Dan after being accused of copying one of his most famous designs), wouldn’t it make sense to compile a judging committee that is better connected to today's most relevant trends, most of which were created and/or popularized by Black people?

That’s not to say real diversity only counts when it includes Black people, but it does speak to a level of mindful inclusion that continues to elude us. Trends stemming from Black culture are everywhere, and yet there remain so few Black designers on the Fashion Week calendar. Even fewer are members of the Council of Fashion Designers of America; there are just 15 Black designers on the CFDA’s membership roster of more than 500 people.

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