6 Black Fashion Icons Who Changed The World
“Without you, there would be no me.”
Who are the most prolific Black fashion icons? Well, there’s no one answer to that question. The truth is that there are so many individuals who have made our lives better by simply being themselves, whether it was by changing the way we think about style and beauty or by serving as an inspiration to others.
Here at SKNFLUENCR, Black History Month is all about celebrating Black fashion icons who have changed the world. It’s time to pay homage to the trailblazers who inspire us every day:
1. ANDRÉ LEON TALLEY
André Leon Talley was the first African-American creative director of American Vogue and is well known for pushing for progressiveness and diversity in the fashion industry. During his tenure as creative director, Talley constantly pushed boundaries.
In 1996, he cast Black model Naomi Campbell as Scarlett O’Hara in a satirical visual story for Vanity Fair that reimagined the 1939 Hollywood classic Gone With The Wind. Naomi Campbell was one of the few Black models during an era of fashion where whiteness dominated magazines, ads, and campaigns. ‘Scarlett n’ The Hood‘ headlined the magazine spread and Talley said, “A lot of editors at a lot of publications would be afraid to touch it.”
André was also known for championing Black designers and creatives, consistently being seen wearing clothing designed by Black designers like Sean Combs and Dapper Dan and even personally styling former President and First Lady Barack & Michelle Obama. After his passing, the first Black British Vogue Editor-In-Chief Edward Enninful said of the late Talley, “Without you, there would be no me.” We pay homage to this Black fashion icon who paved the way for future fashion leaders.
2. PAT MCGRATH
Pat McGrath is a British makeup artist who has designed the looks of many celebrities, including Madonna and Oprah and is hailed as one of the most influential makeup artists in the world by Vogue Magazine.
The makeup artist forayed into the industry in the early 1990s at i-D Magazine working alongside Edward Enninful, who is now the first Black British Vogue Editor-in-Chief. During the late 1990s to mid 2000s, she began to make a name for herself collaborating with Giorgio Armani and even serving as Global Cosmetics Creative Design Director at Procter & Gamble.
McGrath has made it her mission to empower women by creating products that are inclusive, diverse and reflect all skin tones. In 2015 she launched her own cosmetics line, Pat McGrath Labs, which was valued at $1 billion just three years later.
3. DAPPER DAN
Dapper Dan is a Harlem-based fashion designer who is credited with creating the hip hop look of the 1980s, which was marked by oversized silhouettes, bold colors, and logomania.
In 1982, Dapper Dan opened a clothing boutique where he designed his own garments using monogrammed textiles he deconstructed from luxury brands like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Fendi. Although self-taught, he became hip-hop’s most frequented fashion designer, creating custom pieces for artists like LL Cool J and Salt-N-Pepa. He created his signature pieces without permission from the luxury houses the textiles and patterns came from. As a result, he was forced to close his boutique due to copyright infringement, rising legal fees, and counterfeiting raids.
His designs were iconic enough to transcend fashion eras, however, and in 2017 Gucci was under fire for allegedly copying an original jacket design of his. The debacle sparked conversations surrounding homage and design, and exposed the irony of a luxury house copying an independent designer who was effectively put out of business by that same brand for copyright infringement. A year later, Gucci sought to rectify the situation and reopened Dapper Dan’s atelier. Since then, Gucci and Dapper Dan have collaborated on numerous collections. We commend him for breaking barriers and we love that he is finally getting the recognition that he deserves!
4. VIRGIL ABLOH
Virgil Abloh was a fashion designer & founder of Off-White who was born to Ghanian immigrants. He received his Master of Architecture at Illinois Institute of Technology in 2006 before founding his own label in 2013. His luxury brand Off-White became known for its deconstructed luxury clothing with streetwear influences that draw from sports and youth culture. Virgil has received many accolades for his work and has collaborated with a number of brands including Jimmy Choo, Ralph Lauren, and even IKEA.
In 2018 he became the first Black person to lead Louis Vuitton’s menswear line and one of the very few Black designers to helm a French fashion house. As Black people were historically excluded from luxury fashion, Virgil’s appointment at Louis Vuitton was a significant hallmark of progress.
Virgil’s time at Louis Vuitton brought streetwear to luxury and helped solidify Black youth culture’s place in mainstream fashion. In November of 2021, news of his passing (due a “rare and aggressive” form of cancer called cardiac angiosarcoma) shocked the world. Virgil Abloh was a true trailblazer in the fashion industry and an inspiration to many. May he rest in peace.
5. MADAM C.J. WALKER
Madam C.J. Walker (born Sarah Breedlove) was the first Black person to become a self-made millionaire in the United States, and she did it all before she was 50 years old. As the first person in her family to born free from slavery in 1867, Breedlove moved to St. Louis, Missouri as she sought a way out of poverty.
She married at the age of 14, but her husband died just five years later. Breedlove was left to care for her daughter, who was still in diapers. She began working as a laundress and became known for her work ethic.
She eventually created a line of hair care products and expanded into a multi-million dollar empire that revolutionized how Black women cared for their hair and skin. In 1993, she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.
Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company is solidified as one of the largest manufacturers and distributors of beauty products for African Americans in history.
6. DIDDY
Diddy. Puff Daddy. Sean Combs. Whatever you want to call him, Diddy has been one of the most influential figures in hip hop and fashion since his debut in the early 90s. After launching his Bad Boy Entertainment label in 1993, he went on to develop several successful artists such as Notorious B.I.G. and Faith Evans.
Combs started his iconic streetwear brand Sean John in 1998. His 2001 show at New York Fashion Week was the first nationally televised runway show in history, and in 2004 he became the first African-American to win a CFDA Award (“the fashion world’s Academy Awards“), beating out Michael Kors and Ralph Lauren. Sean John’s velour tracksuits were a staple in every young person’s wardrobe and became emblematic of the early 2000s.
Whether he’s rapping on the radio, acting in movies, or influencing fashion trends, Diddy is an undeniable force and we celebrate his impact on pop culture.
Black fashion icons deserve to be recognized for their contributions to greater pop culture.
Although Black people have been copied and exploited all throughout fashion history, we were rarely embraced by the industry. Thankfully, things are changing these days. Though we still have a long way to go, let’s take a moment to honor some of the most important Black fashion icons who helped change the world.