we have gucci, fendi, louis vuitton, versace, prada and many more but the ones i named are among the most popular and successful fashion houses. all of these brands are luxury, established, international, and all started by non-minority men. yes, there are rare exceptions such as lines like chanel which was founded by a woman.
however,
what i’m trying to get to plain and simple is that we,as a black female designer, we’ve reserved the right to see a successful international luxury fashion house founded by a black woman! i often think why we don’t already or why more black designers aren’t in the luxury/high fashion side fashion design. personally i feel like it is 1000x harder to establish yourself as a serious competitor against lines like gucci or louis vuitton being black, a woman, and an american.
for instance if you were shopping at the mall and myself, a black american woman and an Italian man approached you selling designer handbags. we were both professional,enthusiastic, and knowledgeable about our products but you can only afford to buy one bag from one of us... tell me would you be most likely to buy from and feel happy and confident about your purchase after purchasing from the suave Italian or the professional black woman?
do you think a high quality product can be devalued by consumers due to the seller regardless of the actually quality?
to me, it’s time for a change.
I definitely agree that it is time for a change, and the time is now. Your talent, passion, and viewpoint on this issue alone has already put you in a position to be the creator/founder of the first “black woman established” luxury fashion house. MalenaJanelle; Claim it! Stay focused and keep going. We’re rooting for you!