Black Fashion Fair’s Debut Symposium Is A Testament To Our Genius

When Black Fashion Fair announced its inaugural symposium titled “Black Fashion Forward” in April, industry insiders and fashion-philes alike responded with glee. The New York City event at the Times Center promised a unique opportunity to celebrate and connect Black fashion and beauty creatives. Not only did it deliver on that promise Saturday afternoon, inspiring leaders and aspiring fashion professionals to fly into New York City from across the country to attend, but it came at a pivotal moment: The fashion industry has been struggling with the economic slowdown, especially under the crushing weight of tariffs, and federal workforce cuts under the Trump administration have disproportionately affected Black women, per MSNBC. At “Black Fashion Forward,” there was a true sense of community and optimism.

“Black Fashion Fair exists because Black fashion has always deserved more: more visibility, more access, more investment, more ownership,” BFF founder Antoine Gregory said while opening the event. “We are not just observers of Black fashion. We are building a foundation that will sustain generations to come. Today is an extension of that work,” Gregory added. 

The afternoon kicked off with a session about visual languages and Black representation in fashion media, with a focus on editorial, in a panel with photographer duo Ahmad Barber and Donté Maurice, makeup artist Keita Moore, and moderator Irene Ojo-Felix, who serves as the editorial director of Models.com. For context, the photography duo who are largely known as AB+DM and Moore, have worked together across several projects, including capturing Iman for the cover of Harper’s Bazaar Saudi Arabia. “Collaboration is something that’s important to us, because we’re two people working together as one unit,” Maurice said, as an example. “We’re lucky and blessed to do our own post-production. One key thing we do is involve and invite the makeup artist into that process because they see things that we don’t see.”

Their conversation was not just a helpful reminder about how important collaborations are to creative processes, but they also stressed the importance of supporting each other. “One of the things that Zendaya and Law Roach taught us was how to pay it forward, and they showed us how to advocate properly,” Maurice said, adding that they helped the duo develop their eye and advised them on things like whether they were getting paid enough. On top of that, as Moore said, to succeed in the industry, “you have to be a little delusional” in believing in yourself, no matter what.

Esthetician Sean Garrette also moderated a panel with a trio of beauty industry leaders: Danessa Myricks, founder of her eponymous makeup line; Tomi Talabi, who created the Black Beauty Club; and Sofia Maame Thompson, public relations director of Buttah Skin. Though they each discussed their unique journeys towards building a brand, the discussion became particularly poignant around finances, especially in the wake of news this summer that Ami Colé is closing, which rattled the industry. 

Myricks, who bootstrapped her business and brought on investors in 2022, spoke about how hard it is to grow only being self-funded. “There are so many nuances. You could be doing extremely well and be out of business in the next week. This year is a perfect example. [Early on], with everything that happened with tariffs, overnight we had to find $10 million to survive.” Collectively, panelists emphasized the need to build and sustain their businesses with customer support, naturally, and investment to build wealth.

After a brief intermission, the penultimate panel featured some powerhouses in the New York scene, discussing the importance of fashion as a cultural force. Vanity Fair‘s senior fashion editor Kia D. Goosby, moderated a conversation with Edvin Thompson, designer of Theophilio; Jacques Agbobly of the knitwear-focused label Agbobly; and Tia Adeola, creative director of her eponymous line. After giving a chance for each designer to talk about how their cultural heritage influences design, Goosby posed a challenging question: “In what ways do you see fashion intersecting with politics and activism, especially in the current climate we’re in?” Each panelist paused upon hearing this complex talking point. 

“We’re actually activists even when there’s not necessarily a call to action for us. Because we wake up Black every day,” Thompson said, providing nuance and showcasing the way the choice is almost made for you when Black. “As Black designers, there’s a danger of being pigeonholed and looked on to speak for the culture,” Agbobly added. “For me, I exist to tell my own story, and if that happens to emit any type of politics or anything that’s happening in the world, it’s just a sort of byproduct,” Agbobly continued. Each of the fitting statements was well received by the audience. 

The last panel’s spotlight was on luxury accessories designer Brandon Blackwood, in conversation with Antoine Gregory, focusing on what it took to scale Blackwood’s handbag empire over the past 10 years. Blackwood, who has also designed a custom look for Beyoncé (for the “Renaissance Tour”) and Sheryl Lee Ralph for the 2022 Emmys, shared encouragement with attendees, even echoing Moore’s earlier sentiments about the “delusional” level of self-belief it takes to succeed. 

Blackwood also opened up about the specific nuances of business operation and growth, including behind-the-scenes stories of building his brand, getting dragged on Twitter, and late nights with his team early on to more recently, scaling his warehouse. It was notable that he took accountability publicly regarding past issues, which led to the previously mentioned social media backlash. Here, Gregory expressed that many Black brands are often not offered grace at times when dealing with issues. 

Brandon, who is largely associated with breathing life into the affordable accessories market, also shared news Saturday night. His brand—beloved for its bags, shoes, and clothes—isn’t going anywhere, but the designer has been investing more time in home and furniture right now, which has been personally ful>Shelcy and Christy Joseph smoothly transitioned between panels and a brief intermission. The symposium, like all good ones, had its moments optimized for fun and connection.

A flower-embellished water station hosted by Maison Perrier kept guests hydrated. Custom airbrushed Champion T-shirts meant everyone left the day with a keepsake, and a cozy cocktail reception, featuring cocktails made with Crown Royal, ended the day on a high note. 

Gregory has yet to share details on the next symposium, but if the first one’s success was any proof, it’s time to start getting ready for 2026.

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