SHOPIFY AND ‘BLACK IN FASHION COUNCIL’ HOST SHOWROOMS FOR BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES DURING NYFW
By: Hillary LeBlanc
As we continue to see the world championing for more representation in the fashion world, figuring out how to showcase diverse groups is something many organizations are tackling. Fashion shows have shown an increase in diverse bodies, be it race, size, gender nonconformity, persons with visible disabilities and more. Companies have also tried to find ways to increase allyship while participating in the global sensation of September fashion month and various fashion weeks around the world.
Showrooms that occur during fashion week have become all the rage, highlighting groups of like-minded designers in their spaces. During New York and Paris Fashion Week this September, Shopify hosted The Folklore Showroom, the first B2B Wholesale platform focused on diversity. The Folklore allows Black accessory designers and clothing designers to share space in their Shopify headquarters. In the building, buyers and consumers could get complimentary coffee, Shopify swag while meeting the designers of beautiful jewellery, shoes and clothes - and seeing these pieces in person. Designers had wholesale catalogues available for the perusal of buyers.
A showroom with a similar mission is organized by the Black in Fashion Council, founded by Lindsay Peoples Wagner and Sandrine Charles. The goal is to have Black creatives come together building a “new foundation for inclusivity”. They host a showroom every New York Fashion Week at the main Fashion Week venue, Spring Studios. Similar to The Folklore, Black In Fashion Council Showroom has Black designers and accessory brands in individual office rooms where buyers can browse wholesale catalogues and consumers can see items first hand.
Emefa from Israella Kobla
What both of these showrooms achieve is allowing consumers to be able to hear elevator pitches first hand from people affiliated with the brand. Team members and designers are able to share with patrons of these showrooms the evolution of their brands, material details, sustainability efforts, key messaging related to the brand and any innovative components of the items being showcased. Brands showcased in both showrooms were from Toronto, Canada, Lagos, Nigeria, Los Angeles, USA and more.
Reni Abina, designer of RENDOLL from Lagos shares that she has never participated in anything like The Folklore Showroom. “I personally have not done anything like this before. I think different platforms that try to uplift black designers exist in different variations and capacities but are not exactly the same.” She adds that these showrooms are important as “they give a voice and visibility to small brands owned by black designers”. She notes that these opportunities are not necessarily open Black designers. “[These showrooms] help us get noticed by the industry and we’re able to prove that we’re just as good as all the other bigger designers out there. Participating was definitely a positive experience. I got to meet and interact with multiple buyers, stylists, and influencers. Meaningful conversations and connections were made. It’s something I’ll do again”. Abina participated in both the New York and Paris Folklore showrooms, which she shares were similar in experience.
Toronto based designer Emefa Kuadey of brand Israella Kobla has participated with The Folklore for several seasons and has found the experience to be extremely successful for her brand. “When I first joined The Folklore, last year, I got to participate in the Coterie Trade Show in New York. From participating in that event, ISRAELLA KOBLA was awarded two features in WWD and had quite a few meetings with top tier retailers in the US. When we started working on our SS24 collection, I knew I wanted to present in The Folklore's NYFW Showroom because their connections with both retailers and press is amazing. These showrooms give unprecedented access to the retailers many of us have on our wishlist. The experience allows us to meet and engage with buyers/retailers in a meaningful way - something that most times is not possible during fashion week as an emerging brand”.
Kuadey adds that The Folklore also provides support through follow-up meetings, negotiating payment terms and so many other areas that, as an emerging brand, Kuadey felt she didn’t have experience with. “They're really invested in the growth of the brands in their roster and their primary focus is on driving sales vs. just getting exposure”
Being from Toronto, Kuadey feels that her brand gets great awareness from participating because “the fashion ecosystem is really setup to allow emerging brands to grow and thrive in a financial sustainable way”. Kuadey adds, “A big thing I noticed during NYFW is that the buyers weren't so focused on how big you are as a company or how renowned you are globally. I'm sure those things do help, but I found that the buyers I talked to really just wanted to know about the brand story, understand the collection and if their customers would like our pieces. In terms of the impact, we've already received a relatively large order from one of the big US retailers and will hopefully be having follow-up meetings with a few others in the coming weeks!”
Ciara Chyanne, who participated in the TV show Making the Cut also came from LA to participate in the Black in Fashion Council Showroom. She shares that there are no showrooms during fashion week or market week in Los Angeles that highlight black designers and brands that she is aware of. “I am fortunate enough to have worked with Etcetera Los Angeles for 2 years, a black owned PR designer showroom in downtown LA owned by Jade Ikazoboh. They believed in my brand early on and have helped me reach some of my goals such as being featured in magazine publications and receiving many celebrity placements. These opportunities have helped lead to other open doors in the advancement of my career such as competing on Amazon Prime Video’s “Making The Cut” TV show and being interviewed on the Tamron Hall show”.
Credit: Deonte Lee
Chyanne chose to participate in the Black in Fashion Council showroom because she is on a journey to scale Ciara Chyanne and plans on doing so by expanding from direct to consumer to wholesale. “I wanted to meet buyers in person and establish genuine relationships. Putting a face to a name is so important. I think it is best for buyers to touch and feel the quality clothing in person. I spend a lot of time sourcing materials and trims so I want people to see every single detail. I thought this would be a great challenge for me to get from behind the scenes and started stepping in front”.
To Chyanne, these showrooms are very important because they welcome Black designers into spaces without nepotism and social barriers. “They allow diverse conversations and gives us the opportunity to tell our brand stories with hopes to be discovered by industry leaders and new potential customers. The Black in Fashion Council Showroom gave me a space to showcase my talents and for others to experience my work in person”.
There is no doubt that these showrooms allow increased visibility for Black owned brands. While having more Black designers and models on the runway is crucial, Black focused showrooms allow opportunity to grow the Black economy, scale Black start-ups which can be more accessible to Black consumers and shoppers. As we see more sustainable and Black-focused pop ups take place, what kind of pop-ups can we expect to see next?
Cover Photo Credit: Christopher Zapata @christopherzapata_ of Israella Kobla’s brand