From style to language, the Black community has influenced culture and the society that all of us live in. Here are some emerging Black designers to look out for as they grow in their career and impact our lives as a result.

TORISHÉJU Dumi, a young designer studied fashion at Central Saint Martins and recently, Zendaya represents her designs on the red carpet. She made her Paris debut in December of 2023 where Naomi walked for her show. Dumi is architecturally creative with her designs that highlight androgyny. Her clothing is an example of an exemplary vision of art. With such a fresh start and powerful beginning, Torishéju is a new awaking in fashion.

Rachel Scott launched her brand, Diotima, in 2021. With fifteen years of working in the fashion industry, her brand was born in a studio she set up during the pandemic. Since then, she was a semifinalist for the 2023 LVMH Prize and runner-up for the 2023 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund. Her brand name comes from Plato’s Symposium and how culture and love come together. With Diotima, she combines the lush and lively colors of Jamaica (her place of her birth) and the labors of love from artisanal communities in the island country itself. She harnesses the importances of crochet and plays with the medium and textures in a way that tells its own powerful story. Her studies in philosophy have woven themselves in how she approaches design, creating timeless pieces that belong on runways now and in the archives to be pulled in the future.

Bishme Cromartie, a self-taught designer, began sewing at the age of eight. He made his New York Fashion Week debut in February of this year. From Baltimore, Maryland, he has become known on a greater level. His work is imaginative in its structure, highlighting both feminine and masculine energy that he affectionately and accurately describes as “Street-Garde.” After winning Project Runway’s 20th All-Star Season, he is much more than a man behind a television screen. His work is real and so is his purpose in the fashion world. His talents have been appreciated by the likes of Andra Day, Karrueche Tran, and Niecy Nash.

Nearly ten years ago, Edvin Thompson introduced his fashion brand, Theophilio, and made his runway debut at New York Fashion Week in 2021. In 2021, he became a CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Finalist. His work can be described as sexy and loud in its own authenticity, combining impressions of the 90s and early 2000s that he modernized and reflects of Jamaica’s past, present, and future as he interprets it. His work is completely individual.

Junny Ann Hibbert, another CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund alumna, was a semi-finalist in 2022. Her brand, JUNNY, founded in 2015, is a one-of-a-kind designer and atelier you can contact for consultation. She is a multi-hyphenate talent who specialties in fiber and textile. She lives in Harlem, her garments reflecting the inspiration of both Harlem and Jamaica. Her statement-making is one of a kind. The promise of all pieces being made by artisans in New York City is one of the most patriotic acts one can make in fashion.

Kent Anthony, a menswear designer with the brand name to match, has a background in fine art. His interests in industrial design shine through in his work with chic, classic, and clean productions. As he was a part of the tailoring team that made Tyla’s iconic sand dress by Balmain, his skills are shared with others beyond his brand. He is talented and a shining light for the next generation of legendary fashion names. He is experienced in “soft tailoring” and the reconceptualizing what is considered a classic look.

These are six names to watch, revel, and wear. Their inevitable rise will make you proud to be a fashion-lover and want to be in their clothes. As time goes on, we can expect their influence to bring in a whole new awareness of what it means to be a fashion designer.

Article by Seana Watson, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
Tearsheets by Daniel López, Art Director, PhotoBook Magazine

6 EMERGING BLACK DESIGNERS