Harlem's Fashion Row Partners With LVMH In Support Of Emerging Black Designers To Carry On Virgil Abloh’s Mission

According to a press release, the union honors LVMH’s commitment to advance HFR’s efforts of highlighting and mentoring people of color supported through multi-platform, high-visibility events and customized pipeline programs. Diverse talent will benefit from additional inclusion initiatives in collaboration with HFR, which will launch mentorship and activation opportunities to connect rising Black designers with globally recognized brands such as Tiffany & Co. and Louis Vuitton.

“LVMH is committed to having a positive impact in our communities and realizing the path forward set by Virgil Abloh and others who helped foster equity and inclusion in the fashion industry by supporting and building a pool of diverse creative talent,” said Corey Smith, Vice President, Diversity & Inclusion, LVMH Inc, according to a press release. “It is critical for LVMH as an organization to continue developing talent of color internally, while ensuring the relevance of our brands and our products in an evolving and diverse consumer landscape. We see this partnership with HFR as a wonderful opportunity to focus on values, culture, business and community all at the same time, as these notions are not mutually exclusive, but interconnected and reinforcing one another.”

Onboarding initiatives will include the HFR ICON 360 HBCU Summit that will cater to fashion programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), providing the education required to excel in the industry. In addition, the Black History Month Summit will become a home for industry leaders to curate conversation centered on diversity in fashion and HFR’s Designer Retreat will provide 75 designers with mentorship from leading executives.

“Through this partnership, HFR and LVMH North America look forward to continuing their mission of giving designers of color access to individuals and organizations that can help shape their future, “said Brandice Daniel, CEO and Founder of HFR, according to a press release. “We’ve successfully introduced a wealth of diverse designers to a world-class fashion curriculum consisting of invaluable tools and resources to grow their businesses, and have educated Gen Z on how they too can change fashion’s course. Conjunctively, we’ve created opportunities for youth to engage as early as high school, meeting the marginalized, particularly HBCU students, where they are in their fashion careers.”