All results
Black designers’ work is being stolen from day by day. On Aug. 29, Hanifa’s Anifa Mvuemba came forward with her own story. In a tweet, the founder and fashion designer voiced her frustration since one of her designs being stolen. “Only because this sample took me monthssss to perfect,” she wrote. “This is actually crazy. I’m not going to tag or mention them. But this is crazy.” Only because this sample took me monthssss to perfect. This is actually crazy. I’m not going to tag or mention them. But this is crazy. pic.twitter.com/GDZQg6vTBK — + (@AnifaM) August 29, 2022
Congolese designer Anifa Mvuemba staged one of the most groundbreaking runway shows last Spring. Picture it: curve-hugging dresses, waist-cinching tops, and floor-sweeping pants sashaying down an invisible catwalk — but make it 3D. Mvuemba’s futuristic and captivating showcase of the Pink Label Congo collection for her Hanifa brand aired on Instagram and put her on the fashion industry’s radar. Since, Mvuemba’s stunning, sophisticated designs have been worn by stars like Zendaya and Beyoncé, and on fashion magazine covers, including InStyle. Though she hasn’t quite caught up with all the attention she’s received from her first big moment in the fashion spotlight, she’s vigorously working to outdo herself. “There are still so many things lingering from last year,” she says. “My team and I are just starting to breathe again. I’m always challenging myself to elevate my brand and to be a step ahead.” AfroTech caught up with Mvuemba to discuss tech in fashion, advice for emerging...
You can’t place Anifa Mvuemba’s creativity in a box. Back in 2020, the Hanifa founder and fashion designer shook up the fashion world with a virtual 3D show on Instagram for her collection, Pink Label Congo, inspired by her home country of the Congo. From then on, Mvuemba continued to implement her self-taught tech skills into her work, as previously reported by AFROTECH™. Now, Mvuemba has taken her fashion expertise into new territory — the spirits industry. In February 2024, it was announced that she and Sergio Hudson are partnering with premium bourbon brand Woodford Reserve. During a New York Fashion Week (NYFW) dinner, Mvuemba spoke about previously feeling like she was approached by brands for their own gain and image, per WWD. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Anifa M (@anifam) In an email interview with AFROTECH™, Mvuemba shared , “As a Black designer, navigating the barriers that come with being shortlisted for collaborations merely to fulfill a diversity...
Love it or hate it, fast fashion is here to stay. Once relegated to the budget-to-median priced stores category, fast fashion exploded in a major way thanks to online shopping . Fueled by constant trend chasing with a caveat for affordable clothing, fast fashion is a billion dollar industry , having earned $106.42 billion in 2022 alone. Experts expect it to reach $133.43 billion by 2026. While there are plenty of valid criticisms regarding the ethical and ecological implications of this retail segment, every year more brands pop up trying to cash in on the endless demand for cheap yet stylish digs. Most people point to more budget brands like Shein or Forever21, but even Swedish staple H&M and Spanish retailer Zara are included when discussing this category. But in the last year, an upstart by the name of Temu has taken the industry by storm and is quickly positioning itself as a potential competitor thanks to dirt cheap pricing and an endless string of available discounts. But how...
Following a successful run as a presenting partner of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), Google is making it official with the National Basketball Association (NBA). Through the partnership, Google presented search trends and analytics across digital and social platforms throughout the WNBA season, playoffs and finals. Now, the search engine giant will be expanding their partnership to officially work alongside the league, Boardroom reports. “Expanding our relationship with Google will enable fans to deepen their engagement with the game and their favorite teams during our landmark 75th Anniversary season and beyond,” says Kerry Tatlock, Senior Vice President, Global Marketing Partnerships and Media of the NBA in a press statement. As a part of the multi-year partnership, Google Pixel will become the official fan phone and first presenting partner of the NBA Playoffs, opening doors for the incorporation into ESPN, TNT and YouTube TV. In addition, the partnership...
The CFDA / Vogue Fashion Fund has been reimagined this year to not only award prizes to the top winners, but for all ten finalists of emerging American fashion brands. According to Vogue, the fashion industry has taken steps to restructure its “business as usual” mindset in light of effects from the pandemic to be more supportive and inclusive of budding designers. “After an incredibly challenging time for all of us in fashion, especially here in New York, we’re thrilled that this year we are able to support all of our finalists,” Anna Wintour — global editorial director of Vogue and chief content officer of Condé Nast — shared. “It’s not only a vote of confidence in their talents, but in a brighter future for American fashion.” Instead of the CFDA /Vogue Fashion Fund’s normal format to grant one top prize and two awards to runners-up as it has in the past, this year all ten designers — who nearly all happen to be Black talent — will earn their grants and a year of mentorship from...
Time and time again Black women have proven that they know how to get things done — even during a year like 2020. With diversity and inclusion at the forefront, it’s been amazing to see all of the boss women she-eos who are changing the narratives when it comes to ownership. Forbes reports that over 50 percent of women-owned businesses are led by women of color. Yet, those same women have the odds stacked against them. Despite the lack of resources, and other setbacks these Black women CEOs have shown that they are a force to be reckoned with not only this year but beyond. Check out some of our favorite Black women CEOs who shook the table in 2020 below: Melissa Butler Photo Credit: melissarbutler.com After becoming frustrated with unrealistic standards of beauty defined by the industry, Melissa Butler decided to create her own vegan and cruelty-free beauty brand, The Lip Bar, to combat the issue of diversity within the beauty industry. Butler and her empire are a reminder that the...
London-based startup Gravity Sketch has raised $3.7 million in funding, TechCrunch reports . In a recent seed round, the company founded by Oluwaseyi Sosanya, Daniela Paredes, and Daniel Thomas received funding from Kindred Capital with participation from Point Nine Capital and previous investor Forward Partners. In addition, the startup previously received grant funding from InnovationRCA and the James Dyson Foundation., which brings the total amount raised by the company to $5.4 million. “Collaboration is increasingly important as time frames are shortened and consumers request products sooner, with more features, and produced more sustainably,” said Oluwaseyi Sosanya, CEO, according to TechCrunch. “There is also a surge in multinational companies growing globally distributed design and engineering teams, who need to stay connected in order to deliver with the same accuracy they once did being in the same location.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Gravity Sketch...
Next to Juneteenth, Blackout Day is the second biggest unofficial holiday for Black Americans to wield their economic power and support Black-owned businesses. This year, social media activism has taken on a new meaning and any and every user has taken to their platforms to speak out on behalf of racial injustice in America and spread educational messages to further the agenda of multiple movements striving to campaign for equity in America. Today, July 7 — formally recognized as #BlackoutDay2020 — is a day dedicated to fostering economic solidarity in response to the continued global uprising against racial injustice. The largest initiative to come out of this unified economic movement is the outpouring support of Black businesses with an added emphasis on circulating the Black dollar. Organized by Calvin Martyr — founder of the Blackout Coalition — #BlackoutDay2020 encourages consumers to exclusively support Black-owned businesses, and avoid spending any money outside the Black...
With fashion technology, designers are connecting with consumers in more direct, innovative ways, and Coy Griffin wants more people of color at the forefront of that discovery. The Bronx-born Afro-Latina didn’t take the conventional path to fashion technology. She landed in the industry after gaining a slew of on-the-job experience at corporate internships and gigs at IBM and Johnson & Johnson. “When I was in college, I interned for Johnson & Johnson as a regular data analyst punching numbers all day,” she said. “At that point, I wanted to pivot into the fashion industry using my knowledge of data analytics, so I just started Googling fashion analyst jobs, and that’s when I discovered trend forecasting.” Even after discovering forecasting and working at a variety of fashion-tech startups, the Clarkson University graduate launched Your Own Creativity to truly marry her passion for fashion and technological innovations. The YOC is a content platform that helps make fashion tech easy...
On Friday (May 22), designer Anifa Mvuemba singlehandedly changed the fashion game. Her latest Hanifa collection, Pink Label Congo, debuted via Instagram Live using 3D models, who emulated the hip-swaying swagger and full-bodied beauty of Black women. The contemporary line was inspired by her hometown in the Congo, of which she debuted a film short about the issues facing the women and children of the country like illegal mining. Nevertheless, the innovative digital show transported viewers to the Democratic Republic of Congo, with a floor-sweeping silk gown, a wide-legged denim suit, an off-the-shoulder ruched top, and other jaw-dropping pieces that reference the delicate power and femininity of the women of the Congo. “I want these pieces to tell a story of meaning,” she told Teen Vogue . “I want them to remind us to be intentional about what we create. Not for clout or for Instagram likes, but for the sake of meaning what we say by storytelling through our designs.”...