15 Fashion Moments with Black Women in 2018

2018 Black Models Designers


Adut Akech Chanel Fall Couture 2018 Bride

15. Adut Akech, the second Black Model to be Chanel's Couture bride

In July, Karl Lagerfeld chose South Sudanese model Adut Akech to be the Chanel Bride in the Fall 2018 Couture show. This is the second time a black model has walked as the bride of the brand's show since 2004 when Alek Wek walked. Although Adut is a new model, she has made a statement for herself already. She won Model of the Year according to Industry insiders on Models.com and walked over 30 shows this past Spring 2019 season. We don't see the 19 year-old model slowing down either with 2 Vogue covers in December 2018.

Tiffany Haddish Alexander McQueen

14. Tiffany Haddish's favorite white Alexander McQueen dress

If you haven't noticed the all white, embellished neck, thigh-high slit gown on Tiffany before, you must've had your eyes closed all this year and last year. She first wore the dress to the premiere of the movie "Girls Trip" in 2017, then while hosting Saturday Night Live in 2017 as the first black stand up comedienne to ever do so, and two more times in 2018. Ms. Haddish said she still is ready to pull the dress out at any moment to Vanity Fair in September.  Tiffany said this was her first major purchase as a star and paid $4,100 for the dress. Wearing red carpet dresses twice is taboo in Hollywood but  Tiffany Haddish may have us reconsidering that.

Nike Women Black Shoe Designer

13. The Harlem Fashion Row x Lebron 16 Shoe Designers

In 2017, Brandice Daniels, the Founder of Harlem Fashion Row, received a call to see if she could round up some black fashion designers for a project. Little did she know, this call was from Nike for a Lebron shoe collaboration. Brandice suggested three designers she'd worked with and they asked the 3 designers to visit Nike to chose one to work with for the shoe. After the visit they called Brandice and said they wanted all 3. Over the last year Kimberly Goldson, Felisha Noel, and Undra Celeste Duncan collaborated to create the first women's shoe in Lebron James x Nike collection. The NBA-star said "Being the son, husband, and father of strong African American women, I felt like this was something I wanted to do for them and for all the strong women out there who are succeeding despite what might be stacked against them." Lebron wanted to support, represent, and uplift black women with this project. The shoe sold out in 5 minutes online.

Shiona Turini

12. Insecure's Costume Designer, Shiona Turini

Insecure is the it show for black girls. A lot of people don't realize that black girl magic happens behind the scenes too. In the middle of taping the third season, Shiona Turini took over costume design to keep the girls' individual styles up and to state a message. Including brands like Off-White,  Maki-Oh, and Pyer Moss, it was a boost of visibility for brands with black designers. One of the most talked about look was Issa's Drie Van Noten Blazer on the episode where she quit's "We Got Y'all." The print was very Issa and was a easy way to show how high fashion could work in a basic wardrobe.

Editor at Teen Vogue

11. Lindsay Peoples Teen Vogue appointment and the "Black in Fashion" article

Earlier this year the "What it’s really like to be black and work in fashion" article shook the fashion industry up. Shared in the write-up were experiences from black industry insiders, models, bloggers, and more. It was an important conversation starter that acknowledged problems in fashion industry, that also included solutions to help promote change. This all was curated by Lindsay Peoples Wagner. She was not afraid to go there. And the bravery anded her the Editor-in-Chief position at Teen Vogue in October.

Issa Rae wearing Pyer Moss

10. Issa Rae's all black designer outfits while hosting the CFDA Awards

Issa Rae was the first black woman to host the Council of Fashion Designers of America Awards. While hosting she stood by her coined phrase "I'm rooting for everybody black" and wore all black designers through the event. Issa's sparkly blue custom jumpsuit was by Pyer Moss with a black belt that read "Every N---a is a star." Later she wore designs by Sergio Hudson and Victor Glemaud. This event did inspire Tracee Ellis Ross to later wear all black designers on the AMAS as she hosted.

Naomi Campbell

9. Naomi Campbell's Fashion Icon Award

Naomi Campbell is finally collecting her well deserved accolades this year. At the 2018 CFDA Awards she was honored as the Fashion Icon. Naomi is one of the few supermodels from the 80s still working. She landed a NARs beauty campaign recently which is her first beauty campaign in her 3 decades of working. Congratulations Naomi.

Serena Williams Nike Off-white Tutu

8. Serena Williams Tutu Leotard

In October, tennis officials attempted to ban the Nike catsuit Serena Williams wore to one of her tennis matches. But instead of a fight, Serena showed us she can play in anything. Wearing a Nike x Off-White leotard and tutu combo at the U.S. Open, we deem Serena a true badass. She sported a black tutu dress, then a lavender one at a later match. Serena Williams commented about the dress to Vogue about the collaboration: "I felt so feminine in the tutu, which is probably my favorite part of it. It really embodies what I always say: that you can be strong and beautiful at the same time."

Meghan Markle Givenchy Dress

7. Meghan Markle and her wedding dress

In May, 29 million people tuned it to watch The Royal Wedding between Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. Dressed in a wide, almost off-the-shoulder bateau neckline, white Givenchy silk gown, with a 16-foot veil, we watch as she was united with her love. Many critics said the simplicity of the dress kept us focused on the occasion and on Meghan which is very true. She's nothing short of stunning.

Slick Woods at fashion show

6. Slick Woods in labor at New York Fashion Week

Little did we know when we watched the live of Savage x Fenty's first runway show during New York Fashion Week Spring 2019, that the pregnant Slick Woods was in labor while strutting down the runway. In a harness bodysuit, pasties, and pumps the Fenty Beauty muse slayed. A few days after on Instagram she posted a picture from the show with the caption including "A lewk, 14 hours of labor, and A king is born. This is the face of a WOMAN IN LABOR, we hold shit down most of us don’t even know how much we’re going through, I’m here to say I CAN DO WHATEVER THE FUCK I WANT WHENEVER THE FUCK I WANT AND SO CAN YOU." She showed the strength of a woman and left us all inspired.

Ruth E Carter at Black Panther Premiere

5. Black Panther’s Costume Designer Ruth E. Carter

Ruth E. Carter brings magic to every movie she’s worked on. From Spike Lee’s “School Daze” to the 2014 award-winning “Selma,” she has created connected to the culture. When Black Panther hit the screens there was no doubt Wakanda was inspired by Africa. Ruth and the design team researched and hunted down authentic African wear and jewelry. She wanted an afro-futuristic vibe mixed with Africa untouched by colonizers. Black Panther was the #1 Box Office hit of 2018.

Cardi B's Fashion Nova Collaboration

4. Cardi B x Fashion Nova

We already knew Cardi B was a Fashion Nova girl before Bodak Yellow, but when the collaboration was announced fans prepared their coins. Selling out in 3 hours, the collection consisting of 82 pieces was a success for the most googled fashion brand of 2018. Cardi B commented that creating a fashion line was one of her dreams come true. With a Reebok collaboration in the works, this will not be the last we see of Cardi B in fashion.

Rihanna Co-chairs the Met Gala in Maison Margiela

3. Rihanna at the Met Gala

Dressed in a strapless beaded white mini corset dress and a matching oversized coat, Rihanna gave us one of the best looks at the annual Met Gala event this year. The Metropolitan Museum of Art hosts a fundraising event every May for their Costume Institution. This year the theme was "Heavenly Bodies," a highlight of the interests of Catholicism in fashion. Rihanna took the ensemble to the next level with a matching bishop’s mitre created by Stephen Jones who collaborated with John Galliano, creative director of Maison Margiela, for the look. Rihanna co-chaired the event in 2018.

Beyonce Vogue September Cover

2. Beyoncé’s September Vogue Cover

While the HBCU themed Coachella performance and On The Run Tour II brought us countless looks, this September 2018 American Vogue cover topped it all. Making history, this was the first American Vogue cover shot by an African-American. Beyoncé had a choice in picking who she wanted to photograph the spread and she choose the 23 year old Tyler Mitchell.  She said in her self-written cover story "If people in powerful positions continue to hire and cast only people who look like them, sound like them, come from the same neighborhoods they grew up in, they will never have a greater understanding of experiences different from their own. They will hire the same models, curate the same art, cast the same actors over and over again, and we will all lose."

Michelle Obama Book Tour Outfits

1. Michelle Obama in Balenciaga

Even though this just happened, it is the Black Girl Moment of the Year! Michelle Obama ended the first leg of her tour at Brooklyn's Barclay Center for her best-selling book "Becoming Michelle Obama." Wearing a high slit yellow dress from Balenciaga’s Spring 2018 collection with a pair of 4-inch thigh high boots covered in gold sequins, Michelle broke the internet. This is not something we'd expect a former First Lady to wear but we will be forever grateful for this moment. Her stylist said Michelle wasn't thinking about wearing dresses originally because it would associate her to the First Lady we knew.



*None of the photos above belong to me.