Happy hump day Bombers and Bombshells! This week’s Bomber of the week is hailing all the way from the Bahamas. Scroll down to check out Aljeron from Freeport .
Aljeron writes, “I’d like to consider my style ‘Smart Casual Streetwear'”
“I like pieces that can be remixed and worn different ways,” he states.
What do you think of this Bomber style? Slide over to his Instagram @flyyellowbwoy to check him out!
Fashion Bombshell of the Day is a feature showcasing the singular style of Fashion Bomb Readers. Send your name, location, a description of your style, and 5-10 clear, unfiltered, head-to-toe pictures of 5-10 different outfits (no collages) to Bombshell@FashionBombDaily.com. Images submitted will be featured on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or any of our social media platforms. Comments can be harsh, so bring your A game! Please be advised: once published, pictures will not be removed or taken down.
** RIGHTS: ONLY UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, NEW ZEALAND ** New York, NY – Fashion Icon Anna Wintour shows off her style while out for a stroll in New York.
Pictured: Anna Wintour
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According to Page Six, Wintour wrote the following emotional note to staffers last week, “I want to start by acknowledging your feelings and expressing my empathy towards what so many of you are going through: sadness, hurt, and anger too.”
“I want to say this especially to the Black members of our team — I can only imagine what these days have been like. But I also know that the hurt, and violence, and injustice we’re seeing and talking about have been around for a long time. Recognizing it and doing something about it is overdue.”
“I want to say plainly that I know Vogue has not found enough ways to elevate and give space to Black editors, writers, photographers, designers and other creators. We have made mistakes too, publishing images or stories that have been hurtful or intolerant. I take full responsibility for those mistakes.”
Anna Wintour with Pulitzer Prize Winning Fashion Critic Robin Givhan (left) and Investigative Fashion Writer Teri Agins of the Wall Street Journal (Middle)
“It can’t be easy to be a Black employee at Vogue, and there are too few of you. I know that it is not enough to say we will do better, but we will — and please know that I value your voices and responses as we move forward. I am listening and would like to hear your feedback and your advice if you would like to share either.
ANNA WINTOUR,ANDRE LEON TALLEY
at NY Premiere of ”The Butler” at Ziegfeld
8-6-2013
Photo by John Barrett/Globe Photos
“I am proud of the content we have published on our site over these past few days but I also know that there is much more work to do. Please don’t hesitate to be in touch with me directly. I am arranging ways we can discuss these issues together candidly, but in the meantime, I welcome your thoughts or reactions.”
Anna Wintour has been the Editor in Chief of Vogue since 1988. For more than 30 years, she, “has not found enough ways to elevate and give space to Black editors, writers, photographers, designers and other creators.” It seems that she has some inner work to do to pinpoint why, exactly, that is.
iamJumpManOfficial wants you to post a video explaining why you really want some retro Jordans and what the history of the shoes means to you!
JumpMan was named Jordan by his father because he saw GREATNESS in his child and future talented artist. Tell us why the Air Jordan brand is important to YOU and your community. Tag @iamjumpmanofficial and hashtag #REALLY along with a video explanation why on @instagram or @twitter.
You will be entered to win 1 of 2 pairs of Retro Jordans. There will be a 1st and 2nd place prize.
Winners will be drawn on Wednesday June 17, 2020 @ 9pm CST on @iamJumpManOfficials IG Live!
While you’re getting your video together, listen to the iamJumpManOfficial Mixtape on Soundcloud here.
It has a chill sound and features songs by up and coming artists. It’s Fashion Bomb Approved!
Today’s fashion bombshell is Jelinda from Illinois. Her name on social media is @shesafashionlover visit her page to check out more of her personal style. she writes, “I decided to make a political, yet fashionable statement through my art! I started to think…who will we be remembering next? Who will be the next hashtag? This is my way of spreading a message! There is so much further we need to go, but first I plan on SPARKING the conversation!”
She continued by saying, “After Sandra Bland was killed in 2015, I knew I had to find a way to CAREFULLY and FASHIONABLY spread a message that people would understand. I came up with the idea to create a purses with the names of people affected by police brutality. My goal is NOT to have a new fashion piece! My goal is to START A CONVERSATION. These bags are more than just names to me, they are voices that are no longer heard! I see now that these bags spread knowledge and awareness of their unfair situations.
A lot of times I find myself educating people while shopping or even getting gas! Until now, not ALL stories were heard!The facts are, countless black people are losing their lives FOR NO REASON. I cannot watch from the sidelines and hope for better days. It is time for me to use my voice.
Fashion Bombshell of the Day is a feature showcasing the singular style of Fashion Bomb Readers. Send your name, location, a description of your style, and 5-10 clear, unfiltered, head-to-toe pictures of 5-10 different outfits (no collages) to Bombshell@FashionBombDaily.com. Images submitted will be featured on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or any of our social media platforms. Comments can be harsh, so bring your A game! Please be advised: once published, pictures will not be removed or taken down.
All this month, we are profiling bomb designers You Should Know from Fashion Bomb Daily Shop! Today’s feature goes to Sai Sankoh, the creator of fabulous printed dresses, kaftans, and coverups:
She writes, “I was born in Sierra Leone, and lived in London, Sweden, and Ghana briefly, till my move to the States 19 years ago. I attended Virginia Commonwealth University.”
“…I started blogging on “Because I am Fabulous”, in 2011, about food, travel, lifestyle and of course fashion. I think that was the peak of blogging. I got to meet so many people, and create beautiful relationships and connections, and it just felt natural. As much time as I spent on it, I needed to monetize it, so a couple of years ago, my developers and I reinvented my blog, and created a fabulous aggregator now called Luxury Checkout (www.luxurycheckout.com). Its low maintenance and works on its own, which gave me the flexibility to pursue design. “
She continues, “A lot of my prints are inspired by where I am from, where I have lived, and my previous travel destinations. I have lived a colorful, glamorous and exciting jet setter lifestyle, and that translates in my designs. I love the Zen nature of Bali, the vibrancy of Ghana, and the extravagance of Dubai, and I try to blend all of those vibes into creating a print or a piece.”
She tells Fashion Bomb Daily, “Fashion has always been a passion of mine, even though, growing up I was a self proclaimed Tomboy, I always loved being unique and different. Getting dolled up is always a pleasure. I love beautiful gowns, well-tailored suits, and I always smile and feel at home when I’m surrounded by stunning garments. I love the art of it all, and that includes the process of design. Also, it was always the one avenue I could express myself, without feeling judged or uncomfortable.”
In conclusion, she writes, “The Sai Sankoh brand is for the unapologetic woman who knows who she is, what she wants, and enjoys the finer things in life. She is fabulous and sexy, and won’t sacrifice her comfort.”
For designers, she offers, “Don’t give up, it’s not easy, if it was, everyone would be doing it. If you are passionate about something, do your best and the rest will follow. Stay Fabulous!!”
In the midst of all this civil unrest along with revelations of innumerable past injustices that were not prosecuted (!) the only thing that somewhat keeps me sane is escaping, momentarily, into an episode of Insecure. Last night’s episode, directed by Kerry Washington, was excellent. The fashion has been on point all season, and last night was no different:
The recent murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, coupled with the agitation, paranoia, unrest, and ennui from Covid Quarantine, have produced an explosion of attention on past and present racist practices in the world–and the fashion industry.
Now that the nation has aligned itself with marches and rallying cries to end police brutality and racism in general with the #BlackLivesMatter movement, several fashion brands including Zimmermann, Eugenia Kim (who we wrote about here), Revolve, ban.do, Reformation, and Forward by Elyse Walker have been called out for only paying lip service to the cause. According to comments and confessions from former workers, behind the scenes, these brands are allegedly discriminatory and unfair to their workers and customers of color.
@ElyseWalker
While their social media posts portray that they care about the movement for racial equality, comments left by former employees portend that they don’t walk the walk in real life. Under Elyse Walker’s #BlackLivesMatter Post, @RachMoon wrote, “If black lives matter please make sure your employees are demonstrating that on their social media pages and getting educated before posting.”
In a follow up post on @ElyseWalker‘s page, called Change, an anonymous user (who noticed their comments kept getting deleted so created the name @EwKeepsBlockingMe) wrote,” I’ll be monitoring this post to see if you take it down. You are one of the most racist boutiques that I have worked for. You favored white people over people of color. You treated your employees of color with disrespect.” Read more below:
These cries of foul play continued over at brands Bando, whose CCO Jen Gotch admitted to saying and doing racist things. She is taking a leave of absence to “learn, grow, and heal.”
Revolve, yet another company who admitted to not responding soon enough to the #BlackLivesMatter movement (or being diverse when it came to plucking influencers —something we wrote about in 2018), finally fessed up and said they would be turning inward to rectify the issue and creating a $1 million fund with donations to the families of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor.
Their intentions seem good, and we can only hope that their sentiments are sincere! But we can’t help to think that in a couple weeks, all the brands mentioned above will go back to business as usual.
We’ve all been here before. Vogue’s July 2008 issue included an article called “Is Fashion Racist?” and the opening line included someone rolling their eyes and asking if we were still talking about this. That was in 2008. It’s 2020. People are stuck in their ways and it seems that not much has changed.
But here’s what is changing: Through the power of social media and smartphones, bad behavior has been admonished and exposed. We have choices now, in what we read and where we shop. The power is in our hands and credit cards to determine where and how we spend our money. And we have the power to hold back until a brand has truly shown that they value our dollar.
We’ll be reaching out to many of the brands above to see how we can help them shift and change, if change is truly what they desire.
Until then, check out FashionBombDailyShop.com, a growing E-commerce platform that promotes Designers of All Colors, and caters to all sizes, up to size 5XL. Fashion Bomb Daily and Fashion Bomb Daily Shop truly live and espouse the phrase that Fashion is for Everyone.
Love & Light,
**Main Image: Elie Saab used for Illustration Purposes Only
Fashion bombshell of the week goes to Chelsea from New York. You can few more photos of her style on her Instagram account @chelseaalanaa
Chelsea is a fashion influencer from New York. She writes, “I would describe my style as ‘Everyday Chic’. Living in New York plans change everyday. You could be going to work thinking you are going to be meeting up with your friends at a local hotel bar for a drink and some appetizers and end up going to some ‘exclusive’ celebrity filled debut or release party. So when I get dress, I’m literally planning for anything. “
Fashion Bombshell of the Day is a feature showcasing the singular style of Fashion Bomb Readers. Send your name, location, a description of your style, and 5-10 clear, unfiltered, head-to-toe pictures of 5-10 different outfits (no collages) to Bombshell@FashionBombDaily.com. Images submitted will be featured on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or any of our social media platforms. Comments can be harsh, so bring your A game! Please be advised: once published, pictures will not be removed or taken down.
Today’s feature goes to Philadelphia designer Saudia Islam of JBD Apparel, a luxury knitwear brand that is taking a creative, modern approach to a traditional concept. Islam adds, “We are black owned and proud of it as well!”
We first learned about JBD Apparel when Kim Kardashian sashayed down our timeline in the brand’s bomb crop top and matching skirt. When asked about how JBD Apparel got on one of the world’s biggest influencers, Islam shared, “Kim actually placed an order! Someone from the Yeezy team reached out to me to place a custom order on Kim’s behalf. I was so shocked. They said that they came across my page on Instagram, so social media can truly be a blessing! “
Yes it can! Islam actually got her start in fashion under the tutelage of her mother, Renee Hill of Harx 4, whom some of you might recognize from the most recent Season of Project Runway.
Islam says, “ My mother has been in the fashion industry since before I was born. I have always found it helpful to go to her for advice when it comes to partnerships, contracts or releasing a collection because she’s so knowledgeable and has my best interest at heart. “
She adds, “I did not always know I wanted to work in fashion. Up until the start of JBD Apparel, previously known as Jolie by Dia, I did not know I wanted to be in fashion at all! I decided that fashion was the career for me because I realized that I enjoyed working on my brand. I enjoyed taking time off from my 9-5 to get stuff done for my business. It excites me. It’s something that I look forward to accomplishing on a daily basis!”
Her advice to designers? “One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned so far is that you will not be able to please everyone. Do not compromise on your prices, the cost of your labor or your creative expression in order to please someone. I always say, “If it’s not one customer, it’s the next!”. Meaning, if the one person is not interested in buying or you didn’t make that one sale that you were hoping for, there’s always gonna be someone else or the next sale to look forward to! You are worth being compensated for your time, your skill, your abilities and your creativity. Do not compromise, period.”
She adds, “Really take advantage of social media. Social media is EVERYWHERE and there are so many resources that are available to small businesses. So many I did not know of before. So look into it for sure! “
In closing, she writes, “Working with Fashion Bomb Daily has been a HUGE blessing for me because it is such a great platform for someone like myself who is the owner of a small business and is also a black woman. It feels good to be recognized on such an official level. It has already taken my business to a new height, as well as introduced my brand to many other black clients which is something that I am extremely welcoming of and thankful for.” We’re happy to do it!
With all that’s going on in the world it’s hard to turn the other cheek to systematic disadvantages for black people in America, and the fashion industry is no different.
Jason Bolden (stylist to Tariji P Henson, Yara Shahidi, Stormi Reid, Ava Duvernay and more) recently spoke out against french luxury fashion house Celine after they expressed how they stand against all forms of racism. He responded under their post saying, “Wait really, you guys don’t dress any black celebs unless they have a white stylist”. He also provided an exclusive statement to Fashion Bomb Daily, typing, “They used this moment to just save themselves. My rage is more about that! They don’t care about people/cause! They are part of the problem”
We wanted to hear more from stylists, designers and models on how they feel about how the fashion industry is responding to the black lives matter movement and what could be done to improve the current climate.
Law Roach, who has styled Tiffany Haddish, Zendaya, Celine Dion and more, wrote, “The fashion business is no different than any other business in America. It wasn’t built for US to win!”
photo by: Justin Bettman
Jeremy Haynes who has styled Kandi, Toya Johnson, Monica and so many more says, “Our culture has come along way to be recognized in the fashion world. If you are black and have that platform in the industry , open the door for more of your people to shine”
Zadrian Smith spoke about his internal struggle and what he will do moving forward to change the narrative: “As a stylist, working in the fashion industry has not been easy. Often, I’ve remained silent, when I should’ve spoken out, fearing I might lose a job or client. It’s a constant battle of trying to co-exist in rooms and spaces where there’s not a lot of people that look like you. So, you don’t want to be the one to cause a fuss. However, those days are now gone! Moving forward, when I see injustice, I will challenge the status quo to do and be better. What I am personally vowing to do is utilise both my knowledge and resources to service those in marginalised communities so that they can aspire to greatness!“
Kollin Carter, stylist to Cardi B, Normani, and Sofia Richie offers, “I want fashion houses to realize that inclusion based solely on your profit of a dollar or your fear of being viewed as racist is not inclusion at all, it’s corruption”
Sergio Hudson who has designed ensembles worn by Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, Tracee Ellis Ross, Queen Latifah and so many more says, “Mindsets have to change. There is more than just a lack of inclusion in our industry, but also the deep need for us to truly support our black brands.”
Lastly, stylist Scottie Louie wants black people in the industry to be used for more than just inspiration. He wrote, “Take our work off your mood boards and put us on your sets”.
Despite the odds stacked against them, these industry leaders have managed to knock down doors not intended for them to walk through and provide inspiration for those to follow.
