PROMOTING TALENT: Supporting Black designers is now paramount for companies and consumers alike, and three fashion-based companies are trying to do their part to get that message out.
“Disappointed and embarrassed” by the dearth of apparel designed by Black designers pre-2000 and the lack of information about them, Haile Lidow recently wrote a newsletter entitled “The Problem With Representation in Vintage Clothing” and sent it to nearly 500 people who use her Lidow Archive, a rental service for vintage and contemporary apparel and accessories.
The Lidow Archive founder said as a general rule, the garments in her Bushwick showroom are not separated based on gender, designer or anything else other than by categories such as tops, dresses and pants. “I feel strongly about that. The studio is kind of its own world and the pieces live together in it. I plan on keeping that system, but I plan on showcasing more on social media that these pieces are from Black designers,” Lidow said.