As the fashion world recovers from the biannual marathon that is New York Fashion Week (and moves on to London Fashion Week), we’re finally able to pause and reflect on the many hits, misses and coming trends we’ll see in stores come fall.
But designer Telfar Clemons sent a more enduring statement down his runway last week, greeting his NYFW audience wearing his own riff on a “Black Lives Matter t-shirt.”
The vintage-style tee wasn’t just for show; it’s a collaboration with the social justice movement, already available for preorder ($40) on the BLM site in celebration of “Black Futures Month” (and meaning those proceeds go to the organization).
As for Telfar’s show itself, it was another of-the-moment, black rock-infused presentation, complete with live musicians and crowd-surfing models. With a mid-century color palette combined with grunge-like layering, monogram-style logos and silhouettes that evoked Motown and disco, Telfar’s aesthetic can be most aptly described as “black to the future.”
What else did Telfar Global debut during Fashion Week? Oh, not much...except their “Black Owned Business Chair” (also known as our new office chairs here at The Root), designed by the label’s creative director and produced by Joseph Bond studio. No word yet on where these are retailing or how much they cost, but I’ve got some things I could sell. (Seriously; anyone got the hookup? Because I need this in my life.)