9 Iconic Black Style Influencers, Past and Present
For generations, personal style, design, and fashion have been defined and revolutionized by the creative contributions of Black culture. According to Constance White, the author of How To Slay: Inspirations from the Queens and Kings of Black Style, “style shaped by the African Diaspora is ubiquitous in fashion today for people of all colors, races, and creeds.” Style is pioneered by Black creatives not only in the arena of fashion itself, but in the entertainment industry, the sports industry, through activism, and beyond. Iconic styles like monogram prints, decorated nails, and sneakers originated from Black culture. Unfortunately, the influence of Black individuals is consistently overshadowed or co-opted by white people, and we are left with appropriated, watered-down imitations of the original styles. We see this appropriation every day, with non-black folks wearing their hair in cornrows and dreads, or sporting large gold hoop earrings and nameplate jewelry. In order to honor the influences of Black creatives in style, both past and present, and offer credit where it is due, we have created a list of some of our favorite fashion inspirators, leaders, and innovators.
We couldn’t start this list without honoring the legend, Madame C.J. Walker. Born as the first free child to formerly enslaved parents in Louisiana, Walker became a self-made millionaire through her invention of a hair straightener. Her invention was called, “Madam Walker’s Wonderful Hair Grower” and was popularized and purchased by all kinds of people. It was co-opted and attempted to be recreated by white brands, but Walker’s special seal set her product apart from its knockoffs. She is an entrepreneurial legend whose legacy began in the world of beauty.
2. Law Roach
Law Roach is a stylist known for styling icons like Zendaya and Celine Dion. Roach prefers to call himself an image architect, which acknowledges the growing influence of styling celebrities in the internet age. His styling pushes cultural and social norms and calls back to past time periods. He has worked with vintage and archival clothing for years, and the influence of vintage styles still majorly informs his work styling looks for celebrities, dressing his clients in vintage designer pieces with a modern eclectic twist. Roach is a serious sustainable daddy, and his innovative and playful approach to styling keeps us intrigued. We can’t wait to see what boundaries he tests next!
3. Lydia Okello
Killing the game for both non-binary and plus-sized fashion is Lydia Okello. Lydia is a model, fashion writer, and content creator using their platform to celebrate color and creativity in fashion. Their platforms provide insight into fashion expression as a plus-sized and non-binary person, as well as commentary on sustainable and ethical fashion. Their work inspires us to let our identities guide our style exploration.
4. Moe Black
Moe Black is an artist, writer, and fashion influencer from Detroit. Her content celebrates size- and gender-inclusive versions of popular styles like Balletcore. She uses her social media to provide plus-sized style inspiration and is a voice for self-love and self-care in the style world. Her platforms are inspiring us to step into our soft, gentle, and feminine sides without fear.
5. Rian Phin
Rian is a fashion theorist who started on YouTube in 2013 and is now commanding the fashion world of TikTok. In a recent Vogue article, she explained that her content “is mostly focused on the digital world, how we talk about fashion online, and how we interact with fashion in the real world based on the Internet.” Her videos provide in-depth takes on the latest high-fashion trends and the ways in which we see them trickle down into mainstream fashion.
Kadija is a self-titled “fruity maximalist/retrofuturist rascal”. As a vintage buyer and stylist at Super Thrift in California, their content is defined by retro vintage pieces that they incorporate into their own individual style. We love them for inspiration for blending fashion eras with our own stylistic expression. Not to mention, their makeup game is next level.
7. Mariahbtw:
Mariah is a content creator and thrift stylist/upcylcer living in Philly. Her platforms on Tiktok and Instagram offer vintage and modern fashion styling inspo. Mariah’s style plays with femininity and masculinity, and she is a pro at accessorizing. In addition to her own content, she is also the owner and creator of a curated thrift shop, Shop Thrftd. The platform began as a space to share her funky thrift finds and is now where she sells her thrifted picks and upcycled projects. We love her content for daily thrifting and vintage styling inspirations (queen of the ’fit check 🙌).
We’re switching it up for a moment because Mecca is not only a fashion inspo queen but a design icon as well. Her platform @itsapt4 showcases her approach to intentional living that celebrates sustainability and self-care. She served as the creative director and stylist for iconic shoots like Solange’s When I Get Home film. Her styling for The Zoe Report is always classy, creative, and inspiring in itself. We love consulting her for conscious and intentional fashion and design inspo for our personal style and home decor needs.
9. Dione Davis:
Dione is a fashion stylist who has worked for a slew of iconic brands and publications. She has styled for InStyle Mexico, FlashArt, and Love Want, as well as runway shows for Deveaux and Tibi. The styling featured on her website is mesmerizing and raw. Her Instagram is filled with playful colors and fabrics/textures. Her platform is an excellent resource for exploring higher fashion trends and incorporating boundary-breaking styles into everyday looks.
As always, this list is totally non-exhaustive. It’s just an illustration of some of the baddies and daddies from whom we are consistently drawing inspiration. Who would you add to our list?