Embracing `BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL' - African American involvement in fashion industry, and consumer spending on apparel and beauty care products - Statistical Data Included

Taylor scoffs at the notion that the disproportionate consumption levels are a reason for concern. "We have the most fragile hair on earth. Given the wide range of (hair) textures and the product needs, that figure falls right in line," she says. Besides, she adds, "We have always been a people of style, a people of adornment."

Others are not so sure.

"Certainly (the spending and consumption level) is disproportional. Clearly it's disproportional," says Blackman. In many ways, he argues, the issue has its roots in the traditions of the Black church, where "women and families, regardless of means -- and let's face it, none of us came from major means back in the day -- had to have something new and cute every Sunday. From the hats to the shoes to the bags to the new outfits, it was just ingrained. But we as a people were denied so much that all we often had power over was what we put in our mouths or what we put on our backs."

Givhan agrees. "A lot of it is historical," she says.

But the pressures of working to succeed in a society that by turns has been suspicious of and hostile to Black achievement cannot be ignored.

"We all know that appearances matter a great deal, and we also know that people of color tend to be judged even more harshly," Givhan says. "When we still have executive vice presidents being mistaken for the janitor because of the color of their skin, it's not hard to see why someone might move from deciding to buy a good suit to deciding to buy an Armani suit. There's a sense that we need to take special care to make sure that we're regarded as professional and in charge and capable and in a very material way."

In short, Givhan adds, "Old money has nothing to prove. Old money can afford to wear the fraying tweed jackets. New money, though, new money's still got to send up the smoke signals."

And Blackman says he believes that is a positive development.

"There has always been a very successful Black upper middle class, but they've never been visible. And I think from a survival point of view they've purposely not been visible," he says. "But I think with the new Black investment bankers and leaders in the sciences and in computers and in medicine and law and the whole bit, the tide is beginning to change. There's less of the old `I've-gotta-keep-this-hidden' attitude among the young people. And I'm hopeful that, as we go forward, this will be our next frontier: people achieving and becoming much more visible and becoming much more comfortable with being visible."

Apparel Spending

Total Apparel Sales in 1999 was $184 billion. Blacks account for 14.5 percent of apparel sales though they represent 12.8 percent of the population. Blacks also earn the lowest median income.

                     1999 Median      1999
                     Income ($)    Population (%)

Whites                  44,366         82.4

Blacks                  27,910         12.8

Hispanics               30,735          4.0

Asians &
Pacific Islanders       51,205          0.9

Native Americans &
Alaskan Natives         30,784        100.0

                     Apparel Spending (in billions)

                               3rd Quarter   3rd Quarter
                     Annual        '99           '00

Whites               $147.27     $35.34        $35.70

Blacks                $26.70      $6.30         $6.69

Hispanics                 --         --            --

Asians &
Pacific Islanders         --         --            --

Native Americans &
Alaskan Natives           --         --            --

Spending as Percentage of 1999 Total Apparel Sales

Blacks   14.5
Whites   80.0
Total    94.6