Breaking into the fashion biz: career opportunities - includes a directory of Black fashion design companies - 25th Anniversary of the B.E. 100s - Cover Story

Black Enterprise, June, 1997 by Lloyd Gite

"The mentality on Seventh Avenue is that blacks can work for the most part in the back rooms," says Rice. "You have to be an insider to get in. The garment industry is not an outsider business." Even those who have been relatively successful in the fashion industry believe racism has had an effect on their careers. "I can't discount the fact that for black designers there might even be some sort of quota system in this business," notes Lars. "Since Willi Smith and Patrick Kelly [Smith died in 1987 and Kelly in 1990], it's almost like there's got to be only one top black designer at a time."

But Fern Mallis, executive director of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, one of the most powerful designer trade associations in the world, says African American designers are equally well respected as are other designers. "From my vantage point I don't see race being one of the obstacles," she says. "Talent is talent. When people look at clothing, they most often don't know who designs it or what color their skin is. The talent shows through in the product. And in our industry, the final product is what people are going after."

BROTHER, CAN YOU SPARE A DOLLAR?

Black designers say another barrier to their success in the industry is a lack of support from African American consumers. While blacks spent almost $20 billion last year on clothes and accessories, only a small fraction of those dollars went to black designers. The vast majority of those dollars went to white store owners and designers. Had just a small portion of those dollars gone to black designers, many of them would have multimillion dollar fashion empires.

"The Patrick Ewings and the Charles Barkleys of the world are steadily getting custom wardrobes from the Donna Karans and the Ralph Laurens of the world," says New York designer Shaka King, who is also the president and one of the founders of the Black Fashion Collective, an organization formed to support and assist African American designers.

"We need the support of one another," says Bandele. "You know when you were a child and you used to pUt your hands together and give your friend a boost over the fence? It's the same principle. If I'm an entertainer making millions of dollars, I can afford to buy an Armani suit, but Armani doesn't really need my money and I'd be better serving my community by buying a suit from a Shaka King or an Anthony McIntosh. Blacks, not only entertainers and sports figures, need to spend money in our community and help strengthen it," explains Bandele.

While it's difficult pursuing the dream of becoming the nation's next "hot" fashion designer, it's not impossible. Black designers are still making inroads into this very competitive business and, in many cases, serving as the driving force behind the fashion industry.

It goes without saying that you must have the talent to survive. But it takes much more than that to make it in the apparel business. "The fashion business is 60% creativity and 40% marketing," says Liggins. "You're an artist, but you must know and understand the business and the corporate structure. Have a strong business component. If you don't know the business side, hire someone who does."