International Black Heritage History Month Is Using Fashion To Tell The Story Of The African Diaspora
Naomi Campbell (Jamaican, English) walks the runway during the Kenneth Ize show as part of Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Fall/Winter 2020/2021 on February 24, 2020 in Paris, France. (Photo by Kristy Sparow/Getty Images)
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By Cassell Ferere originally published on Forbes.com
International Black Heritage + History Month [IBHHM] launched in June 2021, as a carefully curated digital platform taking a stylish approach to social impact. Content and commerce from around the globe are spotlighted, including a Culture section and Fashion Lab. The content platform is an exhibit of ideas, history, and pop culture geared to showcase Black contributions and connect the dots of international Black history and heritage, and key dates Juneteenth and Windrush Day.
Founder Bruce Reynolds says,
“Black people are all over the world, yet many countries do not have a Black History Month. I wanted to change this and bring some unity and education, I also wanted to reinvent and reimagine what social impact can be in terms of communication and engagement. There's a lot of ‘talk’ about diversity, inclusion, equity, and a new-ish H.R. buzzword ‘belonging' but what foundation are these being built on?”
Moroccan designer Charaf Tajer acknowledges the audience during the Casablanca Menswear Fall/Winter 2019-2020 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on January 17, 2019 in Paris, France. (Photo by Richard Bord/Getty Images)
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Images speak volumes in challenging the usual pictures we see related to Africa and people of the Afro-Diaspora. IBHHM curates select Men’s fashion styles from brands and fashion designers who share heritage from the continent of Africa.
The list of fashion designers who have select styles within the curation includes; Casablanca’s Charaf Tajer from Morocco, Thebe Magugu from South Africa, Kenneth Ize from Nigeria, Atto Tetteh from Ghana, Loza Maléombho from Côte d'Ivoire, U.K. based Uptown Yardie, Amsterdam based Daily Paper and Mimi Plange who is Ghanaian-born and based in New York City.
The IBHHM Fashion Lab is an ever-growing catalog of styles from designers who have reached the heights of fashion across the diaspora. Looking back at the history of African disposition, these kinds of feats are canonized by African people and the rest of the world alike. Brands of the past that have spoken to African and Black heritage have advocated unity in that way. Cross Colours and Willie Wear have experienced the pressures of corporate America and the lack of a support ecosystem under the guise of the familiar white scope.
Bruce Reynolds, founder of International Black Heritage = History Month.
MARCO GIANNAVOLA
“It’s important to honor our different cultures in the present, future and pay homage to the traditional Black History Month in a reimagined way,”
says Reynolds.
The International Black Heritage + History Month platform includes cultural multimedia exhibitions.
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