Fashion For Black Ladies

If you’re a black lady, you know that the fashion industry can be difficult. Whether you’re shopping for outfits or accessories, there are many brands that don’t cater to your style or fit you well. This is especially true in plus-size fashion. While the fashion industry may not give Black women a fair shake, there are a few brands that are making some headway in addressing this issue.

One example is the new boutique DBN Boutique in Lansing, Michigan. Founder and CEO, Claire Sulmers, is no stranger to the challenge of finding quality pieces that fit her figure. Before DBN Boutique, she and other Black college students would either have to plan a trip south or rely on online shopping with little confidence that the items they purchased would be in stock and suit their bodies. The boutique’s popularity, with customers begging her to restock even just days after it opened, speaks to how much of a need there is for simple and stylish clothes for black girls.

When it comes to the topic of fashion for black ladies, the term “soul style” is used to describe a unique and elegant aesthetic that combines beauty and functionality. Black women use their personal style as a means of self-expression and empowerment. In addition to their clothing, hair, and makeup choices, black women also have a rich history of using style as a way to assert their power, including through activism.

The infamous photograph of the Harlem couple dripping in raccoon furs from the luxury store, Barney’s, was taken by a Black photographer and shows just one aspect of how African Americans have used style as a form of protest. Other examples include Ann Cole Lowe, the first known Black American fashion designer, who was born in Clayton Alabama around 1898. Her family was poor, but she turned that adversity into success by turning her skills in sewing and embroidery into a successful career in fashion.

In fact, the affluent Black community is responsible for a significant portion of the nation’s spending on luxury goods. As a result, the fashion industry owes a debt to Black consumers and should consider ways to accommodate them better.

This includes hiring more Black models, featuring them in marketing campaigns and giving them a seat at the table they helped build. It’s time to honor that contribution and ensure that Black women get the fashion they deserve.

While it might seem like an obvious statement, there is a lot of negativity surrounding luxury fashion for Black women. The idea that Black women don’t deserve a certain level of luxury isn’t just untrue, but it’s also harmful to our image and sense of self-worth. It’s important for us to remember that the fashion industry has long held negative stereotypes about Black women, and those images are what drive some of today’s misconceptions about the value of luxury items and black women’s taste in style. Turning those stereotypes into something positive is a responsibility that we all have to take up in our own way.