8 Black LGBTQ+ Designers You Need to Know Now

The racial awakening that swept America in 2020 was supposed to lead to change. Following nationwide protests after the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, innumerable industries pledged to make new commitments to diversity and inclusion, including the fashion industry. After years of criticism for failing to hire and spotlight Black models, designers, and creatives, fashion’s biggest names — from its most prominent retailers to its most prestigious magazines — pledged to bring more Black talent into the fold at all levels.

Progress, at least thus far, has been mixed. But as the fashion world makes more room at the table for Black designers, a growing number have been able to achieve quote-unquote “mainstream success,” from Christopher John Rogers to Telfar Clemens. As their visibility and prosperity grows, they’ve broken ceilings and set new standards in the industry, while making room for a new generation of Black-led brands to follow in their footsteps.

That next generation is already here, and already making strides to reshape the industry. Below, we’ve highlighted 8 emerging and independent Black-led brands creating the next generation of fashion. 

In 2022, designer Jacques Agbobly’s brand Agbobly (formerly known as Black Boy Knits) became a CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist, and for good reason. Rooted in Agbobly’s Afro-Indigenous upbringing in Togo, Africa, the line’s bright, vivid knitwear radiates Black, queer joy, transcends the gender binary, and focuses on custom clothing that celebrates all body shapes, identities, and sizes. Earlier this month, Jacques announced the line’s relaunch as Agbobly, in a Women’s Wear Daily story that noted a “period of evolution” as it grows up — an evolution we’ll be watching with bated breath.

Charles Harbison grew up in North Carolina, and got his interest in fashion at a young age from his mother. By tapping childhood memories of his mother’s style, he’s created Harbison Studio, with clothing that focuses on sustainability, inclusivity, and innovation. Today, he’s dressing the likes of Kelly Rowland, Grace Jones, Keke Palmer, Beyoncé, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and more.

Kingsley Gbadegesin is a first-generation Nigerian-American and the New York-based creator of K.NGSLEY. Founded in 2020, the brand’s clothes were an instant hit within the queer community, launched with an emphasis on making both masculine and feminine bodies feel at home. Gbadegesin was named one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business last year, and has expanded into ready-to-wear items, a prep-inspired jewelry collection, footwear, swimwear, and more. Fans include Bretman Rock, Saucy Santana, Zazie Beetz, and Lupita Nyong’o; Gbadegesin remains a must-watch designer, both within and outside queer circles.

Founded in 2016 by Jameel Mohammed, a multimedia artist and designer from Chicago, Khiry is a jewelry brand on a mission to subvert the definition of “luxury.” He’s since been named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list, been a Vogue/CFDA Fashion Fund finalist, and amassed a client list that includes Michelle Obama, Serena Williams, Janelle Monae, Tessa Thompson, SZA, and more. With a new line of clothing on the way, it’s safe to say that Khiry is a soon-to-be household name within the fashion industry.

Christopher Quarterman is a 26-year-old fashion designer whose eponymous brand, CHR!STOPHER QUARTERMAN, was founded in 2021. With sustainability, environmental stewardship, and diversity as its key pillars, the label pays homage to Quarterman’s Afro-Indigenous roots and Lexington, Kentucky origins. According to the brand, it uses a Black-owned production house in Los Angeles and “a handpicked selection of dead-stock, recycled, and organic materials” to craft its garments — and after a notable turn dressing the queer chef Lazarus Lynch for the 2021 Met Gala, it’s clear Quarterman has nowhere to go but up.

Maliya Hart is the designer behind the brand It’s Cool We’re Gay, whose garments blend many techniques — from tapestry to knitwear to screenprinting, embroidery, and more — to create a fresh, gender-inclusive take on streetwear. Where streetwear’s t-shirts, hoodies, and trucker hats are often seen as being made for masculine consumers, Hart’s intention is to expand its audience, and with celebrities like Lena Waithe as avowed fans and multiple recent sold out drops, it’s clear the brand’s approach is resonating.

Edvin Thompson is the Jamaican-born, Brooklyn-based founder and creative director of Theophilio, a brand that celebrates both of those influences in his life. After being named a 2021 Vogue CFDA Fashion Fund finalist and winner for Emerging Designer of the Year at the 2021 CFDA Awards, he’s become known for Jamaican-American ready-to-wear garments with sharp tailoring at their core, with Aurora James, Precious Lee, Keke Palmer, and more as avowed fans for iconic sparkle meets shine infused design with pieces that declare celebration, heritage, and Blackness at the center simultaneously.

“James Flemons has quietly shaped some of fashion’s most historically resonant moments in recent memory,” Them editor Wren Sanders wrote last year. Whether at the Met Gala or on your favorite celebrities, the designer’s work for PHLEMUNS delights in subverting ideas about gender, centering sustainable practices, and defying expectations at every turn including recognizable support from names such as Letitia Wright, Solange Knowles, and Jeremy Pope. Phlemuns continues to exhibit the elevation of modernism in their design.

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