Brandice Daniel – From Fashion Outsider to Fashion Disruptor | Event Recap
Last night I had the pleasure of attending From Fashion Outsider to Fashion Disruptor: How Brandice Daniel Took Inclusivity and Made It Fashion. The NYC event was hosted by Tiffany Hardin, Founder of Gild Creative Group, in conversation with Brandice Daniel, the CEO and Founder of Harlem’s Fashion Row (HFR). HFR has been opening doors for Black-owned designers since 2007. The organization now presents annual fashion shows, produces industry events, consults with brands to hire diverse designer talent and is building a membership network to support designers. It’s exactly what WE need in this industry!
I first learned about Brandice a few months ago when she appeared as a guest judge on the Project Runway episode featuring legendary designer Dapper Dan. Since then, I have been a devoted Instagram follower trying to soak up her knowledge bombs. Aside from having alignment in fashion industry aspirations, I like to think that I share the same bold, daring, slightly-crazy ambition that she calls cliff jumping. Last night she told us about several moments in HFR when the money wasn’t there or the plan wasn’t set, but she kept pushing towards the goal with the faith that God would make a way. The conversation made me remember all of the moments in my life when I had set an intention and willed it into being: moving back to NYC after college before my job offer, packing up and moving off to London, and now setting off on this journey to entrepreneurship without the safety net of a full-time job!
On Entrepreneurship
With the cliff jump and my own business in mind, I got to ask Brandice a question during the Q&A: As someone who works on the business side of fashion, how can I better connect with and support designers?
Brandice’s reply? “Prove that you can make brands revenue,” she said. “If you can take a brand from $1,000 a month in revenue to $10,000 a month in revenue, you’ll never look for a client again.” Noted and in progress!
Similarly, Brandice encouraged another guest to get things moving with her business at a small scale before worrying about attracting sponsorships and brand partnerships. “People come on board when you’re in motion,” she advised.
Brandice also is a big fan of making a lasting business connections through gifting. Her secret to remaining sticky at a company is sending thank you cupcakes after an engagement, not just thank you emails. Everyone will be talking all day about who brought the cupcakes, she told the audience, and suddenly every level at the business knows your name.
Names to Know
During the conversation, Brandice and Tiffany name dropped a few Blacks in fashion that are absolute names to know. The first was Lois K. Alexander Lane, founder of the Harlem Institute of Fashion whose personal collection preserved decades of designer pieces by African Americans and is now featured in the Smithsonian Institute of the African American. Ms. Lane passed away in 2007, the same year HFR was founded, and Brandice remarked on how she feels like she’s been called to take up the reigns of support for Black designers.
Four more fashion legends from across America’s history were screenprinted on her shirt:
- Elizabeth Keckley, former slave and tailor to First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln
- Ann Lowe, fashion designer who famously designed Jackie Kennedy’s wedding gown
- Stephen Burrows, the first African-American fashion designer known to achieve international acclaim
- Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, the first African-American to win a coveted CFDA award for Menswear Designer of the Year
I feel blessed to be back in NYC and taking advantage of the opportunity to interact and learn from the speakers and guests at industry events. There’s many more to come so please let me know if I should continue to share event recaps with you!