Anti-Racism Fund

REST IN POWER: Andre Leon Talley, was a pioneer of diversity in the fashion industry. As the first Black Creative Director of Vogue, he was determined to end the era of white women dominating the industry. Andre ensured that Black photographers and Black models were being hired. He pushed top designers to cast black models for runway shows and pushed Vogue to feature Black designers. In 2008, Andre took his talents from the runway to the white house to serve as fashion advisor for the Obama’s. While at the White House, Andre was determined to shed light on POC designers, including Taiwanese designer Jason Wu. Under Andre’s advisory, Michele Obama chose to be dressed by Wu for Barack Obama’s inauguration, which launched Wu’s career. In recent years, Andre narrated a virtual tour of “Black Fashion Designers,” an exhibition presented by FIT highlighting over 60 black designers from the past 80 years. Andre’s mission was to disrupt a white dominated field and to do it fabulously. In his honor, ARF dedicates the 2022 Raise Cohort to Andre Leon Talley, Virgil Abloh, and many other late, notable trailblazers within the fashion industry.