Black To Back

Amid the flurry of parties, after-parties and the countless celebrity—and, increasingly, reality TV personality—photo ops, the casual observer might be confused as to why the international fashion community descends on New York for no less than a week every February and September. The Big Apple is the first leg of a four-city relay that showcases the bulk of international collections—in other words, a peek at how the world will dress six months from now. That New York would also be the first to recognize and redress the issue of ethnic diversity on the runways provided a riveting subplot, rendered all the more poignant after July's bestselling Italian Vogue with its all-black editorial content.

This past New York Fashion Week was memorable as the first to officially celebrate the contributions of black men in fashion, the industry's "unsung heroes"—an idea, given wings and a purpose by Memsor Kamarake, Fashion Director of Vibe magazine. With the divine Beverly Smith, lifestyle/fashion expert and creator of Dinner With Bevy, as co-host, Mr. Kamarake corralled a select yet diverse group of industry professionals at Norwood, the West 14th's members-only club. The group included Kwesi Blair of the luxury consulting/brand development firm, Robert Burke Associates, image director Alexander Allen, who counts superstar Japanese pop artist Takashi Murakami among his clients, as well as publicists from Giorgio Armani and Prada.

In his welcoming remarks, Kamarake iterated how and why the Black Men in Fashion evening came together and promised that it would not be the last of such dinners. Though the evening resembled a well-attired Alpha Phi Alpha stag party, with Bevy's bawdy humor setting the mood, it was not without serious content. GIANT Magazine's Emil Wilbekin floated word of the year—change—as he spoke to the multinational, multigenerational group about his journeys as an editor, while George Brown, co-director of the men's division at Red Models, spoke with a preacher's conviction on the challenges he faces each season when it comes to male pulchritude, regardless of ethnicity.

Through Mr. Brown's tales of how he cajoles and negotiates with the houses, the casting directors and the advertisers, the evening's intent was laid bare—namely, the need to support one another's input within the fashion industry, and to both foster and ensure recognition of the black community's influence and spending power without.

—Roger Joseph