There are many reasons why fashion brands succeed. And while no two brands are alike, it generally involves some combination of creativity, commerciality and “it”: the elusive X factor. By one measure, of the alumni of the National Designer Award, one of the country’s top prizes for emerging fashion talent, most are still around, including […]

There’s a story often told about Arthur McGee, a designer whose work in the 1960s-1990s earned him titles like the “Grandfather of Designers of Color” and “Dean of African American Designers.” It’s one that McGee himself told: as a young student, eager to learn about the industry, McGee spent six months at the Fashion Institute […]