The doors of Vogue HQ swung open once again, welcoming in the final installment of our Meet The Founder series with the incredible Brandice Daniel of Harlem’s Vogue Row. Previous stars of the series include Emma Grede (Good American and Skims), Olamide Olowe (Topicals), and Marco Capaldo (16Arlington). The evening’s festivities showcased a captivating conversation between Brandice and Vogue’s own Naomi Elisee, a mentee turned close friend.
At the heart of their discussion was the representation of Black designers and people of color in the fashion industry. When Daniel discovered that non-white designers made up only 1% of brands sold in major department stores, she founded Harlem’s Vogue Row in 2007 to be part of the solution. “Sometimes you see your purpose, and other times your purpose will find you,” Daniel told Vogue Club. “And often you may know that because you are so impassioned by an issue that you *have* to do something.”
Daniel candidly shared the highs and lows of her entrepreneurial journey leading a nonprofit over the past 16 years since HFR’s founding, offering some hard-won encouragement to her listeners: “You can’t nurse your wounds too long—nurse your wounds for a week and move on,” she said. “Or you might miss opportunities if you dwell in that moment of fear too long.”
Some of Daniel’s career accomplishments include a partnership with Nike and LeBron James, a seemingly never-ending list of prestigious speaking engagements, and the launch of HFR’s inaugural book, Fashion In Color. The elegant volume aims to redefine which designers are notable in an ever-evolving industry by bringing some of the world’s most remarkable—yet often overlooked—designers of color to the forefront.
After an inspiring conversation between Elizee and Daniel, Vogue Club members gathered for an exclusive book signing, relishing the opportunity to connect with Brandice Daniel one-on-one. As the evening’s event came to a close, attendees left One World Trade Center with white Vogue shopping bags—and a renewed sense of inspiration.