The event marks a critical expansion of the platform’s mission to reframe fashion through a Black cultural lens—centering legacy, building community, and creating space for transformative dialogue and action.
Designed as a day of deep reflection, education, and creative exchange, Black Fashion Forward brings together a cross-generational roster of Black voices shaping the fashion and beauty industries today. The programming focuses on five core themes—culture, influence, innovation, legacy, and future building—offering attendees a nuanced look at the industry’s current landscape and the people driving it forward.
Featured speakers include designer and entrepreneur Brandon Blackwood, Fisayo Longe of Kai Collective, and Chicago-based creative Joseph “Joefreshgoods” Robinson. Their conversations will be joined by a wide-ranging lineup of stylists, editors, makeup and hair artists, brand founders, and executives who continue to challenge outdated systems and introduce new ways of working.
More than a celebration of talent, the symposium functions as a critical forum—one that recognizes the ongoing contributions of Black creatives while directly addressing the structural inequities that have long shaped the fashion industry. It also serves as a launchpad for new pathways: mentorship, visibility, and ownership for the next generation of Black fashion visionaries.
This latest endeavor is part of a broader lineage of cultural interventions led by Gregory and Black Fashion Fair. Since its founding in 2020, the platform has produced sold-out activations at the Brooklyn Museum, collaborations with institutions like the Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat, and ongoing programming that bridges fashion with history, art, and cultural scholarship. From intimate dinners to designer showcases, BFF has created an intentional space where Black designers and creatives can be celebrated on their own terms.
With Black Fashion Forward, Black Fashion Fair moves from moment to movement, offering a space that is as visionary as it is grounded. The future of fashion doesn’t begin on the runway—it begins in rooms like this.
Tickets to Black Fashion Forward are now available at blackfashionfair.org/tickets.