Fashion Pioneers Dapper Dan, Misa Hylton And April Walker Honored By Harlem’s Fashion Row

Before NYFW 2020 kicked off, Harlem’s Fashion Row (HFR) celebrated designers April Walker, Dapper Dan, and stylist Misa Hylton, three of black veterans in the fashion industry. Held at New York City’s Sony Music Hall (Feb. 6), HFR honored the fashion pioneers with awards and an evening of music and performances with family, friends, influencers, and supporters in attendance.

“Every time I think about the disparities for designers of color in this industry, for people of color in this industry, it breaks my heart,” said HFR founder Brandice Daniel on how and why the event came to be. “For me, it was ‘let me just do my part,’ right? Not become the solution but be part of the solution.”

With decades of experience and fashion portfolios that have moved the culture forward, Dan, Walker, and Hylton have broken barriers within the industry as people of color. In between DJ Envy and Olivia Dope setting the vibe on the 1s and 2s throughout the Ciroc-sponsored night, the Allen Cathedral Choir and MarkMorrisDance dancers performed and paid homage to the hip-hop musical giants and honorees.

Notable attendees include LaTonya Blige-DaCosta, Essence Global Beauty Director, Julee Wilson, Ezinne Kwubiri, H&M North America’s Head of Diversity & Inclusion, Angelique Miles, Fashion Bomb Daily’s Claire Sulmers.

Founded in 2007, Harlem’s Fashion Row “is a social company that provides a voice for multicultural designers; through a creative platform that enables these designers to sell and present their collections to key leaders within the fashion industry” and celebrates “the fashion community that reflects the culture and personal experience of multicultural designers.”

Scroll down to see more pics from the pre-New York Fashion Week event.