Art Bytes

DESIGNERS OF JAMAICAN DESCENT GET VOGUE FEATURE

 

Two fashion designers of Jamaican descent are included on Vogue Magazine’s top 15 black designers to know about in 2020.

Vogue compiled the list to mark Fashion Week and Black History Month. According to Jamaicans.com, the designers on the list have taken strong stands on societal issues with their designs and have often refused to follow traditional fashion industry demands. 

Fashion editors have praised Carly Cushnie, who relies on her Jamaican identity in her work, for her first solo collection. She is known for her signature high-slit dresses and jumpsuits with peek-a-boo silk lines.

The other designer, Aurora James is  founder of Brother Vellies, a firm she created to introduce the world to her favorite African footwear and to develop sustainable jobs for craftspeople in Africa. Her fashion footwear line includes boots, shoes, and sandals made in South Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Morocco. A trip to Jamaica has also inspired some of her designs.

 

Art Bytes

Jamaican-born photographic print artist Paul Anthony Smith got to talk about the role of young, black artists in America’s current climate in an article in the current issue of Architecture Digest.

Abihail Myrie and Neko Kelly were featured in TeenVogue entertainment writer Sara Li’s 13 Best Vogue Challenge Posts article.

Harper’s Bazaar’s first ever black editor in chief has Caribbean parentage.

Brothers Akeem and Tyreik Pennicooke are working on a demo of a video game to be ready for release in the next three to six months for PC and Mac users.

Until June 28, Artist and stylist Akeem Smith is exhibiting his first major solo presentation Akeem Smith: No Gyal Can Test at Red Bull Art New York.

Jamaican Nari Ward and South African artist Robin Rhode are having a joint exhibition in Hong Kong through June 18th.

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