Photographer: Kuro Blackk Creative Director: AK Brown Asst. Creative Director: Courtney McManemy Asst 1: Jayi Lerone Asst 2: Michelle Harris
From top left: Michael Shead, Taylor Bain, Anthony Freeman, Shay Monet, Brandin Vaughn, Marquita Chanel, Cara Patrice, Amber Allen, Ace Allen, AK Brown, Psyche Southwell, Asia Bateman, Courtney McManemy, Kyra Bradley
A new project from St. Louis style architect AK Brown from AK Brown Studios aims to highlight the city’s Black fashion changemakers. Called the Black in STL Fashion editorial series, the photo collection focuses on the trendsetters, creators, and trailblazers in St. Louis’ fashion industry.
To start, Brown chose 25 designers, stylists, influencers, models, showroom and boutique owners, model scouts, and agents whom she admired for a photoshoot in November. Now, she plans to launch an online magazine with an emphasis on stories and images of St. Louis’ Black creatives.
“I wanted this shoot, our first studio shoot, to highlight what I’ve known since my beginning in this industry,” Brown originally explained of the project. “Black creatives are the forefront of innovation and creativity in fashion, and that’s no different in St. Louis.”
Of those 25 people, there are familiar faces, such as fashionista Psyche Southwell and Fashion Anarchy competitor Michael Shead. Others are local fashion mavens and business owners, including Brandin Vaughn of Brandin Vaughn Collection and Ace and Amber Allen of HizXhrz Apparel Showroom. Each has their own reasons for wanting to shine the spotlight on Black people in St. Louis fashion.
A University City native, Vaughn began sewing at an early age. After working as a pattern maker in Chicago for seven years, the designer and celebrity stylist returned to St. Louis in 2014 to teach at Create Space Art Incubator then later established his fashion house here in 2018.
Photography by Kuro Blackk
From left: Brandin Vaughn, Anthony Freeman, Ace Allen, Michael Shead
“It’s hard to stick out in fashion in Chicago,” he says, adding that he was swayed by St. Louis’ low overhead studio costs and the vast support system that he knew would be here.
Ace and Amber Allen always had a love for fashion. It wasn’t until this past June, though, that the married couple became business partners and opened their unisex boutique, HizXhrz Apparel Showroom, with their favorite go-to pieces.
“My family’s always taken pride in being fresh, but my husband is really the one who got me into fashion,” says Amber. “We wanted something that would not be looked over,” explains Ace.
It's stories like these that Brown wants everyone in St. Louis to know. She wants people to support Black people in fashion and understand that Black people are a foundation stone for American fashion. As she considers expanding the series into 2022, she's also imagining future studio sessions with a wider network of creatives.
“Fashion comes from our culture,” Brown says. “Fashion doesn’t revolve around luxury and wealthy people… [Black people] are poster kids for fashion trends and St. Louis’ fashion trends can’t continue to be whitewashed.”
“We want people to put respect on our name...acknowledge where so much fashion comes from,” Amber Allen adds.
Photography by Kuro Blackk
From left: Asia Bateman, Psyche Southwell, Amber Allen, Shay Monet, Cara Patrice, Taylor Bain, Marquita Chanel, Kyra Bradley, Courtney McManemy, AK Brown
Although the photo series and magazine place importance on creatives of the Black community, Brown also hopes it will encourage everyone to embrace the talent and creativity produced by Black designers.
“We welcome people to our experience,” Vaughn says. “We don’t make clothes just for Black people. Don’t be scared and just come in [to our shops]—we know you love it!”
