Faculty
10 Black Creatives From the FIDM Community You Need to Know
In honor of Black History Month, which celebrates the immeasurable contributions of Black Americans in the U.S., we wanted to share 10 recent posts that highlight Black members of the FIDM community:
Grad Natasha Ofili became an actress after working in the fashion industry, and scored a role on the Netflix series, The Politician. More recently, she made her U.S. filmmaking debut at the film festival Slamdance with The Multi, a short film “that tackles the impact of lifelong trauma and mental illness, from the perspective of the Black Deaf Female community."
Instructor TJ Walker, co-founder of the iconic brand Cross Colours and the Black Design Collective, is one of the judges for the second installment of Fred Segal’s Season Zero design contest, which provides Black fashion designers with a grant, mentorship, and the chance to manufacture their first collection to be sold at Fred Segal’s flagship LA location.
Grad Danelle Johnson is the entrepreneur behind the mobile pop up Tiny House of Fashion Boutique in the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) area. Danelle has appeared on local news channel WUSA9 and has been featured on Good Morning Washington and Voice of America, among other outlets.
Student and U.S. Air Force veteran Blaire Morel is passionate about marketing. After graduating with an A.A. in Merchandising & Marketing, she is now in FIDM’s bachelor’s degree program in Digital Marketing with a goal of eventually working on the creative side of a major brand.
Grad Martasia Person works as a fashion design consultant in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and recently authored ABC’s for Generational Wealth, a series that includes a children’s book, parent book, and coloring book for entire families. She has collaborated with SHEIN and was recognized as one of their top 12 "Hot Designers."
Student Heaven Sabina, who hails from Brooklyn, New York, showed her sustainable menswear collection, Heaven’s Eyes, at the Menswear Student Exhibition last year. Her focus was “incorporating functionality within my garments as well as color blocking and pairing of colors that males wouldn’t normally wear together.”
Grads Audrey Brianne, a celebrity stylist, and Tyree Robinson, a fashion publicist, (pictured above) teamed up to launch The dm, a podcast series celebrating costume design in film and television. Their latest season features interviews with notable designers such as Michelle Cole, Mona May, Nicola Formichetti, and Salvador Perez.
Grad Ayana Gordon is the founder of ANG Model Management, and her models have appeared in SF Fashion Community Week Fashion Week, LA Fashion Week, Napa Valley Magazine, Artsy Magazine, NY Fashion Week, TokyoFW, West Coast Leather, and an ANG Model Management full runway production.
Student Alimah Kasumu, a former FIDM Fashion Club President at her Pennsylvania high school, traveled to Nigeria during the pandemic where she sewed personal protective equipment for a Covid-related medical mission team. After earning a degree in Menswear in 2021, Alimah is now pursuing her B.S. in Business Management.
Join us on campus in Grand Hope Park for the FIDM Black Student Union (BSU) Artisan Market on Tuesday, February 22, 2022.
Categories: Alumni Faculty Student
