5 Black Creative Women To Follow
In celebration of Black History Month, I thought it would be nice to share some black women working in creative fields who inspire me endlessly. I’ve been following these women for some time now and they’ve all been wonderful sources of inspiration. Funny enough, they’re almost all British, which was certainly not intentional. Anyways, check out their work if you need a dose of motivation and beauty in your life.
Otegha Uwagba
I was first introduced to Otegha’s work through Little Black Book: A Toolkit For Working Women, a short but sweet career guide, especially useful for women in creative fields. She’s the founder of Women Who, a popular online platform for working women that ran from 2016 to 2020, and which continues on in the form of a weekly newsletter and the In Good Company podcast. At the end of last year Otegha released a collection of essays entitled Whites: On Race and Other Falsehoods, and has a memoir, We Need to Talk About Money, set to release in summer of this year.
Amy Sall
My interest in art of the African Diaspora led to me discover Amy Sal’s work. She’s the founder and Editor-in-Chief of SUNU: Journal of African Affairs, Critical Thought + Aesthetics, a Pan-African, post-disciplinary platform. She’s also a fixture of the fashion world, gracing us with her presence at NYFW, in the pages of Vogue Italia and in campaigns for Matches Fashion and FENTY.
Abisola Omole
Abisola, or Abimarvel, as she’s known on Instagram, is the CEO of The Apārtment Global Group, which includes online platform arva stories and studio arva, an interior design and styling studio. She’s also a contributor for Harpers Bazaar and Cubical. Her taste in interior design and knack for creating chic and minimal spaces is very swoon-worthy.
Freddie Harrel
One of the first black fashion bloggers I found in this funny little virtual space, it’s been an absolute treat watching Freddie Harrel’s career blossom, from her Asos styling days to her SHE Unleashed coaching workshops and now, RadSwan, a beauty brand specializing in natural hair extensions. Freddie also shares lots of thoughtful musings on motherhood and authenticity, basically the embodiment of a ray of sunshine.
Grace Wales Bonner
One of my favorite designers, the Wales Bonner brand seeks to, "addresses the politics of identity, sexuality, and race through projects that delicately balance multinationalism with a sense of personal subjectivity." The combination of classic menswear and Afro-Diasporic elements are wholly unique. Each collection’s backstory is so thoughtfully and intricately woven as the garments.
Keep Reading…
If you’d like to explore more Black creators and Black-owned brands, check out my some of my other lists:
