3/7/14

So much has happened in the past two days that it’s hard to believe how fast time is flying by! For starters, I joined Julee Wednesday night at an exhibition called Black Dress: Ten Contemporary Designers, a showcase at the Pratt Institute featuring the clothes of ten black designers. Among them were well-known fashion icons like Tracy Reese, Stephen Burrows, Byron Lars, and new-comers LaQuan Smith and Omar Salam. There was also a video featured by Carrie Mae Weems, designs by Donna Dove and former “Project Runway” contestants Epperson and Sammy Black.

During the panel that followed (on which the glamorous Julee Wilson sat) I was able to hear these designers and other prominent fashion figures (including Elaine Welteroth, Teen Vogue Beauty & Health Director) share their stories and thoughts on the under-representation of blacks in the fashion industry.

For more pictures and details about the exhibit, you can read Julee’s article on the Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/06/pratt-black-dress-exhibit_n_4912779.html.

Later that night, I officially became a blogger of The Huffington Post! My first post was a piece I tweaked from my Independent Seminar Blog about my experience writing from a secret agent’s perspective, but my later posts will have a broader range of topics. You can check out my work here! Just click on my name to read my short biography: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/taylor-griffith/how-i-found-authenticity-_b_4906398.html.

Finally, I went to another panel with Julee last night called the “I’m Possible Conversation” hosted by the Mizani line of hair products, in which five women discussed their careers (both highs and lows) as women of color. Among the members on the panel were Whitney-Gayle Benta, Corynne Corbett, Estelle, Angela Jackson, and Gilda Squire. For more about these women, you can visit this site: http://www.i-am-possible.com/.

While at the event, I also met Michaela Angela Davis, an Image Activist and the Editorial Manager of BET Networks. I plan on speaking with her later for my third piece on The Huffington Post.

Stay tuned!

Taylor