A new interactive database dedicated to elevating Black designers and creators in the Canadian fashion world will soon launch online.
Black Designers of Canada is the brainchild of George Sully, a fashion designer who makes up half of the sneaker design duo Sully Wong.
Sully also co-founded shoe brand House of Hayla and – fun fact – created the boots for the Starfleet uniform in Star Trek: Discovery.
“Of late, I’ve been bombarded by some of my white friends, in fashion, business and finance communities asking me, what can they do to help?” Sully wrote on Instagram.
“All the while, (I’m) asking myself, what can I do first, to lift a community of fellow black designers that have seldom enjoyed equal opportunity in the share and privilege of what the Canadian fashion industry has happily shared with others.”
Sully’s answer was to build an interactive index of Black creators and professionals working in fashion and other design disciplines. Within a week of launching a call to action, Sully already had 200 submissions.
The broader goal, Sully wrote, is to make it “next to impossible for our industry – including but not limited to, stores, media, buyers, distributors, PR and financiers – to make excuses rooted in ignorance to justify exclusion.”
The database is still being constructed, but you can submit designers here and donate to the project via GoFundMe. Follow @blackdesignersofcanada for updates.
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