Fashion & Shopping
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Atlanta’s ‘Sealed Nectar’ fashion show celebrates the beauty of Black Muslim women

Kristen S. Sykes


An inspiring fashion show in Atlanta is aiming to not only highlight but also celebrate the beauty and creativity of fashionable modern-day Black Muslim women.

When people think of Muslim women, impeccable fashion sense isn’t always the first thing that comes to mind. But N’aimah Abdullah, show coordinator for the 35th annual Sealed Nectar Fashion Show last month, has been a part of changing that perception.

The designer pushed the envelope this year by creating a cruise-themed Islamic fashion event complete with beachwear, tropical music, and a vacation-inspired runway.

“This is Black women showing their creativity and allowing themselves that place to shine,” Abdullah explained to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We’re the leaders in fashion and when you start talking about colors and styles and all of these different things — African American women have been unapologetically fashionable.”

She was inspired by her own life for this year’s theme,

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Fashoin Style
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These Black Creatives Want Fashion to Know What Juneteenth Really Means

Kristen S. Sykes

Juneteenth, now a federal holiday and a cause for brands to pipe in with statements, has long been a celebration of joy within the Black community. The day, named for the shortening of June 19 and commemorating the emancipation of enslaved people in the U.S., has manifold meanings for those who mark it.

For Antoine Gregory, founder of the Black Fashion Fair, Juneteenth is about the celebration of family. “It’s always been a time where we could come together to celebrate ourselves,” he said.

More from WWD

This year, as the holiday coincides with the year marker on fashion brands’ commitments to diversity and inclusion in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, WWD checked in with Black industry creatives on what the day means to them and some things for companies to consider as they find their footing in recognizing the day.

Antoine Gregory, founder, Black Fashion Fair

WWD: What

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Fashion & Shopping
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Fashion And Beauty Brands Pledged To Support Black Influencers. So How Are They Doing?

Kristen S. Sykes
The #BlackOutTuesday Instagram hashtag went viral in the summer of 2020 during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement. (Photo: ERIC BARADAT via Getty Images)

The #BlackOutTuesday Instagram hashtag went viral in the summer of 2020 during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement. (Photo: ERIC BARADAT via Getty Images)

In the summer of 2020, the world finally took notice of the disproportionate rate at which African Americans were being murdered at the hands of law enforcement. People on social media took these injustices to task and drew attention to the plight that has long affected the Black community.

Black beauty and fashion professionals used their online platforms to share experiences of discrimination and unfair treatment in their respective industries. Out of fear of “cancel culture,” many brands scrambled to assess their history for signs of complicity and made promises to hire diversity officers and support Black voices in social media moving forward.

Now that 2020 is behind us, are those brands fulfilling their promises? We spoke with industry insiders and

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Fashion Trends
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From surreal black dresses to mouse ears: this week’s fashion trends

Kristen S. Sykes

Refinery 29 UK

It’s Nearly Impossible To Be An Influencer In Cuba. This YouTuber Is Doing It Anyway.

Social media access in Cuba has changed the way Cubans are telling their stories to the rest of the world. Thankfully, the conversation is no longer strictly contained to how Cuba is a traveller’s paradise, or of the turbulent politics, but is finally centring real Cubans and their lives. Specifically, social media has spotlighted the ways Cubans are existing and interacting with dual realities: that of the lives they lead under the state, and their online lives as global citizens who might lack common privileges like at-home internet access, yet still wish to share their everyday experiences. For years, Cubans have used social media to interact with politics or form groups like Movimiento San Isidro, which protests against government censorship of artists on the island. Cuba’s constitution prohibits private ownership of media

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