Brandice Daniel is the founder of the premiere New York-based agency Harlem’s Fashion Row (HFR). She describes it as a platform provided to Black designers which partners them with brands through events, collaborations, and pipeline programs.
She says that when she first started HFR, Black designers represented less than one percent of designers that were sold in department stores, and at the time Black consumers were spending about $22 billion on apparel.
“That disparity for me is what inspired Harlem’s Fashion Row,” said Daniel. “It is an amazing company that has an amazing community, that gets together to discuss how we’re going to push Black designers forward in this industry.”
She says HFR puts on several events throughout the year and one large annual event every September during New York Fashion Week.
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Daniel states it is a challenge getting Black designers into stores, however HFR has forged several partnerships with Neiman Marcus for some designers, including Sergio Hudson, LaQuan Smith, Keith James, and Christopher John Rogers.
A week ago, Daniel was honored by Neiman Marcus during its Black History Month Celebration at Mariposa, a restaurant located inside its Beverly Hills store.
Sergio Hudson, who attended the event, said, “She’s [Daniel] an angel to me. When we were starting out, we got one of the grants from the program and it really helped us, to boost us to where we needed to go. And I’m always supportive of her. And when they say her name, they know it’s going to bring me out.”
Hudson says because there is not much support for Black designers, HFR has created a positive reputation for itself. “When you hear about someone who is trying to help, we [the Black fashion community] all want to be a part of it,” said Hudson.
Hudson, whose major claim to fame is dressing Michelle Obama for the Biden Presidential Inauguration in 2021, says he met Daniel before this unprecedented moment, and her work created the foundation to build these types of monumental opportunities.
Daniel mused as if she were an outsider looking in at the success of HFR, “It’s great to be able to walk into a department store and actually shop these designers. We weren’t able to do that just a few years ago.”
A Neiman Marcus representative says the store’s relationship with Daniel has been longstanding and that the full-house attendance at their Black History Month event celebrating Daniel is a testament to the work she is doing.
“I was telling her [Daniel] that for me to fill this room is very difficult,” said the representative. “So, today to have so many people, barely anyone not show up, I think that’s a huge compliment.”
Daniel’s philanthropic arm for HFR is ICON360. The goal of the 501c3 organization is to eliminate the disparities challenging Black designers and HBCU fashion departments by providing financial resources and professional development.
“We have five HBCU programs going on right now with Clark Atlanta University… North Carolina A&T… North Carolina Central… Bowie [State University] … and TSU [Tennessee State University],” said Daniel. “From our ICON360 side we’ve given away over $1 million to HBCUs and Black designers.”
As a Black woman, Daniel says she is very proud of what both entities have been able to accomplish. “It’s been an incredible journey to becoming a functional business,” she said.
Daniel’s efforts to support Black designers is not limited to just HFR and ICON360. She’s a published author, too. Her books include “How to Get Brands to Pay for Your Next Event,” “Cliff Jump,” and her latest book, “Small Business Big Partnerships.”
Daniel says she hopes the work she’s doing impacts Black history for years to come.
For more information on Harlem’s Fashion Row visit https://www.harlemsfashionrow.com, for more information on ICON360 visit https://www.hfricon360.com, and for more information on Brandice Daniel visit https://brandicedaniel.com.
