”The Missing Thread”: British Fashion Council initiative to celebrate British Black Fashion & Culture

• The long-term project aims to celebrate the heritage and importance of British Black Fashion and Culture from 1975 to the present, culminating in the summer of 2022.
• The initiative is inspired by the legacy of late designer Joe Casely-Hayford, who paved the way for Black designers in the UK.
• The project is a collaboration between the British Fashion Council’s Institute of Positive Fashion and the Black Oriented Legacy Development Agency (BOLD)

2020 has impacted the fashion industry in many ways. Despite the consequences shown by the pandemic, it could be considered that the subsequent initiatives that have originated from the Black Lives Matter movement are having a bigger impact in the fashion scene than the ones left by the pandemic. In this sense, the British Fashion Council’s (BFC)’s Institute of Positive Fashion (IPF) launched on October 28^th ‘’The Missing Thread’’, a long term project aimed to celebrate the heritage and importance of Black Fashion and Culture.

“The need for far greater accountability in our industry has become increasingly apparent over the last year. Black fashion contributions are at the core of Britain’s reputation as a creative hub yet continue to be overlooked. We are extremely excited to work with BOLD on this project which aims at restoring and acknowledging cultural contributions to one of the UK’s most creative industries.”

Caroline Rush, Chief Executive of BFC,

The initiative, made in partnership with the Black Oriented Legacy Development Agency (BOLD | I.G. @wearetheboldagency), will commemorate Black Fashion and Culture from 1975 to the present day through a series of programs and events that will culminate in the summer 2022 with a major exhibition.  The project is inspired by the legacy of late British designer Joe Casely-Hayford who played a major role in paving the way for Black designers in the UK.

The overall purpose of the project is to reference, educate and present many untold Black cultural narratives and design contributions that are pivotal foundations within society. The project will address shortcomings in academic provisions and practice at Secondary, Further Education and Higher Education level by charting the rise and impact of ‘UK Black Style Culture’. A key long-term objective of the project is to create the first ‘Black Fashion & Culture’ undergraduate education programme in the UK – with the opportunity to export globally.

British Fashion Council

The project seeks funding through various means with opportunities to be a Founding Partner of an 18-month programme including lectures, book, key events, sub-installations, discussions, and shows/presentations culminating in the exhibition.

Founded by Andrew Ibi, Harris Elliott and Jason Jules, the Black Oriented Legacy Development Agency (BOLD) is aimed at actioning change in society, consulting across fashion and advertising culture to amplify authentic race narratives.

Last Thursday, SHOWstudio held a special panel titled ”Joe Casely-Hayford: An Icon for Our Times” with with Caroline Rush, Ekow Eshun, Karen Binns and Walé Adeyemi, dedicated to explore the work and contribution of the British designer as well as asking ”’What does Britishness look like now’ and ‘What contribution must the fashion industry make towards a new era?”’. You can watch the discussion HERE.

For more information about the BFC’s Institute of Positive Fashion and its initiatives, click HERE.