Black creatives have always shaped fashion — now they’re leading it

From Martine Rose and Grace Wales Bonner to Pharrell Williams and Jay Jaxon, we unpack the rise of Black creatives behind luxury fashion.

More than five decades after pioneering designer Jay Jaxon became one of the first Black designers to lead a Parisian couture house , some of the world’s most renowned fashion houses are increasingly welcoming Black talent at the top level.

On Friday, Nov. 6, British-Jamaican designer Martine Rose became the latest to join the growing ranks when Balenciaga announced her as its creative director , making her both the first Black person and the first woman to lead the 109-year-old Spanish-founded fashion house.

“It is a true privilege to be appointed Creative Director of Balenciaga, a House with an extraordinary heritage and a fearless creative spirit,” Rose said in a statement.

“Balenciaga has been shaped by remarkable creative talents before me,” she continued, adding, “I am committed to honoring this legacy and look forward to creating the next chapter in this rich and beautiful story.”

Hailing from South London, the designer, whose namesake label has garnered her a devoted following for its unconventional take on menswear, will take the reins at Balenciaga on Nov. 16. Having previously worked with former creative director Demna on the house’s menswear, Rose is returning to familiar territory, this time with authority over its entire creative direction. Her appointment also comes as a growing number of Black designers are being entrusted with shaping the identities and futures of some of fashion’s most recognizable brands. After all, Black folks around the world have been influencing fashion for generations. It’s about time they started having some real authority within it.

Just months earlier, in July, Olivier Rousteing was named creative director of Rabanne, marking his return to the helm of a major French fashion house after his departure from Balmain in November 2025. The designer, who spent 14 years turning Balmain into a powerhouse of opulent refinement with the celebrity clientele to prove it, will debut his first runway collection for Rabanne in March 2027.

Meanwhile, the British-Jamaican designer Grace Wales Bonner made history last year as the first Black woman to hold the position when Hermès announced her as its latest creative director of men’s ready-to-wear in October 2025. Known for incorporating Black cultural history, music, and diasporic identity into her designs, Wales Bonner is expected to debut her first collection for the storied French luxury house in January 2027.

We’ve also seen some encouraging movement among American labels and brands. A month before Wales Bonner’s appointment was announced, Jamaican-born designer Rachel Scott, founder of the celebrated label Diotima, was named creative director of Proenza Schouler in New York. The appointment made Scott the first designer to succeed founders Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, who departed the brand to lead Loewe. Scott, whose work combines Caribbean craftsmanship with traditional techniques, brings a distinct cultural perspective to the American luxury label.

And of course we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Louis Vuitton and how Pharrell Williams has been overseeing menswear since February 2023, when the Grammy-winning musician was appointed to succeed the late Virgil Abloh. Since taking the helm, Williams has continued to build on the tug-and-pull between American hip-hop culture and European luxury that defined his predecessor’s tenure.

There’s also British designer Maximilian Davis, who has been leading Ferragamo since March 2022, when he was tapped at just 26. Hailing from Manchester, the designer draws inspiration from his Trinidadian and Jamaican heritage. And while the growing number of coveted gigs going to Black creatives is encouraging, these appointments build on the breakthroughs of a talented few who broke the mold.

Before Jaxon took the reins at Jean-Louis Scherrer in 1969, Arthur McGee became the first Black designer to lead the design room of a major Seventh Avenue clothing manufacturer in the 1950s. More than three decades after Jaxon’s historic appointment, Ozwald Boateng was named creative director of Givenchy menswear in 2003, followed by Rousteing, who was just 25 when he took over Balmain in 2011. Then came Abloh, whose historic appointment at Louis Vuitton in 2018 brought Black cultural influence into one of fashion’s most prestigious creative leadership positions.

Of course, each designer brings something different to the table, from Caribbean craftsmanship and Black cultural history to hip-hop and streetwear. And some of those tables are struggling. Ferragamo, for instance, in its annual report that year, reported a 5.7% decline in revenue in 2025, falling to €976.5 million (approximately $1.12 billion), while Hermès has been reveling in wild success, generating €16 billion (approximately $18.4 billion) in annual revenue, up 5.5%, and selling some of the world’s most expensive luxury goods, including handbags that can fetch six and seven figures. But it goes to show that Black designers are being trusted to both help save struggling brands and maintain the success of thriving ones.

There’s also something to be said about the pressure that comes with being the first Black person to do anything, especially in an industry where Black talent remains shamefully underrepresented at nearly every level. When you’re the first, there’s often this unspoken expectation that your success or failure could determine whether anyone who looks like you gets the same opportunity.

So while there’s certainly one major reliable way to measure success in fashion (ahem, under Rousteing, Balmain’s annual revenue grew from €30.4 million, or approximately $35 million, in 2012 to an estimated €300 million, or approximately $345 million, in 2024, almost tenfold), what better indication that you’ve succeeded than seeing more people who look like you getting opportunities after you?

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