About the Database
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Intro
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Editor’s Note
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Editor’s Note
Juneteenth 2022
Those Black and multiracial models, muses, designers, photographers, creatives and entrepreneurs from the 1960s through 90s were trailblazers.
This project started as a community discussion on Facebook in 2021, one quickly enriched by an outpouring of suggestions, memories, nostalgia, and love from prior colleagues in the industry. As so this database was born: to preserve, document, and celebrate the contributions of these fashion pioneers. We have collected (and will continue to collect) biographical profiles, photographs, media clips, and relevant archival materials.
Canada’s Black communities are often forgotten and overlooked by the mainstream, but here we wish to recognize those individuals and groups who silently struggled within systemic racism. The Black Fashion Canada Database is a platform for us to tell our own truths, to amplify the presence of lesser-known members of the Black fashion and beauty industry. Most of the profiles here are professionals who preceded — in fact, paved the way for — the digital age. In a world where an internet search has become the primary method of retrieving the past, their work threatens to be lost. Their contributions deserve to be credited for the digital record.
I am well aware that the existing award system isn’t going to acknowledge these pioneers. So if we don’t do it here, who will? Because a truthful history matters. And so documentation matters.
—Charmaine Gooden
June 2023
2023 brings our second year and new collection of profiles from the Black Fashion Canada Database, as we continue to document and honor the achievements, stories, and legacies of Black creatives in Canadian fashion.
Inspired by the enthusiastic response to our first publication in 2022, we set out to expand our roster and delve even deeper into the rich legacy of Black excellence in Canadian fashion. In response to your feedback, we broadened our scope to showcase a wider range of voices and perspectives. Volume 2 features twenty new profiles, each one a testament to the talent, creativity, and resilience of Black individuals shaping the fashion industry in Canada.
Notable additions include are photographers Steve Carty and Gerard Gentil, whose captivating imagery and distinct style add depth and dimension to our exploration of Black fashion in Canada.
Furthermore, we are excited to showcase the contributions of influencers and leaders such as fashion writer Ebonnie Rowe and Celia Sears, whose agency for fashion show beauty talent has become a cornerstone of the industry.
Among the seven new designers and retailers featured in this volume, names like Derrick Adams, Lorraine DelSol, Thomas Drayton, Maxine Green, Colette Harmon, Alice Parnis, and Chris Tyrell embody the essence of Black creativity and ingenuity.
In the realm of beauty, we pay homage to the trailblazing expertise of Asha McLeod, Buster Berkeley, Gordon Espinet, and Irene Wattley.
Their expertise and creativity have not only redefined beauty standards but have also inspired countless individuals to embrace their unique identities.
Our collection of models and muses includes luminaries such as Lana Ogilvie, Lorna Wilson, Suzi Horton, Avaneil John, and Gary Archibald whose presence on the runway and in print has captivated audiences.
We invite you to immerse yourself in these inspiring stories and join us in honoring the legacy of those who have paved the way for generations to come.
Warm regards,
Charmaine Gooden
Founder
July 2024
Welcome to the third year and latest collection of the Black Fashion Canada Database stories.
New for 2024, Bonjour Montreal. We’re thrilled to introduce Montreal narratives into our collection. Montreal, once hailed as Canada’s style capital, has a rich fashion history waiting to be unveiled. We get a sense of this history from their revealing stories of models and muses like Don Johnson, Elayna Wallace, Charlen Francique, Lydia More, and Marilyn Jones to the trailblazing efforts of leaders and influencers Gemma Raeburn and Dale King, founders of Montreal Ebony Models, who influenced diversity into the modeling industry. Melody Wyllie was one of Montreal’s first Black owner of a retail fashion franchise.
With hip-hop celebrating its 40th anniversary last year, we seized the opportunity to explore the intersection of fashion and music, focusing on our own hip hop pioneers: Adrian Aitcheson of Too Black Guys, Garie Miles Adams of 100 Miles, and Everton McDougall of Haus by over their career were there when Toronto hit the map for hip hop and was part of the hip hop scene here in Toronto.
We continue to shine a spotlight on designers and retailers such as Kendra Francis of Franke, Petitgenoux, Kevin Allwood of Neviic, Shawn Hewson of Bustle, and Judith Adams of Studio D, each contributing their unique flair and innovation to Canada’s fashion evolution.
Join us as we uncover more untold stories, celebrate diversity, and redefine fashion history.
Warm regards,
Charmaine Gooden
Founder
