August 7, 2025 • 32 mins
Brandice Daniel, CEO and founder of Harlem’s Fashion Row, is a trailblazer championing inclusivity in the fashion industry. In this episode of the Women on the Move podcast, with host Sam Saperstein, Brandice reflects on her entrepreneurial journey, the power of community, and how Harlem’s Fashion Row has grown into a movement. She also shares how her foundation, ICON360, has distributed over $2.5 million in funding to support underrepresented designers and HBCU fashion programs. Guided by purpose and a deep commitment to legacy, Brandice is redefining what it means to lead with heart in fashion.
The speakers’ opinions belong to them and may differ from opinions of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co and its affiliates. Views presented on this podcast are those of the speakers; they are as of August 7, 2025 and they may not materialize.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
- I think the biggestthing for me is like,
I've always known why I was doing this.
I've always known that I was doing this
for like the 13-year-old,
and I used to say that all the time.
Okay, we're doing thisfor the designers now,
but we're doing this for the 13-year-old
that doesn't even knowthey want to be a designer.
And then a few years ago,
we did a sustainability summit
(00:20):
and a designer walked up to me
and she said,
"Hey, I just wanted to introduce myself.
I've been following yousince I was 13 years old."
- But that's the 13-year-old.
- I actually cried,
because it was something thatI had said for a long time,
but it was literally like seeing.
(00:42):
- Welcome to the Womenon the Move podcast.
I'm your host, Sam Saperstein.
In this season of theWomen on the Move podcast,
we are exploring the power of community,
what it means to create a community,
why community is so important to others,
and how you can use communities
to help bring others along.
Today, I'm thrilled
to introduce our guest, Brandice Daniel.
(01:02):
the visionary CEO and founderof Harlem's Fashion Row.
Brandice has been a trailblazerin the fashion industry,
advocating for inclusivityand representation
long before they became buzzwords.
She founded Harlem's FashionRow in 2007 with a mission
to give multiculturaldesigners the opportunities
and connections they need to succeed.
(01:22):
Under Brandice's leadership,
Harlem's Fashion Row hasbecome a preeminent platform
for designers of color,
showcasing their collectionsto top fashion buyers, editors,
celebrities, and influencers.
Her work has bridgedthe gap between brands
and designers historicallyoverlooked by the industry.
Brandice, thank you somuch for joining us.
It is so great to have you here.
(01:43):
- I'm so happy to be here.
- So we're going to talkabout a lot of your career
and what you built withHarlem's Fashion Row.
But first, I reallywant to start with you.
So you grew up in Memphis
and you've talked aboutthat being very influential
to who you are today.
So tell us about that.
Take us back to yourupbringing and your childhood
and the things that influenced you.
- Yeah, so I grew up in Memphis,
(02:06):
in a middle class neighborhood.
It was,
for me, a really safe space
and a great way to grow up.
My father is actuallya pastor of a church,
so I grew up with faith beingat the center of my life
and everything that we did.
But it was a fun way to grow up.
(02:27):
I mean, I remember being outside,
playing kickball in themiddle of the street,
the things that you see on the movies
from back in the eighties,
that was literally my life.
And it helped shape so much of who I am.
Because one of the thingsabout growing up in a city
like Memphis is that you'realways faced with this,
(02:48):
with social impact and what that means.
And with Martin Luther King, you know,
with the death of Martin Luther King
happening in Memphis,
none of those topics areever shied away from.
And so even when you're a little kid,
you're going to theNational Civil Rights Museum
and you understand kind of the background
(03:10):
and what was happening andhow it impacted your parents
and how it impacted you.
And so I think all ofthose things really shaped
who I am and my awareness
and kind of how I move through the world.
- You could definitely see so many values
being created at that formative stage.
- Absolutely.
- And so how did fashion become the tool
(03:31):
that you wanted to use for social good?
Was that also part of your upbringing?
- So I have always loved it.
You know, I can remembersitting on my mom's porch
with a pair of shoes and aglue gun and some rhinestones
and going to town.
- Putting things together?
- For hours, for hours.
And my mom sewed a lot of ourclothes when we were younger.
And so we would go intostores like Hancock
(03:52):
and I would look through thosefabric books for forever.
So it's always been apiece of what I loved.
I just didn't understandthe power of it, right?
Because fashion is reallysaying, this is your identity.
This is who you're sayingyou are in the world
through what you wear.
And that holds morepower than we even know.
You're saying so much about yourself
(04:13):
and who you are just when you walk
through the room without saying a word.
And so I definitely think over time,
I began to see like theimpact that it could have.
- And so is it when youwere an older adult,
you leaned toward this assomething you wanted to pursue?
Or how did that come to be,
as really your professional calling?
- In college.
I changed my major from pre-med.
(04:34):
- [Samantha] Ah.
- Right.
That's what my mom said too.
From pre-med to fashion merchandising.
And that was hard to do,of course, like right?
My family was very excitedabout having a doctor
in the family, the firstdoctor in the family.
And so that was a toughpill for people to swallow.
But I just knew that that wasn't my path.
(04:56):
And thank goodness I had justa lot of really great mentors
around me that helped
to kind of like direct me in this area,
which I didn't even know youcould have a career in fashion.
- [Samantha] Yeah.- I had no clue.
So that was a big aha moment for me.
So I changed my major
and I end up also gettinga second degree from FIT
here in New York City.
(05:16):
- And so tell us about a mentor
who really had a strong influence on you
and the ability to change like that,
because that's a veryhard decision to make,
especially if you wereleaning towards something
your whole young life andyour parents had expectations.
- [Brandice] Yes.
- So was there a personwho really helped you say,
you know what, that's just not who I am?
- You know what's interesting?
The person who wasprobably disappointed most
(05:37):
is the person who.
- [Samantha] Encouraged you the most.
- Encouraged me themost, which is my mother.
- Aw, can be both.
- Because my mom hasthis kind of philosophy
that it's like, go for it, try it.
You know, maybe it'llwork, maybe it doesn't,
but like, don't not do it.
And my aunt would also always say to me,
Brandice, always ask the question,
(05:59):
always go after the thing.
The answer can only be yes or no,
but if you never ask, theanswer is automatically no.
And so she told me thatsince I was younger.
And I think between herand my mom's encouragement
and seeing my fathertake on so many things,
I mean, he would start a newbusiness at the drop of a hat.
- Wow.
(06:20):
- And so to kind of grow up around people
who would have an idea andactually take that idea
and put that into action,it definitely impacted me.
- So I can definitely see theseeds of entrepreneurship.
- [Brandice] Oh, yes.
- Being, you know, sewn therewith your father and family.
And also you talked about thevalues, which is incredible.
Did fashion then become,to you, the obvious way,
(06:43):
especially as an entrepreneur now,
to build something around fashion?
Was that the obvious way
or did you try other thingstoo before you landed there?
- I knew I would do fashion, so,
but what I thought I was going to do
is opening a boutique in Harlem.
I had the name of the boutique picked out.
- We can save that for some other time,
- Right.- Maybe down the road.
- I actually volunteered asan apprentice in a boutique
(07:06):
that was in Harlem.
And I just knew like, that'sgoing to be the business.
That's what I want to do.
I love talking to people.
And I thought I was really good at,
you know, selling clothes.
And I realized really quicklythat that was not for me.
Like, to sit in a store
and wait for people to come in
was not what I was meant to do.
But I'm really grateful
(07:27):
for the experience thatI got through that.
- Absolutely.
I mean, you probably learned
that just from doing those things.
- Absolutely.
- And I think a lot of people would assume
that's what they were meant to do.
So it's great to havethat early experience.
So Harlem's Fashion Rowwas born out of a desire
to serve underrepresentedfashion designers,
stylists, people in the industry.
(07:47):
Tell us about that.
How did you come up with that idea?
And then talk to us about what
the organization does today?
- Absolutely.
So at the time,
I was living in Harlem
and friends and I weredoing events in Harlem.
We would do Harlem brunchesfor the young professionals
that were in the area.
And they would be, I mean,
like over a hundred people wouldcome out to these brunches.
(08:08):
And we were doing parties.
And so there were different things
that were happening already.
- [Samantha] Yeah.
- In terms of just likebringing this community
together in Harlem.
And then I went to a fashionshow one night in Brooklyn.
And while I was there, thatwas when I got the idea.
You know what?
I should do this in Harlem.
And I'm starting to plan this event.
I brought on, I think it was 17 volunteers
(08:28):
that I brought on to do this event.
The way that I actuallygot them to volunteer
was to cook them breakfastevery Saturday morning.
- So smart.
- In my brownstone.
I would make thembiscuits, eggs, and bacon.
- Who wouldn't show up?
- And they would show up show, absolutely.
And I think it was, you know,
we did the first show.
When I was working on the second one,
(08:50):
I was looking for moredesigners to be a part of it.
- [Samantha] Mm.- And wasn't finding them.
And so I said, well, you know what?
I'll go on thesedepartment stores' websites
and surely I can find, you know,
some really greatdesigners of color there.
So I'm going down the websites
and I'm realizing thatthere were maybe two
out of all the designersthey had on those websites.
- [Samantha] Wow.
(09:10):
- So then I said,
well, let me go toanother department store
and realized at the time that less than 1%
of the designers thatwere on those websites
were designers of color.
And I think that was what
really sealed why I was doing this
and the need.
- Yeah.- For this.
- It's so clear.
- And so we started doing fashion shows
(09:31):
and so that we could actuallypresent the collections
of designers and invite the industry in,
invite buyers from differentdepartment stores in.
And I said, you know what?
We're going to do this every single year.
That'll be the one consistentthing that we would do.
But there were otherthings that I wanted to do,
but they didn't come till much later.
So we got our first collaboration 10 years
(09:54):
after we had been doing this.
And so now we do four thingswith Harlem's fashion,
where we do events throughout the year.
And that attracts designers of color.
That also attracts the brands
who want to connect with those designers.
We also do collaborations.
We just had a collaboration.
Actually, I think itmight be still in store,
(10:16):
people can check.
But we just did a collaboration with Gap
that we launched earlier this year.
We did a collaborationlast year with Nordstrom.
- Great.
- We have really great collaborations.
- You're wearing maybea collaboration today?
- I am.
Actually, this is a piecethat I'm wearing today.
It's not our collaboration,
but it was a collaboration
between Naomi Campbell and Hugo Boss.
(10:37):
- [Samantha] Amazing.
- And we worked withthem last year as well.
And so we do brand strategies.
We did brand strategy
for Hugo Boss and then wealso do pipeline programs
with the HBCU fashion programs as well.
- That is great.
It really has branched outsince you started this.
- [Brandice] Yes.- Almost 20 years ago.
Incredible.
So take us to that signature event
(10:58):
that you're doing every year
before Fashion Week,kicking off Fashion week.
What is it like to be there
and what do you hope people
who are actually there inperson get from this experience?
- Yeah, that event is,
it is definitely
our most talked about event.
- [Samantha] Sure.
- It's been deemed kindof the unofficial kickoff
to New York Fashion Week.
(11:18):
So we actually honor aboutfour people at that event.
Last year we honored Naomi Campbell.
We honored the Editor in Chief
of Harper's Bazaars, Samira Nasr.
We and Tracee EllisRoss actually presented
her award to her.
We honored Shiona Turini,an incredible stylist.
And so, and Teyana Taylor as well.
(11:40):
And then we showed thecollections of three designers
that we feel like have like something
really amazing and unique to show.
And so we did that at Grant's Tomb.
And so there are about fourto 500 people that are there.
- Wow.
- Anna Wintour was there last year.
You know, it is one ofthose industry visits
that people really look forward to.
(12:01):
- I bet, I mean, that must be so exciting
and we know what it takes toput on an event like that.
I'm sure you're working up to the minute.
- Absolutely.
- So many people, you know, losing sleep.
But once it happens, tellus how you feel after that.
You know, that day, the daylater, you're just floating.
- It's an incredible feeling,
mostly because of the designers.
You know, to be able to
(12:23):
present this type of aplatform to designers
who don't normally get the opportunity.
- [Samantha] Yeah.
- Or don't normally get tobe in front of these people.
For them to actually see their collections
potentially actually carrythem in their stores.
- [Samantha] Right.
- Potentially actually wear them,
depending on who thecelebrity is, I think is,
(12:44):
that's the most rewarding part.
And I think what it doesis it sends a message
to the entire industry thatall designers are important
and that, you know, ifwe don't have designers
of color voices at the table,
we're missing a very special perspective.
- Yeah.
- And I think that resonates.
So you look at whathappened at the MET Gala,
(13:06):
there were over a hundredlooks on the carpet.
- [Samantha] Yeah.
- At the Met Gala thatwere by designers of color.
And I would like to think
that the message we've beensending all these years.
- Oh.
- [Brandice] Was able to help with that.
- For sure.
No, that was a very distinctive one too.
You know, the fashion industrycan be really competitive.
So it's amazing to me thatyou have this collective
(13:26):
that brings people together,
that really helps people
who might otherwise feel like they need
to compete with each other.
Does that ever come across in the work?
Do you ever have to deal with that?
Or is what you're building really trying
to transcend that sense?
- We, from day one, wewanted to transcend that
in everything that we do.
So even when you come to our events,
you go to other fashion events
(13:47):
and you know, the peoplethere in the front
with the black on and the notepads.
And they may not be the nicest
people you've ever met before.
And so we've always tried to say,
let's do something different.
Actually, let's havepeople come to our events
and actually feel like they're welcome.
- [Samantha] Mm.
- Let's actually havepeople show up at our event
and feel like, you know,this is a family reunion.
(14:09):
- [Samantha] Aw.
- And so I think we've beenlike really intentional
about cultivating a community,
because what we'retrying to do is something
that has never been done before.
And so in order for it to be done
and be accomplished isgoing to take community.
This isn't something thatany of us can do alone.
- Yeah, that is amazing thatyou have that community spirit,
despite the fact that it might not always
(14:31):
be there elsewhere.
When you were encountering things
as you were building the organization,
did anyone in the community help you?
Did you go turn to thatcommunity too, to say,
"Hey, I'm struggling with something.
How do I get through this challenge?"
And what was that like?
- Always.
I mean, there have been so many.
When you're an entrepreneur
and you're building a business,
(14:51):
especially
a business that, don't know,
like this is an industry
that didn't know who I was.
I didn't come from kindof the big magazines
or any luxury houses.
So it was really, reallytough in the beginning.
And so you're getting nos from everybody.
Everyone's saying, nope,no, I'm not coming.
(15:13):
No, I don't want to be honored.
No.
You know, I'm not going to sponsor this.
All the nos are coming.
It is kind of a part of the process.
But I think what's so rewarding
is that when you get that, yes, yes,
I'll sit down and have dinner with you.
Yes, I'll get on a phone call.
- That's the door.
- So there were so many peoplefrom the CEO of the CFDA
(15:35):
who had a conversationwith me and didn't know me.
I sent him a cold email
to
a founder of a company called Ground Crew,
who was just incrediblyinstrumental in connecting me
with so many people.
I think, you know, a lot of times we kind
of think about networking aslike this transactional thing,
(15:58):
but what I've found iswhen you really connect
human to human with people,literally anything is possible.
And I think that was one
of the things that was really helpful.
But yes, I needed a lot of help.
- That's such a good reminder.
And now I understand,
as we were talking about thisshow before the recording,
why negotiations is so important to you,
because you clearlyhave taken this to heart
(16:19):
and having to hear somany no's to get to a yes.
- Absolutely.- I realize why now
you made it a practice.
You know, what about negotiation
do you always keep inmind when you're thinking,
you have to get somethingdone for the business,
you have to get a sponsor,a brand, a designer,
that just keeps you focused on that goal?
- [Brandice] Yeah.
- And you're not taking no for an answer.
- I think the first thing is like,
(16:39):
why am I doing this in the first place?
That's like.
- Mission.
- The mission, that always centers me.
Like why am I doing this?
And understanding that why helps me
with the negotiation part.
It helps me know what I can give on
and then what I can't give on, right?
So, and then I'm alwaysthinking, you know,
sometimes the no is there
(17:02):
or somebody's taking a hard stance
because they don't have all the facts.
- [Samantha] Mm.
- So I'm always like, how do I present all
of the facts to them in a way
that they can actuallyhear why I am standing
so firm on this particular point?
And then, you know, another,
sometimes it's just like breaking the ice.
Like we get so intobusiness mode sometimes
(17:25):
that we forget that, again,
the other person on theother end of the table,
they have things thatyou're dealing with too.
- Yeah.
- Sometimes it's saying, wait a minute,
let me just ask you this.
What would need to happen for,
in order for me to get a yes.
- Yes.- On this?
- I love that you'rereally pivoting it away
from being on one paththat might not be fruitful,
to how can we think of something else
in another perspective?
(17:45):
I love that.
So how do you think aboutdisruption in the fashion industry
and how do you bring thatto Harlem's Fashion Row
to make sure you're alwayspushing things forward?
- Yeah, disruption is doing the thing
that most people won't do.
- [Samantha] Mm.
- It is
sometimes taking a step
of faith when you don't know howthings are going to work out.
(18:07):
It is going against the grain.
You know, when we started this,
there was no one talking about designers
of color and fashion.
It was not a conversationthat anyone wanted
to have in my industry.
And it wasn't just the bigbrands that didn't want
to talk about this or the industry.
It was also the designers.
They were saying, we don'twant to be pigeonholed.
(18:28):
We don't want to be known
as just the color of our skin.
And so, and I understood that as well.
But when you have a vision that is,
you know is so much bigger,
like I've always known that this
is so much bigger than me
and even the work that I'mdoing is carrying on the legacy
of people like Lois Alexander-Lane
(18:51):
and so many others.
You keep moving forward
and sometimes disruption isjust taking the next step.
- Ah.
- [Brandice] Towards the mission.
- Yeah, I love that.
I mean, that really speaksto confidence and bravery
and also being where you thinkthe consumers are going to be.
- Yeah.
- I mean, you're doing thisobviously for the designers
(19:11):
and stylists and and practitioners,
but you're doing itbecause it's in demand.
- It's absolutely in demandand more now than ever.
And we've seen that.
So we did the collaboration with Gap,
and I mean that collaboration received
like so much attention.
I mean, we beat all expectationsin terms of impression.
(19:33):
There were so many stylesthat sold out right away.
- Wow.
- When we did our collaboration,
our very first one waswith LeBron James and Nike.
And that sneaker sold outin less than five minutes.
- Wow.
- So we have like real hard proof
that consumers are,
they want diversity
and they want to be able toshop from diverse designers.
(19:54):
- Well, fashion I think hasalways been about being unique
as you even started with,
using it to showcase yourself.
Doing something thathasn't been done before.
I mean, think of all thetrends we've ever seen.
It's just because that was new.
And of course, some things are lasting,
but I could see that,
the consumers are responding to this.
- Absolutely.- And I'm really curious too,
(20:15):
so when you started,
social media was notcertainly as big as it is now.
- Thank goodness.
- For good or for bad.
Did not want my eighties hairout there on social media.
But how did the ramp upof social really help you
in what you were trying to do,
especially when you were trying
to distribute kind of new content?
- Yeah, I mean it wasdefinitely helpful, right?
(20:35):
Because you're talkingabout free advertising.
So we were able to
put the work that we weredoing actually on display.
But I said I'm grateful
that it wasn't out when we first started
because there were manymistakes that we made
that we would've not wanted anyone.
- Who knows.
- Oh my goodness.
(20:55):
So I think we also had the benefit
of actually starting under the radar.
And that is a gift.
So often when we start,
we're like upset thatwe're under the radar.
That's always a gift.
It gives you an opportunityto make mistakes
and do things that, you know,
and start and stop thingsthat no one ever knows about.
So we had that gift,
but then when it came,
we were also able to really leverage that
(21:16):
to be able to
put more of a spotlight onthe work that we were doing.
- Oh, I love that.
So how do you measuresuccess with your efforts?
Can you talk about allthe ways you do that?
I mean, it sounds like when you
sell out a product from a collaboration,
that seems to be aclear metric of success.
But are there other thingstoo that you're looking at?
Let's say something doesn'tsell out right away.
(21:37):
What are the other waysthat you look at it
and say it still worked?
- I think what we're looking at
is what impact did itmake for the designer?
How did it push theneedle forward for them?
Did they get more exposure?
Did they get more customersfrom that collaboration
that may have even gone toshop directly with them?
(21:57):
But it definitely is,
we're absolutely looking atlike the real hard metrics too.
- [Samantha] Yeah.
- Like, did we meet our sales goal
and how long did it takeus to meet that sales goal.
For our events that we do,
we're definitely measuring
that based on total impact though.
So we want to know from thedesigners what they got from it,
from the brands too thatwe get to work with.
(22:22):
But I you know, I'm alwayslooking at the KPIs.
I am a numbers person.
- Yeah.
- And I think that's important to be able
to keep doing the work that we're doing,
because people, yes, they work with us
because they love our workand they love the mission,
but at the end of the day,people have a business to run.
So, and we understand that.
- So maybe without namingthe actual product,
was there something thatdidn't quite take off
(22:43):
the way you wanted that maybeit was ahead of its time
or maybe it just wasn't going to work?
- We have had some thingsthat did not take off,
that, you know what's interesting
is that the things that didn't do well,
it wasn't because itwas ahead of its time.
It was because fit in
too much.
- Oh, it wasn't itwasn't different enough.
(23:04):
- [Brandice] It wasn't different enough.
- That's interesting.- And so we found
that when we produce items
and they're just not that different,
they don't do that well.
People are expecting something different
and unique when we do collaborations.
- [Samantha] I think that's probably part
of your brand then now.
- I think it is.
- It really has to be innovative.
It has to push the edge.
Otherwise, they could probablyget it from other places.
(23:25):
- Yeah.- And designers.
That's so interesting.
So tell me, in terms of yourleadership in a business
that can be seen as sometimesstyle over substance,
how do you make sure yourown leadership is authentic?
That you really are true toyourself, true to the mission,
and not maybe gravitating towards
some of what fashion might be doing?
- Right, right.
(23:46):
I think the biggest thing for me is like,
I've always known why I was doing this.
I've always known that I was doing this
for like the 13-year-old.
And I used to say that all the time.
Okay, we're doing thisfor the designers now,
but we're doing this for the 13-year-old
that doesn't even knowthey want to be a designer.
- [Samantha] Yeah.- And then a few years ago
we did a sustainabilitysummit not too far from here.
(24:09):
And a designer walked up to me
and she said, "Hey, I justwanted to introduce myself.
I've been following yousince I was 13 years old."
- That's the 13-year-old.
- I like, I actually cried
because it was something thatI had said for a long time,
but it was literally like seeing it.
And so I think
the way that I lead isabsolutely through authenticity,
(24:32):
I can't say I always led that way though.
That took some time to get to that point.
But I think being super mission focused
has been great to me.
And my mom said somethingto me in the very beginning
that has freed me,
and it might free thepeople who are listening
to this right now.
- We have to hear.
- In the very beginning she said,
(24:52):
"Brandice, if you stophaving fun with this,
you can stop and do something else."
- Ah.
- And something about her saying that
made me always feel likeI don't have to do this.
- [Samantha] Yeah, I choose to.
- And so I've loved it.We're turning 18 this year
and I love this work as much
as I did the very first year I started it.
- It's contagious.
(25:12):
I love the work.
I mean, I'm super excited about this.
That's remarkable for her to say that.
Especially when, I mean,you mentioned this,
she was a big supporter of yours,
but I'm sure there were somedreams of yours that, you know,
she was crushed that you didn't pursue.
- Yes.
- But the fact that she said that to you,
she could put all that aside
and it was really justabout your best interests.
- [Brandice] Yeah.
(25:32):
- And that's a beautiful thing.
And I'm thinking of 13 year olds too
who are now looking atyou wanting to do this
and you are really lighting this flame
in such a young person
that they'll go on todo, I mean, that's rare.
I think you talk to a lot of kids today.
They have no idea what they want to do,
but you get that little spark.
- Yes.
- That feels right to you.
That can really set somebodyup on a whole other path.
(25:54):
- Absolutely.- I love that.
So Brandice having donethis now for 18 years,
which is unbelievable,
was there a moment in time
where you pivoted the organization,
wanted to do something new?
And what was it about that moment
that you felt compelledto make the change?
- Yeah, it was 2020, inthe heart of the pandemic.
I had designers calling meprobably every other day saying,
(26:17):
"Brandice, I don't know how we'regoing to keep our doors open.
I don't know how I'm goingto keep moving forward."
And I knew that eventuallyI would start a nonprofit.
Harlem's Fashion Row is not a nonprofit,
but I said one daywe'll start a nonprofit.
And I had no idea
that I would be starting onein the middle of the pandemic.
And so we did, welaunched a virtual event,
(26:37):
which, a thousand people
- Oh, that's incredible.
- Actually bought tickets to,
and we were able to fund some designers
through those ticket sales.
And maybe a week
after that I actually got a phone call
from the CEO of the CFDA who had said
that they would donate a million dollars.
- Wow.
- To our nonprofit.
(26:58):
- A game changer.- It was.
- I mean that's a huge giftoff the bat, incredible.
- It was game changing for us.
And so when I think,
we're actually celebrating our fifth year.
- [Samantha] Congrats.
- For the nonprofit Icon 360.
And so when I think aboutthe fact that, you know,
we've been able to give about 1.5 million
to designers of color,
that we've been able togive over a million dollars
(27:18):
to HBCU fashion departments through grants
that we've gotten fromincredible retailers like Gap,
I am in awe that we wereable to make that pivot
throughout, you know, these years.
- That's fantastic.
And so when you think about that,
what do you think is your legacy
or Harlem Fashion Row's legacy?
(27:39):
- I am actually continuing the legacy
of Lois Alexander-Lane.
She wrote, "Blacks inthe History of Fashion."
Because of her, we actuallyhave a historical account
of our contribution to this industry.
And she started the Black Fashion Museum.
And a lot of those piecesare now in the Smithsonian.
(28:02):
And I got to meet her daughter,
maybe it's been maybe 12 years ago.
- Oh wow.
- And she actually, nowthis is really interesting
because she passed in 2007,
and I started HFR in 2007.
- You were like literallytaking the torch.
- [Brandice] I, literally.
And so my legacy is her legacy.
(28:22):
- I love that.- [Brandice] Yeah.
- So when you're working withdesigners, new designers,
people who might not havehad the attention you're able
to give them and you sensethey're just not confident yet.
- Yeah.
- Either in their work or their products
or just that they have the talent.
- [Brandice] Yeah.
- How do you help them overcome that
and really see themselvesin a different way?
Is it hard to do?
- It is hard to do. I thinkthe biggest thing that
(28:43):
people are afraid of is taking risk.
- [Samantha] Yes.
- And part of findingyour authentic voice,
part of finding yourconfidence is taking risk.
- [Samantha] Hmm.
- You have to be willing to do the thing
that's like in your heartand in your mind to do,
but you don't know if it's going to work
or you don't know if peopleare going to accept it
(29:04):
or love it or like it.
And that is the thingI'm always telling 'em,
I always say like, you have to cliff job.
Like you have to take thatrisk in order to get to a place
where you're really confidentin what you're doing.
- And when you sense someonesays, "Ah, but I can't.
I don't want to ruin my reputation
(29:25):
or break something I built," you know?
What's the comeback to that?
- It's part of your process.
It's part of the process.
I say everything's in beta.
- [Samantha] Yeah.- Right?
- [Samantha] Yeah.- We think that things are
so permanent, they're not, right?
- [Samantha] Yeah.- Everything's in beta.
You're testing everything.
Maybe it works, maybe it doesn't work,
but you have to try it.
- I've always loved thatprocess too for entrepreneurs
to be testing something
(29:45):
and then maybe if theyhaven't hit it right away,
to pivot to something else.
- [Brandice] Yeah.
- And that pivot to me is so interesting.
- [Brandice] Yeah.
- Because they've learned about a problem
they didn't know existed,
or maybe they learned howto better solve the problem
or something about themselves.
I find that fascinating.
- Yeah.- [Samantha] Do you see that?
- Absolutely, all the time.
I mean it's, you know, I think people say
what makes some entrepreneursmore successful than others
(30:08):
is that the entrepreneur
that just like has theidea and go out and try it.
- [Samantha] Mm.
- By the time the otherperson has figured out
the whole strategy and theway they want to approach it,
this other person has alreadytried it, maybe failed.
- [Samantha] Right.
- And has been able to reiterate.
- [Samantha] Right.- Right?
So I think it's important
to do the thing, like life is short.
(30:28):
Well, you can figure it out along the way,
but it becomes so much clearer to you,
kind of how to do it through the doing.
- Yeah, through the doing.- Yeah.
- And you think of so manyathletes who sort of say,
"I got to my greatnessjust by taking the shot."
- Yes.
- Even if I failed atso many of the shots.
So I think about that all the time.
So what role can ourlisteners play in also helping
(30:49):
to really foster a moreinclusive fashion industry
or whatever industry they're in?
- Yeah, I think it's being intentional.
I'll speak specifically to fashion.
So there are so manyincredible diverse designers
that are sold in someof the department stores
where you shop right now.
(31:09):
You can go into that department store
and you can put in like BlackFounded and you'll find it.
Most department storeshave that as a filter now.
Most people don't know that.
- I didn't know that either.- So that's one thing
that you can do tosupport these designers.
You can please follow us.
- [Samantha] Yeah.
- Harlem's Fashion Row.
We're always puttingdifferent designers out there,
but I think even in yourdifferent industries,
(31:31):
like find someone who'sdoing incredible work
to provide a seat atthe table for everyone
and support that person.
And that could be throughmaking a connection
for that person.
That could be through, you know,
maybe showing up and volunteering.
There is so many.
It could be throughjust an encouraging word
(31:53):
as well saying, "Hey, I see you."
- I love that.
- I see the work that you're doing.
- Or we can take your tip Brandice
and have breakfast for many people.
- There you go.
- To start the movementon Saturday morning.
Absolutely.
- So I think we'll do that.- Yes.
- Thank you so much for being with us.
- Thanks for having me.
It is such a pleasure to talk with you
and I'd love what you're building
and we will definitely be following you.
- Thank you, I appreciate it.
(32:19):
- Thank you for listeningto my conversation
with Brandice Daniel fromHarlem's Fashion Row.
I love how she used the lessonsshe learned from her parents
to inspire the nextgeneration of fashion leaders
and create a new communitywithin the fashion world.
We hope this episode helpsyou reflect on the power
of community in your own life.
If you're enjoying our podcast,
(32:39):
please like, subscribe and follow
on your favorite podcast platform
so you don't miss an episode.
- I think the biggestthing for me is like,
I've always known why I was doing this.
I've always known that I was doing this
for like the 13-year-old,
and I used to say that all the time.
Okay, we're doing thisfor the designers now,
but we're doing this for the 13-year-old
that doesn't even knowthey want to be a designer.
And then a few years ago,
we did a sustainability summit
(00:20):
and a designer walked up to me
and she said,
"Hey, I just wanted to introduce myself.
I've been following yousince I was 13 years old."
- But that's the 13-year-old.
- I actually cried,
because it was something thatI had said for a long time,
but it was literally like seeing.
(00:42):
- Welcome to the Womenon the Move podcast.
I'm your host, Sam Saperstein.
In this season of theWomen on the Move podcast,
we are exploring the power of community,
what it means to create a community,
why community is so important to others,
and how you can use communities
to help bring others along.
Today, I'm thrilled
to introduce our guest, Brandice Daniel.
(01:02):
the visionary CEO and founderof Harlem's Fashion Row.
Brandice has been a trailblazerin the fashion industry,
advocating for inclusivityand representation
long before they became buzzwords.
She founded Harlem's FashionRow in 2007 with a mission
to give multiculturaldesigners the opportunities
and connections they need to succeed.
(01:22):
Under Brandice's leadership,
Harlem's Fashion Row hasbecome a preeminent platform
for designers of color,
showcasing their collectionsto top fashion buyers, editors,
celebrities, and influencers.
Her work has bridgedthe gap between brands
and designers historicallyoverlooked by the industry.
Brandice, thank you somuch for joining us.
It is so great to have you here.
(01:43):
- I'm so happy to be here.
- So we're going to talkabout a lot of your career
and what you built withHarlem's Fashion Row.
But first, I reallywant to start with you.
So you grew up in Memphis
and you've talked aboutthat being very influential
to who you are today.
So tell us about that.
Take us back to yourupbringing and your childhood
and the things that influenced you.
- Yeah, so I grew up in Memphis,
(02:06):
in a middle class neighborhood.
It was,
for me, a really safe space
and a great way to grow up.
My father is actuallya pastor of a church,
so I grew up with faith beingat the center of my life
and everything that we did.
But it was a fun way to grow up.
(02:27):
I mean, I remember being outside,
playing kickball in themiddle of the street,
the things that you see on the movies
from back in the eighties,
that was literally my life.
And it helped shape so much of who I am.
Because one of the thingsabout growing up in a city
like Memphis is that you'realways faced with this,
(02:48):
with social impact and what that means.
And with Martin Luther King, you know,
with the death of Martin Luther King
happening in Memphis,
none of those topics areever shied away from.
And so even when you're a little kid,
you're going to theNational Civil Rights Museum
and you understand kind of the background
(03:10):
and what was happening andhow it impacted your parents
and how it impacted you.
And so I think all ofthose things really shaped
who I am and my awareness
and kind of how I move through the world.
- You could definitely see so many values
being created at that formative stage.
- Absolutely.
- And so how did fashion become the tool
(03:31):
that you wanted to use for social good?
Was that also part of your upbringing?
- So I have always loved it.
You know, I can remembersitting on my mom's porch
with a pair of shoes and aglue gun and some rhinestones
and going to town.
- Putting things together?
- For hours, for hours.
And my mom sewed a lot of ourclothes when we were younger.
And so we would go intostores like Hancock
(03:52):
and I would look through thosefabric books for forever.
So it's always been apiece of what I loved.
I just didn't understandthe power of it, right?
Because fashion is reallysaying, this is your identity.
This is who you're sayingyou are in the world
through what you wear.
And that holds morepower than we even know.
You're saying so much about yourself
(04:13):
and who you are just when you walk
through the room without saying a word.
And so I definitely think over time,
I began to see like theimpact that it could have.
- And so is it when youwere an older adult,
you leaned toward this assomething you wanted to pursue?
Or how did that come to be,
as really your professional calling?
- In college.
I changed my major from pre-med.
(04:34):
- [Samantha] Ah.
- Right.
That's what my mom said too.
From pre-med to fashion merchandising.
And that was hard to do,of course, like right?
My family was very excitedabout having a doctor
in the family, the firstdoctor in the family.
And so that was a toughpill for people to swallow.
But I just knew that that wasn't my path.
(04:56):
And thank goodness I had justa lot of really great mentors
around me that helped
to kind of like direct me in this area,
which I didn't even know youcould have a career in fashion.
- [Samantha] Yeah.- I had no clue.
So that was a big aha moment for me.
So I changed my major
and I end up also gettinga second degree from FIT
here in New York City.
(05:16):
- And so tell us about a mentor
who really had a strong influence on you
and the ability to change like that,
because that's a veryhard decision to make,
especially if you wereleaning towards something
your whole young life andyour parents had expectations.
- [Brandice] Yes.
- So was there a personwho really helped you say,
you know what, that's just not who I am?
- You know what's interesting?
The person who wasprobably disappointed most
(05:37):
is the person who.
- [Samantha] Encouraged you the most.
- Encouraged me themost, which is my mother.
- Aw, can be both.
- Because my mom hasthis kind of philosophy
that it's like, go for it, try it.
You know, maybe it'llwork, maybe it doesn't,
but like, don't not do it.
And my aunt would also always say to me,
Brandice, always ask the question,
(05:59):
always go after the thing.
The answer can only be yes or no,
but if you never ask, theanswer is automatically no.
And so she told me thatsince I was younger.
And I think between herand my mom's encouragement
and seeing my fathertake on so many things,
I mean, he would start a newbusiness at the drop of a hat.
- Wow.
(06:20):
- And so to kind of grow up around people
who would have an idea andactually take that idea
and put that into action,it definitely impacted me.
- So I can definitely see theseeds of entrepreneurship.
- [Brandice] Oh, yes.
- Being, you know, sewn therewith your father and family.
And also you talked about thevalues, which is incredible.
Did fashion then become,to you, the obvious way,
(06:43):
especially as an entrepreneur now,
to build something around fashion?
Was that the obvious way
or did you try other thingstoo before you landed there?
- I knew I would do fashion, so,
but what I thought I was going to do
is opening a boutique in Harlem.
I had the name of the boutique picked out.
- We can save that for some other time,
- Right.- Maybe down the road.
- I actually volunteered asan apprentice in a boutique
(07:06):
that was in Harlem.
And I just knew like, that'sgoing to be the business.
That's what I want to do.
I love talking to people.
And I thought I was really good at,
you know, selling clothes.
And I realized really quicklythat that was not for me.
Like, to sit in a store
and wait for people to come in
was not what I was meant to do.
But I'm really grateful
(07:27):
for the experience thatI got through that.
- Absolutely.
I mean, you probably learned
that just from doing those things.
- Absolutely.
- And I think a lot of people would assume
that's what they were meant to do.
So it's great to havethat early experience.
So Harlem's Fashion Rowwas born out of a desire
to serve underrepresentedfashion designers,
stylists, people in the industry.
(07:47):
Tell us about that.
How did you come up with that idea?
And then talk to us about what
the organization does today?
- Absolutely.
So at the time,
I was living in Harlem
and friends and I weredoing events in Harlem.
We would do Harlem brunchesfor the young professionals
that were in the area.
And they would be, I mean,
like over a hundred people wouldcome out to these brunches.
(08:08):
And we were doing parties.
And so there were different things
that were happening already.
- [Samantha] Yeah.
- In terms of just likebringing this community
together in Harlem.
And then I went to a fashionshow one night in Brooklyn.
And while I was there, thatwas when I got the idea.
You know what?
I should do this in Harlem.
And I'm starting to plan this event.
I brought on, I think it was 17 volunteers
(08:28):
that I brought on to do this event.
The way that I actuallygot them to volunteer
was to cook them breakfastevery Saturday morning.
- So smart.
- In my brownstone.
I would make thembiscuits, eggs, and bacon.
- Who wouldn't show up?
- And they would show up show, absolutely.
And I think it was, you know,
we did the first show.
When I was working on the second one,
(08:50):
I was looking for moredesigners to be a part of it.
- [Samantha] Mm.- And wasn't finding them.
And so I said, well, you know what?
I'll go on thesedepartment stores' websites
and surely I can find, you know,
some really greatdesigners of color there.
So I'm going down the websites
and I'm realizing thatthere were maybe two
out of all the designersthey had on those websites.
- [Samantha] Wow.
(09:10):
- So then I said,
well, let me go toanother department store
and realized at the time that less than 1%
of the designers thatwere on those websites
were designers of color.
And I think that was what
really sealed why I was doing this
and the need.
- Yeah.- For this.
- It's so clear.
- And so we started doing fashion shows
(09:31):
and so that we could actuallypresent the collections
of designers and invite the industry in,
invite buyers from differentdepartment stores in.
And I said, you know what?
We're going to do this every single year.
That'll be the one consistentthing that we would do.
But there were otherthings that I wanted to do,
but they didn't come till much later.
So we got our first collaboration 10 years
(09:54):
after we had been doing this.
And so now we do four thingswith Harlem's fashion,
where we do events throughout the year.
And that attracts designers of color.
That also attracts the brands
who want to connect with those designers.
We also do collaborations.
We just had a collaboration.
Actually, I think itmight be still in store,
(10:16):
people can check.
But we just did a collaboration with Gap
that we launched earlier this year.
We did a collaborationlast year with Nordstrom.
- Great.
- We have really great collaborations.
- You're wearing maybea collaboration today?
- I am.
Actually, this is a piecethat I'm wearing today.
It's not our collaboration,
but it was a collaboration
between Naomi Campbell and Hugo Boss.
(10:37):
- [Samantha] Amazing.
- And we worked withthem last year as well.
And so we do brand strategies.
We did brand strategy
for Hugo Boss and then wealso do pipeline programs
with the HBCU fashion programs as well.
- That is great.
It really has branched outsince you started this.
- [Brandice] Yes.- Almost 20 years ago.
Incredible.
So take us to that signature event
(10:58):
that you're doing every year
before Fashion Week,kicking off Fashion week.
What is it like to be there
and what do you hope people
who are actually there inperson get from this experience?
- Yeah, that event is,
it is definitely
our most talked about event.
- [Samantha] Sure.
- It's been deemed kindof the unofficial kickoff
to New York Fashion Week.
(11:18):
So we actually honor aboutfour people at that event.
Last year we honored Naomi Campbell.
We honored the Editor in Chief
of Harper's Bazaars, Samira Nasr.
We and Tracee EllisRoss actually presented
her award to her.
We honored Shiona Turini,an incredible stylist.
And so, and Teyana Taylor as well.
(11:40):
And then we showed thecollections of three designers
that we feel like have like something
really amazing and unique to show.
And so we did that at Grant's Tomb.
And so there are about fourto 500 people that are there.
- Wow.
- Anna Wintour was there last year.
You know, it is one ofthose industry visits
that people really look forward to.
(12:01):
- I bet, I mean, that must be so exciting
and we know what it takes toput on an event like that.
I'm sure you're working up to the minute.
- Absolutely.
- So many people, you know, losing sleep.
But once it happens, tellus how you feel after that.
You know, that day, the daylater, you're just floating.
- It's an incredible feeling,
mostly because of the designers.
You know, to be able to
(12:23):
present this type of aplatform to designers
who don't normally get the opportunity.
- [Samantha] Yeah.
- Or don't normally get tobe in front of these people.
For them to actually see their collections
potentially actually carrythem in their stores.
- [Samantha] Right.
- Potentially actually wear them,
depending on who thecelebrity is, I think is,
(12:44):
that's the most rewarding part.
And I think what it doesis it sends a message
to the entire industry thatall designers are important
and that, you know, ifwe don't have designers
of color voices at the table,
we're missing a very special perspective.
- Yeah.
- And I think that resonates.
So you look at whathappened at the MET Gala,
(13:06):
there were over a hundredlooks on the carpet.
- [Samantha] Yeah.
- At the Met Gala thatwere by designers of color.
And I would like to think
that the message we've beensending all these years.
- Oh.
- [Brandice] Was able to help with that.
- For sure.
No, that was a very distinctive one too.
You know, the fashion industrycan be really competitive.
So it's amazing to me thatyou have this collective
(13:26):
that brings people together,
that really helps people
who might otherwise feel like they need
to compete with each other.
Does that ever come across in the work?
Do you ever have to deal with that?
Or is what you're building really trying
to transcend that sense?
- We, from day one, wewanted to transcend that
in everything that we do.
So even when you come to our events,
you go to other fashion events
(13:47):
and you know, the peoplethere in the front
with the black on and the notepads.
And they may not be the nicest
people you've ever met before.
And so we've always tried to say,
let's do something different.
Actually, let's havepeople come to our events
and actually feel like they're welcome.
- [Samantha] Mm.
- Let's actually havepeople show up at our event
and feel like, you know,this is a family reunion.
(14:09):
- [Samantha] Aw.
- And so I think we've beenlike really intentional
about cultivating a community,
because what we'retrying to do is something
that has never been done before.
And so in order for it to be done
and be accomplished isgoing to take community.
This isn't something thatany of us can do alone.
- Yeah, that is amazing thatyou have that community spirit,
despite the fact that it might not always
(14:31):
be there elsewhere.
When you were encountering things
as you were building the organization,
did anyone in the community help you?
Did you go turn to thatcommunity too, to say,
"Hey, I'm struggling with something.
How do I get through this challenge?"
And what was that like?
- Always.
I mean, there have been so many.
When you're an entrepreneur
and you're building a business,
(14:51):
especially
a business that, don't know,
like this is an industry
that didn't know who I was.
I didn't come from kindof the big magazines
or any luxury houses.
So it was really, reallytough in the beginning.
And so you're getting nos from everybody.
Everyone's saying, nope,no, I'm not coming.
(15:13):
No, I don't want to be honored.
No.
You know, I'm not going to sponsor this.
All the nos are coming.
It is kind of a part of the process.
But I think what's so rewarding
is that when you get that, yes, yes,
I'll sit down and have dinner with you.
Yes, I'll get on a phone call.
- That's the door.
- So there were so many peoplefrom the CEO of the CFDA
(15:35):
who had a conversationwith me and didn't know me.
I sent him a cold email
to
a founder of a company called Ground Crew,
who was just incrediblyinstrumental in connecting me
with so many people.
I think, you know, a lot of times we kind
of think about networking aslike this transactional thing,
(15:58):
but what I've found iswhen you really connect
human to human with people,literally anything is possible.
And I think that was one
of the things that was really helpful.
But yes, I needed a lot of help.
- That's such a good reminder.
And now I understand,
as we were talking about thisshow before the recording,
why negotiations is so important to you,
because you clearlyhave taken this to heart
(16:19):
and having to hear somany no's to get to a yes.
- Absolutely.- I realize why now
you made it a practice.
You know, what about negotiation
do you always keep inmind when you're thinking,
you have to get somethingdone for the business,
you have to get a sponsor,a brand, a designer,
that just keeps you focused on that goal?
- [Brandice] Yeah.
- And you're not taking no for an answer.
- I think the first thing is like,
(16:39):
why am I doing this in the first place?
That's like.
- Mission.
- The mission, that always centers me.
Like why am I doing this?
And understanding that why helps me
with the negotiation part.
It helps me know what I can give on
and then what I can't give on, right?
So, and then I'm alwaysthinking, you know,
sometimes the no is there
(17:02):
or somebody's taking a hard stance
because they don't have all the facts.
- [Samantha] Mm.
- So I'm always like, how do I present all
of the facts to them in a way
that they can actuallyhear why I am standing
so firm on this particular point?
And then, you know, another,
sometimes it's just like breaking the ice.
Like we get so intobusiness mode sometimes
(17:25):
that we forget that, again,
the other person on theother end of the table,
they have things thatyou're dealing with too.
- Yeah.
- Sometimes it's saying, wait a minute,
let me just ask you this.
What would need to happen for,
in order for me to get a yes.
- Yes.- On this?
- I love that you'rereally pivoting it away
from being on one paththat might not be fruitful,
to how can we think of something else
in another perspective?
(17:45):
I love that.
So how do you think aboutdisruption in the fashion industry
and how do you bring thatto Harlem's Fashion Row
to make sure you're alwayspushing things forward?
- Yeah, disruption is doing the thing
that most people won't do.
- [Samantha] Mm.
- It is
sometimes taking a step
of faith when you don't know howthings are going to work out.
(18:07):
It is going against the grain.
You know, when we started this,
there was no one talking about designers
of color and fashion.
It was not a conversationthat anyone wanted
to have in my industry.
And it wasn't just the bigbrands that didn't want
to talk about this or the industry.
It was also the designers.
They were saying, we don'twant to be pigeonholed.
(18:28):
We don't want to be known
as just the color of our skin.
And so, and I understood that as well.
But when you have a vision that is,
you know is so much bigger,
like I've always known that this
is so much bigger than me
and even the work that I'mdoing is carrying on the legacy
of people like Lois Alexander-Lane
(18:51):
and so many others.
You keep moving forward
and sometimes disruption isjust taking the next step.
- Ah.
- [Brandice] Towards the mission.
- Yeah, I love that.
I mean, that really speaksto confidence and bravery
and also being where you thinkthe consumers are going to be.
- Yeah.
- I mean, you're doing thisobviously for the designers
(19:11):
and stylists and and practitioners,
but you're doing itbecause it's in demand.
- It's absolutely in demandand more now than ever.
And we've seen that.
So we did the collaboration with Gap,
and I mean that collaboration received
like so much attention.
I mean, we beat all expectationsin terms of impression.
(19:33):
There were so many stylesthat sold out right away.
- Wow.
- When we did our collaboration,
our very first one waswith LeBron James and Nike.
And that sneaker sold outin less than five minutes.
- Wow.
- So we have like real hard proof
that consumers are,
they want diversity
and they want to be able toshop from diverse designers.
(19:54):
- Well, fashion I think hasalways been about being unique
as you even started with,
using it to showcase yourself.
Doing something thathasn't been done before.
I mean, think of all thetrends we've ever seen.
It's just because that was new.
And of course, some things are lasting,
but I could see that,
the consumers are responding to this.
- Absolutely.- And I'm really curious too,
(20:15):
so when you started,
social media was notcertainly as big as it is now.
- Thank goodness.
- For good or for bad.
Did not want my eighties hairout there on social media.
But how did the ramp upof social really help you
in what you were trying to do,
especially when you were trying
to distribute kind of new content?
- Yeah, I mean it wasdefinitely helpful, right?
(20:35):
Because you're talkingabout free advertising.
So we were able to
put the work that we weredoing actually on display.
But I said I'm grateful
that it wasn't out when we first started
because there were manymistakes that we made
that we would've not wanted anyone.
- Who knows.
- Oh my goodness.
(20:55):
So I think we also had the benefit
of actually starting under the radar.
And that is a gift.
So often when we start,
we're like upset thatwe're under the radar.
That's always a gift.
It gives you an opportunityto make mistakes
and do things that, you know,
and start and stop thingsthat no one ever knows about.
So we had that gift,
but then when it came,
we were also able to really leverage that
(21:16):
to be able to
put more of a spotlight onthe work that we were doing.
- Oh, I love that.
So how do you measuresuccess with your efforts?
Can you talk about allthe ways you do that?
I mean, it sounds like when you
sell out a product from a collaboration,
that seems to be aclear metric of success.
But are there other thingstoo that you're looking at?
Let's say something doesn'tsell out right away.
(21:37):
What are the other waysthat you look at it
and say it still worked?
- I think what we're looking at
is what impact did itmake for the designer?
How did it push theneedle forward for them?
Did they get more exposure?
Did they get more customersfrom that collaboration
that may have even gone toshop directly with them?
(21:57):
But it definitely is,
we're absolutely looking atlike the real hard metrics too.
- [Samantha] Yeah.
- Like, did we meet our sales goal
and how long did it takeus to meet that sales goal.
For our events that we do,
we're definitely measuring
that based on total impact though.
So we want to know from thedesigners what they got from it,
from the brands too thatwe get to work with.
(22:22):
But I you know, I'm alwayslooking at the KPIs.
I am a numbers person.
- Yeah.
- And I think that's important to be able
to keep doing the work that we're doing,
because people, yes, they work with us
because they love our workand they love the mission,
but at the end of the day,people have a business to run.
So, and we understand that.
- So maybe without namingthe actual product,
was there something thatdidn't quite take off
(22:43):
the way you wanted that maybeit was ahead of its time
or maybe it just wasn't going to work?
- We have had some thingsthat did not take off,
that, you know what's interesting
is that the things that didn't do well,
it wasn't because itwas ahead of its time.
It was because fit in
too much.
- Oh, it wasn't itwasn't different enough.
(23:04):
- [Brandice] It wasn't different enough.
- That's interesting.- And so we found
that when we produce items
and they're just not that different,
they don't do that well.
People are expecting something different
and unique when we do collaborations.
- [Samantha] I think that's probably part
of your brand then now.
- I think it is.
- It really has to be innovative.
It has to push the edge.
Otherwise, they could probablyget it from other places.
(23:25):
- Yeah.- And designers.
That's so interesting.
So tell me, in terms of yourleadership in a business
that can be seen as sometimesstyle over substance,
how do you make sure yourown leadership is authentic?
That you really are true toyourself, true to the mission,
and not maybe gravitating towards
some of what fashion might be doing?
- Right, right.
(23:46):
I think the biggest thing for me is like,
I've always known why I was doing this.
I've always known that I was doing this
for like the 13-year-old.
And I used to say that all the time.
Okay, we're doing thisfor the designers now,
but we're doing this for the 13-year-old
that doesn't even knowthey want to be a designer.
- [Samantha] Yeah.- And then a few years ago
we did a sustainabilitysummit not too far from here.
(24:09):
And a designer walked up to me
and she said, "Hey, I justwanted to introduce myself.
I've been following yousince I was 13 years old."
- That's the 13-year-old.
- I like, I actually cried
because it was something thatI had said for a long time,
but it was literally like seeing it.
And so I think
the way that I lead isabsolutely through authenticity,
(24:32):
I can't say I always led that way though.
That took some time to get to that point.
But I think being super mission focused
has been great to me.
And my mom said somethingto me in the very beginning
that has freed me,
and it might free thepeople who are listening
to this right now.
- We have to hear.
- In the very beginning she said,
(24:52):
"Brandice, if you stophaving fun with this,
you can stop and do something else."
- Ah.
- And something about her saying that
made me always feel likeI don't have to do this.
- [Samantha] Yeah, I choose to.
- And so I've loved it.We're turning 18 this year
and I love this work as much
as I did the very first year I started it.
- It's contagious.
(25:12):
I love the work.
I mean, I'm super excited about this.
That's remarkable for her to say that.
Especially when, I mean,you mentioned this,
she was a big supporter of yours,
but I'm sure there were somedreams of yours that, you know,
she was crushed that you didn't pursue.
- Yes.
- But the fact that she said that to you,
she could put all that aside
and it was really justabout your best interests.
- [Brandice] Yeah.
(25:32):
- And that's a beautiful thing.
And I'm thinking of 13 year olds too
who are now looking atyou wanting to do this
and you are really lighting this flame
in such a young person
that they'll go on todo, I mean, that's rare.
I think you talk to a lot of kids today.
They have no idea what they want to do,
but you get that little spark.
- Yes.
- That feels right to you.
That can really set somebodyup on a whole other path.
(25:54):
- Absolutely.- I love that.
So Brandice having donethis now for 18 years,
which is unbelievable,
was there a moment in time
where you pivoted the organization,
wanted to do something new?
And what was it about that moment
that you felt compelledto make the change?
- Yeah, it was 2020, inthe heart of the pandemic.
I had designers calling meprobably every other day saying,
(26:17):
"Brandice, I don't know how we'regoing to keep our doors open.
I don't know how I'm goingto keep moving forward."
And I knew that eventuallyI would start a nonprofit.
Harlem's Fashion Row is not a nonprofit,
but I said one daywe'll start a nonprofit.
And I had no idea
that I would be starting onein the middle of the pandemic.
And so we did, welaunched a virtual event,
(26:37):
which, a thousand people
- Oh, that's incredible.
- Actually bought tickets to,
and we were able to fund some designers
through those ticket sales.
And maybe a week
after that I actually got a phone call
from the CEO of the CFDA who had said
that they would donate a million dollars.
- Wow.
- To our nonprofit.
(26:58):
- A game changer.- It was.
- I mean that's a huge giftoff the bat, incredible.
- It was game changing for us.
And so when I think,
we're actually celebrating our fifth year.
- [Samantha] Congrats.
- For the nonprofit Icon 360.
And so when I think aboutthe fact that, you know,
we've been able to give about 1.5 million
to designers of color,
that we've been able togive over a million dollars
(27:18):
to HBCU fashion departments through grants
that we've gotten fromincredible retailers like Gap,
I am in awe that we wereable to make that pivot
throughout, you know, these years.
- That's fantastic.
And so when you think about that,
what do you think is your legacy
or Harlem Fashion Row's legacy?
(27:39):
- I am actually continuing the legacy
of Lois Alexander-Lane.
She wrote, "Blacks inthe History of Fashion."
Because of her, we actuallyhave a historical account
of our contribution to this industry.
And she started the Black Fashion Museum.
And a lot of those piecesare now in the Smithsonian.
(28:02):
And I got to meet her daughter,
maybe it's been maybe 12 years ago.
- Oh wow.
- And she actually, nowthis is really interesting
because she passed in 2007,
and I started HFR in 2007.
- You were like literallytaking the torch.
- [Brandice] I, literally.
And so my legacy is her legacy.
(28:22):
- I love that.- [Brandice] Yeah.
- So when you're working withdesigners, new designers,
people who might not havehad the attention you're able
to give them and you sensethey're just not confident yet.
- Yeah.
- Either in their work or their products
or just that they have the talent.
- [Brandice] Yeah.
- How do you help them overcome that
and really see themselvesin a different way?
Is it hard to do?
- It is hard to do. I thinkthe biggest thing that
(28:43):
people are afraid of is taking risk.
- [Samantha] Yes.
- And part of findingyour authentic voice,
part of finding yourconfidence is taking risk.
- [Samantha] Hmm.
- You have to be willing to do the thing
that's like in your heartand in your mind to do,
but you don't know if it's going to work
or you don't know if peopleare going to accept it
(29:04):
or love it or like it.
And that is the thingI'm always telling 'em,
I always say like, you have to cliff job.
Like you have to take thatrisk in order to get to a place
where you're really confidentin what you're doing.
- And when you sense someonesays, "Ah, but I can't.
I don't want to ruin my reputation
(29:25):
or break something I built," you know?
What's the comeback to that?
- It's part of your process.
It's part of the process.
I say everything's in beta.
- [Samantha] Yeah.- Right?
- [Samantha] Yeah.- We think that things are
so permanent, they're not, right?
- [Samantha] Yeah.- Everything's in beta.
You're testing everything.
Maybe it works, maybe it doesn't work,
but you have to try it.
- I've always loved thatprocess too for entrepreneurs
to be testing something
(29:45):
and then maybe if theyhaven't hit it right away,
to pivot to something else.
- [Brandice] Yeah.
- And that pivot to me is so interesting.
- [Brandice] Yeah.
- Because they've learned about a problem
they didn't know existed,
or maybe they learned howto better solve the problem
or something about themselves.
I find that fascinating.
- Yeah.- [Samantha] Do you see that?
- Absolutely, all the time.
I mean it's, you know, I think people say
what makes some entrepreneursmore successful than others
(30:08):
is that the entrepreneur
that just like has theidea and go out and try it.
- [Samantha] Mm.
- By the time the otherperson has figured out
the whole strategy and theway they want to approach it,
this other person has alreadytried it, maybe failed.
- [Samantha] Right.
- And has been able to reiterate.
- [Samantha] Right.- Right?
So I think it's important
to do the thing, like life is short.
(30:28):
Well, you can figure it out along the way,
but it becomes so much clearer to you,
kind of how to do it through the doing.
- Yeah, through the doing.- Yeah.
- And you think of so manyathletes who sort of say,
"I got to my greatnessjust by taking the shot."
- Yes.
- Even if I failed atso many of the shots.
So I think about that all the time.
So what role can ourlisteners play in also helping
(30:49):
to really foster a moreinclusive fashion industry
or whatever industry they're in?
- Yeah, I think it's being intentional.
I'll speak specifically to fashion.
So there are so manyincredible diverse designers
that are sold in someof the department stores
where you shop right now.
(31:09):
You can go into that department store
and you can put in like BlackFounded and you'll find it.
Most department storeshave that as a filter now.
Most people don't know that.
- I didn't know that either.- So that's one thing
that you can do tosupport these designers.
You can please follow us.
- [Samantha] Yeah.
- Harlem's Fashion Row.
We're always puttingdifferent designers out there,
but I think even in yourdifferent industries,
(31:31):
like find someone who'sdoing incredible work
to provide a seat atthe table for everyone
and support that person.
And that could be throughmaking a connection
for that person.
That could be through, you know,
maybe showing up and volunteering.
There is so many.
It could be throughjust an encouraging word
(31:53):
as well saying, "Hey, I see you."
- I love that.
- I see the work that you're doing.
- Or we can take your tip Brandice
and have breakfast for many people.
- There you go.
- To start the movementon Saturday morning.
Absolutely.
- So I think we'll do that.- Yes.
- Thank you so much for being with us.
- Thanks for having me.
It is such a pleasure to talk with you
and I'd love what you're building
and we will definitely be following you.
- Thank you, I appreciate it.
(32:19):
- Thank you for listeningto my conversation
with Brandice Daniel fromHarlem's Fashion Row.
I love how she used the lessonsshe learned from her parents
to inspire the nextgeneration of fashion leaders
and create a new communitywithin the fashion world.
We hope this episode helpsyou reflect on the power
of community in your own life.
If you're enjoying our podcast,
(32:39):
please like, subscribe and follow
on your favorite podcast platform
so you don't miss an episode.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!