Meet the Talented Black Designers Who Made History at Milan Fashion Week

Burundi-born, Italy-based designer Fabiola Manirakiza first fell in love with fashion as a child growing up in an orphanage in Zaire (nuns taught her how to sew). After arriving in Marche, a seaside region of Italy, in 1990, Manirakiza spent time paying it forward and raising awareness in the media for African orphanages. During one interview, a journalist fell in love with the handmade dress Manirakiza was wearing. Encouraged by the interaction and bolstered by order requests from friends, along with experience gained from assisting a stylist in Paris, Manirakiza started her label in 2016.

Frida Kiza is a clever hybrid of her surname and the feminist icon Frida Kahlo. For the fall/winter 2021 season, Manirakiza painted a fantastical image of Italian art through the lively filter of African culture. Botticelli's "Primavera" inspired the collection, which features black and white Renaissance motifs trimmed with African-style geometric print and Manirakiza's standout reimagining of the famous painting, with African figures. The beautiful, unique designs are a perfect reflection of her colourful cultural identity.

From his home in San Mauro Pascoli, aka the heart of the Italian shoemaking industry, Moroccan-born shoe designer Karim Daoudi has been one to watch ever since he founded his design house in 2017. An alum of the prestigious research centre and international footwear school Cercal — an institution with ties to Italian footwear giants like Sergio Rossi and Giuseppe Zanotti — Daoudi consistently earns industry recognition for his innovative designs. For fall/winter 2021, he collaborated with the renowned Ballin manufacturing company on a capsule collection inspired by the colourful flora and fauna of far-flung jungle locales (think: bright green and fuchsia knee-high caged booties and sky-high pumps).

If you're a fan of fine art, you may already be familiar with the work of multifaceted Senegalese artist Mokodu. Raised in a family of diplomats, he began his career as a cartoonist until his work as an actor and film producer brought him to Italy. Continuing his passion for figurative arts and portraits, Mokodu's pieces feature prolific figures of the African Renaissance and have been exhibited around the world at art fairs such as Art Paris, Roma Biennale, and the Dakar Biennale. Mokodu launched his eponymous label in 2018 after meeting with Italy's Afro Fashion Association. His goal? To bring art into fashion. His 100-percent sustainable fall/winter collection features upcycled jumpsuits adorned with bold portraiture. It's wearable art in the truest sense!

Gisèle Claudia Ntsama combines unique materials like a true haute couture artisan. Born in Cameroon, Ntsama relocated to Italy in order to study at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna. Thanks to its international exchange program, she subsequently attended the French art and music school Haute école des arts du Rhin in Strasbourg, furthering her training in textile design and igniting her interest in using hemp in her work. Drawing clear inspiration from contemporary art and Japanese design visionaries like Junya Watanabe and Yohji Yamamoto, Ntsama's fall/winter capsule collection is rife with voluminous knitwear in neutral colour combinations.

In 2017, Nigerian-born, Italian-based designer Joy Meribe founded the label Modaf Designs with her businesswoman colleagues in mind (she has a master's degree in international business). Her eponymous brand combines classic Italian silhouettes with decorative designs and fabrics that give a nod to her Nigerian roots. For her most recent collection, Meribe collaborated with bespoke Italian tailoring house San Andres and Como-based silk mill Taroni to create chic, regal looks that transcend time and place. Bonus: a portion of the proceeds from sales of the capsule will benefit a scholarship program for young women in Nigeria.