Style Setters

Kahlana Barfield Brown has carved a niche for herself in the hyper-competitive world of fashion and beauty publishing. She studied Journalism and Fashion Merchandising at Howard University, which led her to a career at one of fashion world’s top magazines in New York City. Kahlana spent a decade climbing the ranks, holding titles ranging from Intern to Beauty Director. Today, Kahlana serves as a beauty and fashion expert, stylist, on-air talent, and ambassador for leading fashion brands around the world. As a mother to two beautiful daughters, Kahlana aims to empower and inspire young Black women through her inspired content, demonstrated work ethic, and partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Brandice Daniel has been doing the work. In May 2007, she created Harlem Fashion Row, a movement to uplift and empower designers of color. Through brand strategy, media, events, mentorship, and connections, she has helped innumerable designers take their brands to the next level. And during the pandemic, Brandice took HFR to its next one. She created Icon360, an HFR nonprofit devoted to giving designers impacted by the pandemic the financial relief they need to get back to business.

“When you only see certain sizes represented or are left out of the shopping experience because your size doesn’t exist, how are you not left feeling less-than?”. Gabi is on a mission to change that. She burst onto the style scene in 2012 when she broke the internet with a photo of herself in a bikini captioned #Fatkini. Since then, she’s gone on to be a body-positive activist, designer, style influencer, and overall pioneer leading the plus-size space. Her work has helped expand not just the people brands represent in their ads but the actual products brands are making.

When Hannah Harris noticed most hand models in the beauty category were white, she took matters into her own hands—literally. She created @BrownGirlHands, an Instagram page showcasing the beauty of Black and brown hands in product photography. Her work has inspired some of the biggest names in the industry to introduce diversity to this sector of beauty and has set a new benchmark that all product photography can and should follow.

Kia knows the sneaker game is about much more than looks. Growing up in NYC, she used it as a tool to stand out in a sea of students in uniform and as a form of self-expression. She’s still doing the same, but now with social media., using her platform to empower women to be their most unapologetic selves. She advocates a more sustainable lifestyle via her #sneakersandsustainability effort. Not only does the NYC kickfluencer flaunt her own personal style, she invites others to do the same, especially other Black women. She lives by the quote, “less consuming & more creating and styling!”