FASHION Survival Stories: Black Fashion Designers Share Their Experiences During COVID

BY PEARL PHILLIP

At the start of the Covid pandemic, designer Glenroy March made the bold and risky decision to leave New York, the fashion capital of the world, and head to Ghana, Africa. March is the creator of House of D'Marsh (www.dmarshcouture.com), which features custom-made formal wear and wedding gowns, DM by D'Marsh, a ready-to-wear clothing line; and lifestyle products such as candles, body and bath, and cosmetics.

The pandemic was described as a Black Swan for the fashion industry. Black Swan events are characterized by their extreme rarity, their severe impact, and the widespread insistence they were apparent in retrospect. New York was not spared as one of the world's fashion capitals. Many companies faced bankruptcy. The impact on black designers was severe.

"Everyone thought I was crazy," March said, "I will never forget on March 14, 2020, when Covid hit, the first thing that came to my mind was, how am I going to keep the brand alive? And I said, what other talent do I have? I could teach fashion. The fashion masterclass in Ghana was created through Covid. I teach all the tricks, the trades. I decided to go where the restrictions were slightly lighter and chose Ghana.

I had one friend there, and I stayed in my apartment and built out the masterclass. I found a way to survive. I was booming. I went to Ghana and taught a masterclass in fashion for three years. That kept D'Marsh alive."

He added, "I'm very grounded. Like, this is the D'Marsh brand. This is the path for the brand, and I'm not going to detour over Covid or anything."

A Dollar and a Dream

March started his dream of being a fashion designer twenty years ago. "I was 13 years old, and it was Career Day. And the teacher asks me, what do you want to become? And I said I want to make people beautiful. And he said, in clothes or makeup? I said clothes."

March said on his journey, "It was a dream on a dollar. So, I want to really let people know that I did not have what we call in Jamaica, a gold spoon in my mouth or what we say in America. I'm from a middle-class family, so I did not have the money or the income to go ahead and do what I did. So I keep dreaming and figuring it out. As I told someone just a while ago, hey, in Jamaica, you have to make things work." And work it did.

This year, March is celebrating his 20th year in the fashion industry. He has published a coffee table book to commemorate his 20th Anniversary. House of D'Marsh had its genesis in the Spring of 2003 when March launched his Spring collection during Caribbean Fashion Week in Jamaica's capital city, Kingston.

This start gave rise to the pursuit of a passion by the talented Jamaican who would later stun audiences locally and internationally.

Entrepreneurship comes with risks and rewards. March felt that doing something was better than nothing. "As an entrepreneur, you have to take risks. You have to be bold and know what's important to you so you can work around that. So, as you notice, I don't dwell on the negative or the obstacles. I don't worry about what people have to say. Staying in New York, I couldn't do anything; nothing was open. I decided to leave while I could. If you analyze too much, you will never achieve anything. So, I want to get that clear. So, I was not focused on the negative or the impossible. Of course, I did my homework."

When Life Gives You Lemons, You Make Lemonade; When Covid-19 Happens, You Make Masks

Before going to Ghana, Marsh produced masks. He shared how clients and friends bought masks to support him. He presented healthcare workers at Brooklyn Hospital with a donation of masks to thank them for their service. The staff expressed their gratitude to the Jamaican-born designer adding that the fashionable masks would undoubtedly add color and brighten their day.

"Pivoting, I started producing masks," he said." And now it's part of it. And you know what? The online store works. People buy cosmetics, and bow ties, too, because people still have things at home. When you have relationships with your clients, those relationships will ensure that you stay alive. So, I had clients that would buy 20 masks and give them to their friends. But I know, really, they're just making sure that I stayed alive because nobody wants 20. So again, if you build that relationship and stay grounded, no matter if another Covid comes or another thing, to me, Covid was just another day in my world because you're always going to face challenges."

The Challenge for Designers of Color

In March 2020, the coronavirus caused a full-scale lockdown in New York. Many industries faced the brunt of Covid-19, the fashion industry among them. Many companies struggled during the pandemic. Some collapsed. "Covid-19 brought financial uncertainty and insecurity, and spending on fashion apparel quickly decreased," said Marian Zengel, assistant teaching professor and coordinator of Bowling Green State University's top-ranked apparel merchandising and product development program.

For many black fashion designers, the impact was severe.

"The impact on the industry ... is very devastating," said TJ Walker, co-founder of Crosscolours founded in 1989, and the Black Design Collective (www.Blackdesigncollective.com). The organization's mission is to help creatives of color navigate the fashion industry. Walker discussed the black fashion industry and the challenges of moving forward.

Walker has over 30 years of experience in the fashion industry and has been an educator for over 20 years. His cofounders include Angela Dean, a designer for stars such as Patty Labelle, Kevin Hall, design and creative director of Halston, and Ruth E. Carter, who made history in 2019 as the first black woman to win an Oscar for costume design. She now has two Oscars, winning another Academy award this year for her work on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

According to a House Committee on Small Business report, the number of working Black entrepreneurs declined 40 percent with the Covid-19 lockdown, a more considerable drop than other ethnic groups.

One of the challenges for small businesses was applying for funding, an area the Black Design Collective assisted with. "We created workshops to help them and guide them to those funding streams (such as Small Business Administration grants) to guide them to potential funding for their businesses and even the government subsidies and all the other things that were accessible. We guided them through the application process and those kinds of things. We helped creatives amass, to date, over $2 million in funding and grants because we didn't have the funds within our organization, but we can guide them to the funds, which we feel very good about," Walker explained.

Walker added, "If anyone's in the fashion industry and the garment industry as well, or just the economy in general right now, it's really tough for retailers, and it's really tough for those that are trying to actually go into the fashion industry and do business as well. But we want to see how we can help sustain and help those willing to go through it. And we're doing that quite well by introducing our education and training or classes that we're launching this summer at our Creative Center in downtown Los Angeles. The classes are available online as well."

Moving Forward

In the aftermath of the pandemic, what's next for the fashion industry and black designers in particular?

Walker explained the direction he would like fashion designers to take is based on financial literacy and business strategy. "Business structure and business development as well," Walker explained. "And then also international business and how to be self-sustained by setting up your own business. And I mean your own business in terms of sales, which means that your website or other web sales are the things you navigate to with your business, with the business in general. Even for designers of color, I think it's very important for you continued on page 20