NYFW Spotlight: Negris Lebrum “Black Is Beautiful”

Between the outbreak of COVID19, countless natural disasters, and the Black Lives Matter movement, these have been unprecedented times to say the least. The collection from Negris Lebrum truly hits home, and in the midst of everything has become a fashionable version of the nations headlines.

Negris Lebrum’s creative director Travis Hamilton started out with a series of T-shirts with the statement “Noir est Joli” translating to “Black Is Beautiful.” 11 years later, the statement finds itself back into the conversation and more relevant than ever in one of the biggest movements in our nations history.

This collections inspiration was “good trouble”, a phrase used by social activist and civil rights legend, John Lewis. Simply looking to pay tribute to his iconic hero, Hamilton could have never known the events that were to take place when he began designing this collection over 6 months ago. Soon after he began, came the beginnings of the societal uproar leading the the Black Lives Matter Movement, and the passing of his muse John Lewis, leaving his inspiration at the forefront of national news.

Another thing I came to learn this season was the inspiration behind using Negris Lebrum as the name for Hamilton’s Collection. The story was indeed based on a real person. A fair skinned Creole who was able to pass as a white woman, fell in love with a dark skinned black man and found herself shunned by both the black and white communities. Hamilton personally met Negris Lebrum and was so inspired by her story he asked to use her name for his collection as a tribute to her courage and to ensure her name would live on beyond her years.

The collection itself is a dichotomic in every way. I definitely felt a retro aesthetic with some of those flower power and polka dot prints, but placed in a modern silhouette. You have your sporty elements of the rugby or graphic shirt, which are then paired with a feminine skirt or edgy leather shorts. The colors also really stood out and contrasted each other, pairing tomato red with electric blue.
One thing I always find Negris Lebrum does so well are the badass black looks and I’m glad he included some all black pieces in here along with some sassy leopard print looks.

As he intended there is something for everyone regardless of age, size, race, taste, and social class. “Effortless options for an era where effort should be put elsewhere other than one’s closet.”

To view the virtual show for Negris Lebrum click here.

For another NYFW Spotlight article from this seasons Virtual Fashion Week, click here.