Fashion serves as a marker of time. Often if you look at history books you can see how a trend permeated everyone’s closets like the 1950’s mod style or the bell bottoms of the 1970s. The defining moments for 2024 were less about trends and more about historical moments.
For three months, we saw Vice President Kamala Harris campaign to be the next president of the United States. Throughout her run, she wore power suits in elegant tones. In our eyes, her political style will be talked about even past this year. Meanwhile, stylists also had a defining year with not just their clients at the forefront of the news cycle. Law Roach’s approach to the theme in his image architecture with Zendaya’s recent Challengers film was the talk of the spring season. Even a cheeky-themed magazine filled with high fashion and archival looks was unveiled from the multi-hyphenate’s mind.
A few celebrities did stand out and not just in one or two instances, but throughout the year. Rappers Kendrick Lamar and Doechii both took the spotlight in terms of best dressed artists. The Tampa-raised rapper has been seen wearing outfits that almost emulate the “office siren,” but does it in a subversive way. Her stylist Sam Woolf is to thank for these looks on and off the stage. Additionally, African fashion took over the runways, red carpets, and fashion events alike.
Scroll through our fashion time capsule to bask in some historical moments that made 2024 a year to remember.
Kamala Harris’ Suits
We’ve talked about it a lot, but Vice President Kamala Harris ran a campaign for 107 days and left a monumental impact. Her power suits were a discussion that Black women constantly face in the midst of their greatness: assimilation and control. How can a completely competent and successful Black woman showcase her knowledgeable prowess: dress the part. While already being Black was a hurdle, being a woman was another obstacle for the Harris campaign. The Vice President was already one to wear suits quite often, but during her campaign, she wore a skirt publicly once during her stop at a New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Georgia. Her stylist Leslie Fremar made it known that her power suits were to convey that Harris is in control and can handle the role of President of the United States. Her run was much more than just her fashion choices, but the psychology behind her looks was what drew attention to them in the first place.
Cynthia Erivo And Jason Bolden Nail Method Dressing
Taking a page out of image architect Law Roach’s book, actress Cynthia Erivo graced the red carpet many times in villainous green ensembles. In brands from Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Valentino, and Carolina Herrera she stood out–especially for the attention to detail that went into each look. Celebrity stylist Jason Bolden is behind those looks, he utilized hues of green to evoke her Wicked character Elphaba. Accessories from her extra-long embellished nails to her earring stacks conveyed that her looks were meant to make a statement. Hence why she’s one of our “Best Dressed” women of the year. Erivo’s performance in Wicked received wide adoration amongst thespians, but her looks won our fashion-loving hearts.
Law Roach And Zendaya’s Challengers Press Tour Looks
Law Roach has shown us this year that there is always more to do with your talents. He created a storyline with each of Zendaya’s looks during her press run for Challengers. From styling her in brands like Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, and Loewe, Roach kept a tennis theme running no matter the occasion. His use of storytelling through clothing showcased his styling mastery is always expanding. Amid the Challengers press tour, a Challengers magazine was released, marketing the movie for even more success through custom and pulled high fashion ensembles. Zendaya served as the editor-in-chief with Roach as the global fashion director. The art direction was handled by designer Ashley Simone behind Ashya while photography was executed by Anthony Leslie Prince.
Diotima Wins Big At The 2024 CFDA Awards
In October Rachel Scott of Diotima won Womenswear Designer of the Year at the CFDA Awards, a coveted award amongst hard-working designers building their small businesses to scale. This win is crucial to her career, as she transitioned from emerging to established with a CFDA co-sign to back her well-deserved relevance in the fashion industry at large. She, notably, was the first Black woman to win the Womenswear Designer of the Year Award. She made Black history and will continue to inspire other designers like herself with this representation.
African Fashion Has A Breakout Year
From Lagos Fashion Week taking over to concept stores like The Narativ House founded by Farai Simoyi, African designers are taking over. Designers from Kíléntár (shown above), Orange Culture, Tolu Coker, Taofeek Abijako, Thebe Magugu, and more have shaped this year’s fashion zeitgeist on and off the runways. More platforms like The Folklore and Industrie Africa are making brands like Fruché to Lisa Folawiyo more accessible to the public and more widely known all around. Guzangs, another digital platform is also pouring into creative communities on the continent. With this growth, we’re seeing African designers get the recognition they deserve.
Kendrick Lamar’s Style Keeps Getting Better
Kendrick Lamar had a pivotal fashion year in 2024. Throughout his rap career, he’s shouted out two Black women designers, Martine Rose and Grace Wales Bonner. In his “Not Like Us” music video he wore Los Angeles-based designers Ghetto Rodeo and Kaló Soil. His all-white Willy Chavarria look in the previously mentioned video alongside a few Martine Rose-made looks let us know just how intentional he is about his fashion choices. He’s a rapper with a unique taste–and he also understands the importance of his visual aesthetics aligning with his lyrical prowess.
Ayo Edebiri’s And Danielle Goldberg’s Incomparable Red Carpet Style
At this year’s Emmy Awards, actress Ayo Edebiri wore a colorful strapless gown by Bottega Veneta. This was just one of many looks that had gone viral in the fashion sphere. At the show, she wore another strapless dress in black leather with a bubble hemline and slight ruching by Louis Vuitton. This one had us swooning over our screens as she accepted her award for “Best Supporting Actress.” At the Met Gala, she stunned in a custom floral Loewe gown that billowed as she walked down the museum’s stairs. She denied being a fashion darling in the past, but she’s proven otherwise on the red carpet.
Met Gala 2025 Hosts: Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, And More
Back in October, the Metropolitan Museum of Art announced the Costume Institute’s exhibition, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.” The exhibition draws inspiration from Monica L. Miller’s book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity (Miller will serve as a guest curator for the show). Notably, the exhibition will “feature garments, paintings, photographs, and more—all exploring the indelible style of Black men in the context of dandyism, from the 18th century through present day,” according to Vogue.
Formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton, rapper A$AP Rocky, actor Colman Domingo, and the multi-hyphenate Pharrell Williams will serve alongside Anna Wintour as co-chairs of the opulent night. LeBron James will serve as an honorary chair. Often when we think of Black Dandyism, the late Andre Leon Talley comes to mind as he showcased maximalism and peacocking with chic taste.
Wayman + Micah Style Takeover
Again, stylists took the spotlight this year and this duo was no exception. Wayman Bannerman and Micah McDonald styled pretty much all of your favorite actors and artists this year. The recognition they’ve received as a dynamic styling duo is well-deserved as they’ve cultivated a signature with notable names from actor Colman Domingo, Jodie Turner-Smith, Coco Jones, Regina King, Danielle Deadwyler, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph. Randolph had a particularly incredible year with her Oscar win and press tour looks that were retrospectively fitting for an award-winning actress.
The Whitney Museum’s Edges of Ailey
The Whitney Museum’s tribute to the legendary choreographer Alvin Ailey is nothing short of extraordinary. Edges of Ailey conveys dance, Blackness, community, sensuality, and relentless dedication to craft. Walking into the exhibit, one is immediately immersed in the world of dance with large installation paintings, videos spanning from choreography to conversations, and sculptures conveying the importance of movement and artistry. Kept alive through his hand-written notes and thoughts on fashion, costuming, and its relationship with dance were some of the best parts of the in-flow exhibit. It’s the type of art show that needs to be experienced more than once.
Doechii’s Style Evolution
Tampa has been put on the map by rapper Doechii’s ill lyrics and dynamic voice. The TDE signee has also taken over the fashion world with looks by Miu Miu for her Rolling Loud performance to Thom Browne for her Late Show With Stephen Colbert performance. At her debut NPR Tiny Desk performance, she wore a look by Willy Chavarria. Each of these looks conveys a level of “professionalism” of sorts with ties, long pencil skirts, polo shirts, belts, and sometimes small glasses as accessories. This parallels Janelle Monae’s uniforms that they wore in their early career. Doechii’s modern take also nods a bit toward the “office siren” trend that we were noticing take over in late 2023 into 2024. Either way, she’s growing into her style in a way we haven’t seen a rapper do in a while, and were excited for what she brings next.
