THANK YOU, ANDRE LEON TALLEY

Thank you. For your presence in not just the fashion industry but the world. As the most prominent trailblazing fashion icon that has graced the world you are an even trailblazing cultural icon. As a Black queer man who was raised in the Jim Crow South working their way into the industry as Andy Warhol’s receptionist at Interview Magazine to creative director and Editor at Large for Vogue, Andre Leon Talley has relentlessly rewrote the fashion industries roles. My favorite work of Mr. Talley was his reimagining of “Gone With The Wind”, for Vanity Fair casting Naomi Campbell in addition to the iconic model Iman and her retirement shoot for Vogue shot by Helmut Newton, styled by Andre Leon Talley himself. Andre’s work has always spoke to me and I have always had a connection when it came to him and his work as a fashion journalist. As a young teen I was just getting into fashion and what the fashion industry is and one of the things I would do is watch fashion based documentaries and videos. One of the first fashion documentaries I watched was the 2009 documentary “The September Issue” . There were very iconic moments of Andre that I still recite to this day. One being “It’s a famine of beauty. The famine of beauty, honey! My eyes are starving for beauty!” Another one of the documentaries that I watched was Vogue’s 2016 documentary “The First Monday in May”, directed by Andrew Rossi. The documentary follows the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s most attended fashion exhibition in history, China: Through The Looking Glass. The documentary was very eye opening for me as a young teen getting a glimpse into how much work goes into these particular events. However, what really stuck with me was the portion of the documentary where the biggest and stylish celebrities are seen on the red carpet. During this moment Rihanna steps on the carpet in her iconic Guo Pei yellow dress and as she stepped out Mr. Talley spoke of her and her grace stating, “I love a girl from humble beginnings who becomes a big star”. In this moment it was the first time I had ever felt true emotion when it came to fashion and the beauty of it. Seeing Rihanna in that beautifully constructed Guo Pei dress and listening to Andre Leon Talley’s commentary made me fall in love with fashion and for that I am forever beholden to Andre Leon Talley and what he means to not only me as a young balck woman but culturally. From that moment on I became enamored by Andre Leon Talley, from his signature oversized coats to his mass collection of kaftans, Mr. Talley was someone I could learn from and appreciate. His knowledge of not only the fashion industry but the world was absolutely incredible and something that I want to behold myself. Andre defined fashion the way I have never seen anyone do. Looking at his different interviews and reading about him there was this sense of enthusiasm and uniqueness when retelling fashion stories and fashion history. Looking back at his career and what he has accomplished as not just a Black man but a Black person in an industry that is not so kind to Black people, it only gave me hope and the confidence to know that I too can work in this industry and be successful in my own right. I recently looked back on Mr. Talley’s 2017 documentary “The Gospel According to Andre” directed by Kate Novak, and I once again realized just how much of trailblazer Andre Leon Talley was and still is. Being able to rewrite the fashion industry's rules and carve out space in the magazine world for young Black people like me is something that I cherish and hold dearly to my heart. Being able to see him dress first ladies, cast black models, advocate for young creatives, show off his amazing fashion journalism skills, and create beautiful artful work as Vogue’s Editor at Large and creative director was some of the few things that made me appreciate Mr. Talley and his work.

So, I thank Andre Leon Talley for his cultivated and diverse expressions of fashion whether that was through his words or his style. I thank him and his long years of hard work as a Black queer man in the fashion industry.

Thank You.