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23
JANUARY 2013
TV
Black Fashionistas:
The Good Girls of Reality TV?
THOUGH REALITY SHOWS OFTEN SHOW BLACK WOMEN AT THEIR WORST, A NEW
CROP OF CHARACTERS ARE SHOWING SISTERS IN A VERY DIFFERENT LIGHT
By N A N A E K UA
BREW-HAMMOND
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'Fashion Star' contestant Tori Nichel
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Styled To Rock
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tori nichel
T
here’s been so much controversy surrounding the
badly-behaved Black women of reality shows like
Basketball Wives and Love and Hip-Hop, we forget that one
of the most iconic—and positive—reality TV divas of our time
is Tyra Banks. Back in 2003, the model made the successful
transition to reality television with the addictive America’s Next Top Model.
Subjecting aspiring models to campy challenges and dramatically delivering
the judging results via their photographs, Tyra demystified the intimidating
world of fashion for television viewers across the country and launched the
careers of plus model Toccara Jones and actresses Yaya Dacosta and Eva
Marcille. All the while, she was solidifying her personal brand as a black
woman about her business.
In the last year, Black fashionistas have picked up the baton Tyra created
with ANTM. In March 2012, celebrity stylist June Ambrose starred in VH1’s
"Styled by June", while Nicole Richie joined Jessica Simpson and John
Varvatos as a mentor on NBC’s “Fashion Star”.
Last February, Rihanna announced she was executive producing
reality competition “Styled to Rock” in the UK. (She’s bringing the show
to American television via the Style Network.) And in October, model
Joan Smalls hit the small screen as co-host of MTV’s “House of Style”
reboot. Even Naomi Campbell is entering the reality TV fray, executive
producing and debuting on “The Face”, set to premiere on Oxygen
February 12th during New York Fashion Week.
With the return of Lifetime’s “Project Runway” on January 24th and
“Fashion Star” on March 8th, contestants Samantha Black and Tori
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Whether we’re talking about huge sartorial personalities like Naomi
Campbell; or the over-the-top excess of the images and lifestyle presented on
the runways and magazine editorials, fashion is known for its celebration of
spectacle.
Tori Nichel (who goes by her first and middle name for branding purposes)
admits these aspects of the fashion industy definitely lend themselves to
entertainment. But, the New York-based Michigan native says, there’s a big
gap between what people think a career in fashion is, and the reality.
“All my friends thought I was going to be designing in this huge studio in
front of this big window, and you know, sketching all day, and playing with
colored pencils.” She says, “It would be a great life to have to do that all day
everyday, but it’s not the reality of fashion. …[If you’re] a true hardworking
designer…you’re definitely much more in the trenches.”
WHETHER WE’RE TALKING ABOUT HUGE SARTORIAL
PERSONALITIES LIKE NAOMI CAMPBELL; OR THE
OVER-THE-TOP EXCESS OF THE IMAGES AND
LIFESTYLE PRESENTED ON THE RUNWAYS AND
MAGAZINE EDITORIALS, FASHION IS KNOWN FOR ITS
CELEBRATION OF SPECTACLE.
Having clocked 14 years in the business rising through the design ranks at
high-end and mass-market brands like Dana Buchman, Kenneth Cole, Tibi,
and Kmart where she was Design Director, Tori Nichel says it was the
true-to-the-industry premise of “Fashion Star” that made her want to be part
of the show. “You’re designing a collection and presenting it to buyers for a
chance to sell your stuff in their stores.”
For Tori Nichel, being on “Fashion Star” was part of a strategic decision to
re-launch her eponymous womenswear line. “With the opportunity of
‘Fashion Star’,” she continues, “this was the first time in five years where I
felt like it would be a great time to reenter the marketplace…and just come
back with an even more distinct point of view.”
Black says of her role on “Project Runway” Season 11, “I don’t care if
[I] become this great reality star,” “I really just want my business to be
where I want it to be… where I’m in boutiques and the stores where I want to
be; and also my line is…seen as a great American brand.”
The designer who has interned for Michael Kors, Jill Stuart, and the late
Alexander McQueen says being considered an “American brand” versus an
urban brand can be a challenge for Black designers. “The fact that I’m black,
I have so much more criteria, and things I can and cannot do in order to get
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Black explains, “I can’t have an all-black cast of models. I have to be very
careful with my music selection for my fashion shows. I also have to be
careful when I shoot my lookbooks.”
She continues, “I have to make sure that when people look at my clothing or
the way that it’s photographed, or anything like that, that they don’t think
automatically, ‘Oh my God, it’s a black designer.’ I have to always be trying
to make sure that I’m first seen as just a great designer, and then the fact
that I’m black or anything else comes after.” She admits,
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