In Milan, a cultural shift has been happening in the past few years, as scores of young creatives have been rising up and creating spaces and initiatives in which change can take place in regards to inclusivity, diversity and cultural impact.
For this reason, the Afro Fashion association recently launched an initiative called the Black Carpet Awards. Founded by Michelle Francine Ngonmo , the award gala will take place in February 2023, during Milan Fashion Week and will celebrate talents of different backgrounds with ten awards across five different categories like legacy , creativity, entrepreneurship and community in acknowledgement of ten leaders of change from a variety of creative sectors such as fashion, art, food, design, sport, cinema & entertainment. The first edition in 2023 is set to have a focus specifically on Italy based talent and will also include a special tribute to the late Virgil Abloh. The team behind the project includes nss’ chief executive officer Walter D’Aprile; nss magazine editor at large and creative director behind the My Queer Blackness, My Black Queerness Jordan Anderson, content creator and talent Tamu McPherson; art and fashion curator and digital art expert Gloria Maria Cappelletti; art director Macs Iotti; Ghanaian-born, Italian-based designer Nana Brenu, as well as head of editorial content at Vogue Italia Francesca Ragazzi.
All of the people mentioned played a vital part in piecing together the entire thing. In the upcoming weeks, there will also be a wider jury that will eventually be revealed, who will take part in voting for each category along with a percentage of votes from the public. “Diversity is about sitting around a table and discussing how to challenge representation of marginalized communities. I hope this project will tear down walls and barriers and help understand the importance of forging ties and working together to write the story.” of DE&I” – founder Michelle Francine Ngonmo.
“The event is about creating a space where we can all be celebrated for the efforts that we put into the work we’ve done as a community on a daily basis. Many of the creatives of today are longing for spaces like this and we’re extremely proud to be acknowledging the young people for the work that they’ve been doing in society“. – Jordan Anderson
