Designer pushes for Afro-Latino recognition
Afro-Colombian fashion designer Edwing D'Angelo says Afro-Latinos should be honored during Black History Month.
For the past 15 years, Afro-Colombian fashion designer Edwing D’Angelo has been making a name for himself in New York City's Fashion Week, and his clothes have been worn by icons like Tyra Banks and featured in films like "The Devil Wears Prada."
Now, he wants to make sure that other Afro-Latinos get that same sort of recognition.
Born in the Pacific coastal city of Buenaventura, Colombia, D'Angelo is now using his success to begin to champion and highlight the contributions of Afro-Latinos in the world of fashion and beyond.
"The inclusion of Afro-Latinos in the American diaspora is very little [talked about] – politically, socially, economically," D'Angelo said."The conversation began in Colombia. Now I’m bringing what I learned there to make it something more universal … to bring attention to this group that sometimes is voiceless."
Often marginalized, Afro-Latinos find themselves frequently stuck between two worlds and two cultures. D'Angelo wants the group and its contributions to be honored and discussed during Black History Month this February.
"We have a different je ne sais quoi," he said about the Afro-Latino design aesthetic. "We have the best of both worlds. We know what the black world is and we know what the Latin world is."
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