After witnessing in person Bethann Hardison winning the Vanguard Award at the NAACP Image Awards in late February 2023, I was excited to attend a very intimate discussion between Hardison and influencer Goo Goo Atkins (Goo Ru Style). The event was was held at the Black Design Collective Community Center in Downtown LA’s garment district. I feel it’s necessary to explain what the Vanguard award represents in the fashion community. It is the award given by the NAACP Image Awards that recognizes creatives of color, paying homage to the design/fashion world. For the 54th NAACP Image Awards, it ushered in a new era of equity and inclusivity. According to Cambridge Dictionary, the word vanguard is defined as “A group of people who lead the development of new ideas, or a leading position in the development of something.” Bethann Hardison is responsible for so many firsts, opening doors for people of color in the fashion community in America. So, the term “vanguard” is fitting for what I learned during a very exposing conversation about Hardison’s career for BDC’s Pull Back the Curtain. This was the second event I attended at their breathtaking Creative Center, first being costume designer and BDC co-founder Ruth A. Carter (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)
Bethann Hardison is a model, advocate, modeling agency founder, and the founder of Black Girls Coalition. She was a trailblazer in a time when bold efforts could land a person of color jobless or even worse. Bethann is beyond engaging and ridiculously wise. And what was revealed in her interview with Goo Goo Atkins, she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind and seize the moment. The questions were well researched, catching Hardison by surprise on more than one occasion. As part of the audience, we extemporaneously burst out laughing so much during the conversation, it was apparent that Bethann could add comedienne to her impressive list of credits.
I’d like to focus on the highlights of that evening and what were pivotal discoveries about Hardison’s ever evolving career. The biggest reveal was The Battle of Versailles Fashion Show of which Bethann was a part, along with 10 other Black models. What the Metropolitan Museum offered her and the other models as a citation, Bethann recalls “. . . it was just a gig!”
Goo Goo Atkins asks Hardison about the 1973 Paris fashion show competition that changed history. As we all listened intently, eager to learn about this monumental event, Bethann removes the veneer from that show, and as frank and matter-of-fact as she can be, breaks it down. It was a fascinating exposé, making us love the fashion icon even more. After all, she was there in the middle of it all!
Wikipedia’s Description of The Battle of Versailles:
“Created by Eleanor Lambert and Versailles curator Gerald Van der Kemp, the show pitted French designers (Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Cardin, Emanuel Ungaro, Marc Bohan, and Hubert de Givenchy) against American designers (Oscar de la Renta, Stephen Burrows, Halston, Bill Blass, and Anne Klein, who brought along her assistant, Donna Karan). With a guest list of 700 and notables such as Princess Grace, Marie-Hélène de Rothschild, Jacqueline de Ribes, Gloria Guinness, Andy Warhol, Liza Minnelli, and Joséphine Baker, the event became legendary. Each designer was to submit eight designs for consideration. The Parisian designers viewed their competition as mere sportswear designers. The American designers used eleven Black models, an unprecedented number at the time. The American designers and their models stole the show, providing a youthful approach and stunning the primarily French audience. In 2011, the Huffington Post Game Changer Awards honored the African American models of Versailles with the Style Award. The models included Pat Cleveland, Bethann Hardison, Billie Blair, Jennifer Brice, Alva Chinn, Norma Jean Darden, Charlene Dash, Barbara Jackson, Ramona Saunders, and Amina Warsuma. In 2012, filmmaker Deborah Riley Draper chronicled the event in the feature documentary, Versailles ’73: American Runway Revolution. The film included designer Stephen Burrows, French Chambre Syndicale President Didier Grumbach, and many of the models, journalists, and guests who attended the event in 1973. In 2016, another documentary, Battle at Versailles, was made by the fashion network M2M, chronicling the event. The film was narrated by Stanley Tucci and featured many of the event’s participants. A fictionalized version of the Battle is depicted in the television miniseries Halston, which premiered May 2021, on Netflix.”—Original Source
Bethann Hardison told us the backstory during her conversation with Host Goo Goo Atkins.
“We didn’t change fashion that night, we educated the European designers (the French) about who we were. Also, the American designers lost their set; they thought it was in inches, not centimeters. We were devastated. By the end of the day, we had music . . . and the French never used music. We had Barry White. They had never seen anything like it, and the show gave us an opportunity to be seen in that way. And that was ALL the girls (of all races).”
Hardison talked about how within the industry, people embellish moments, continuing that much of the information about the Battle of Versailles Fashion Show wasn’t known until eight years ago when the diversity department of the Metropolitan Museum learned about the event and decided to give the models a citation, after which putting a spotlight on the girls of color from that show. “When we were there, it was a collection of many: the dancers, the models, all of us coming together. It was diverse. And it was all because of the great choreographer Kay Thompson’s contributions to the show, not ‘Black girl magic.’ We were scared to death, the French and American designers were fighting among each other, Anne Klein was so put upon, and as much as I was first Steven Burrows’s assistant, I was still a model. I had to talk a lot with Anne who was the only female . . . and it was such a controversy. But when showtime came, everyone came together. That’s what was American. That’s what really impressed me. We won, and it was a brilliant moment. At the end of the day, it was just a gig!”
Another great reveal was her part in Tyson Beckford’s career, and how she negotiated the now supermodel’s deal with Ralph Lauren and Polo. She talked about how easy going and trusting of her abilities he was. (A side note: Tyson Beckford was one of our cover models for Agenda Issue #13, styled by Ty-Ron Mayes, Fashion Whisperer.) Other topics included the Black Girl Coalition and bringing those famous models together, which included a very young Tyra Banks, Beverly Johnson, Iman, and a slew of other rising and top models. She spoke about the models using their status to help raise money for the homeless problem by having them at a prestigious party where top Hollywood celebrities could contribute to the cause and raise awareness. The event was a success. During the Q&A, I asked Bethann if there was any backlash for this movement, and her nonchalant response to my question was telling. “No. It was just the right thing to do.” She didn’t give any thought to possible repercussions and wasn’t concerned about public opinion, other than fixing a terrible problem that wasn’t being addressed. And wow, did she ever address it!
The evening ended with designer Kenneth Nicholson talking about his growing success in the fashion industry, showing his appreciation to Bethann and the new systems that help Black designers succeed. It was a moving testimony. Hardison’s position with Gucci’s Changemakers Council is aligned with the Black Design Collective’s mission, and that was the big reveal for me.
At the beginning of the program that evening, designer Kevan Hall, President & Co-Founder of the Black Design Collective, talked about the successes of the nonprofit since its launch.
“In 2018, we founded the Black Design Collective to raise awareness to the culture and the impact the BDC has made in America and globally. For us, it was more than just having a black box on Instagram and making a statement about what we were going to do and how we were going to do it. We actually rolled up our sleeves to create workshops for designers, to award scholarships, and find a way to empower and help them create viable businesses. During the pandemic, we were able to help our membership come into two million dollars-worth of support, SBA Loans, and all kinds of funding. We’re really proud of the work we’ve done. And right now, you are sitting in our Black Design Collective Creative Center.” Kevan Hall continues, “We have sewing machines, cutting tables, a podcast studio and photo studio. It’s an incredible space for designers to launch their business, be creative, and do whatever it is that they need to get their projects off the ground.”
Designer TJ Walker (Cross Colours), Co-Founder of the Black Design Collective adds,
“In regards to our slogan, the mission has always been to build something that helps creatives of color navigate the industry of fashion. And this is not something that we’re just targeting for the United States, but for the world, and including Africa. We’re currently pushing our micro factories, which are a part of our Creative Center. We’re addressing sustainability, as well as highlighting the education and training within our organization.” –TJ Walker
Bethann Hardison is doing so much even now. She’s still an advocate, model, muse, a perpetual pioneer and a woman of power. Her contributions to the fashion industry have been instrumental in creating awareness and causing change. She talked about a book she’s in the middle of writing and her movie Invisible Beauty, which was recently accepted at the Sundance Film Festival 2023.
Prominent guests who were present at the talk were FIDM founder & president Tonian Hohberg; Grammy-nominated bassist Bunny Brunel; Robin Harrison (VP of Hollywood Bureau, NAACP); multi-award-winning Actor Jimmy Jean-Louis; Emmy Award-winning costume designer Brenda Cooper; and fashion designers Kenneth Nicholson, Okera Banks, and Dena Burton. Guests that evening enjoyed drinks that were provided by Melody Murphy of Mixed Bar Services.
Enjoy more highlights from the Event. (All photographs by Karim Saafir)
To learn more about Bethann Hardison, visit her at bethannhardison.com.
Visit designer Goo Goo Atkins store at googooatkins.com.
To attend (or watch the livestream) BDC’s Pull Back the Curtain series, visit blackdesigncollective.com for more information.
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