Beyoncé’s Fashionable Juneteenth Homage to Black Designers
The “This Telfar Bag imported, Birkins those shits in storage” singer, Beyoncé, is bringing attention to the fashion industry's brightest Black designers and not just through her lyrics. It’s undeniable that Beyonce’s influence is unmatched, she’s known for highlighting Black artists and uplifting her community through wearing black designs. For her June 18, Renaissance World tour in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Queen B celebrated Juneteenth, by wearing mostly Black fashion designers including the brightest creative minds behind Ferragamo, Off-White, Balmain and LaQuan Smith.
Photo: Kevin Manzur
Maximilian Davis, Creative Director for Ferragamo, previously known as Salvator Ferragamo, designed the two dresses Beyoncé wore in her Amsterdam show.
Maximilian designed a custom red gown for the singer, hand embroidered with crystals and beads, featuring a square neck and her signature high slit. The look was a fiery addition to her performance. The second look designed by Maximilian was a futuristic look, made up of chrome fabric. The dress draped over the shoulder and down her back. The look was paired with monochromatic gloves and matching thigh-high boots.
Maximilian stepped up to the role of creative director of Ferragamo at 26 years old, aiming to design elegant and quality pieces. From Manchester, England, and of Jamaican and Trinidadian descent, Maximilian is a black designer making waves in the industry with the potential to do even more.
Creative Director for Balmain, Olivier Rousteing, is the designer behind two of Beyonce’s ensembles for the show. One was her iconic metallic bodysuit in which she resembled a robot. The leotard suit, which featured built-in gloves, featured a silver base and metal plates covering it entirely, sculpted to fit Beyoncé perfectly. The look was styled with matching silver thigh-high boots.
Photo: WWD
Olivier also designed the signature bee suit which Beyoncé wore on her Amsterdam show while performing America Has a Problem. The full-length black and yellow bodysuit had a scaley honeycomb-like texture to it with bee-like stripes down the arms and legs. Unlike Beyoncé’s previous leotard bee suits she has worn for other shows on her world tour, Balmain’s take was a full length, all the way down to the attached boots. The look was completed by a coordinating wide-brimmed hat, creating a look fit for a Queen Bee.
Olivier Rousteing has been creative director for Balmain since 2011, the French fashion designer, well known for some of the iconic looks he has created over the years, including Jlo’s iconic 2018 Met Gala Look and many of Kim Kardashian’s looks in the early 2010s.
Beyoncé hit the stage in an all-red ensemble from hats to boots, in a look by Off-White’s Art and Image director Ib Karama. He has designed other looks worn in her previous Renaissance world tour shows, however, this one featured a red leotard bodysuit with a large accenting zipper, a cropped red hooded utility jacket accented with silver hardware throughout with a coordinating garter belt, a slouchy sparkly red thigh high boots to match. The look was completed with red futuristic sunglasses and a red metallic wide-brimmed top hat.
Photo: LaQuan Smith
Ib Karama is a fashion designer born in Sierra Leone and based in London where he also worked as Editor of Dazed Magazine. Ib Karama has held the position of Art and Image Director of Off-White since April 2022, 5 months after the passing of Virgil Abloh, the late founder and creative director for the brand. Ib Karama’s major work as Editor and Chief of Dazed as well as director for Off-White are just two examples of his creative power and influence. Beyoncé surely thinks so as she has trusted him with many of his iconic looks.
Beyoncé wore a jaw-dropping bodysuit designed by London-Based Designer, Feben. The garment featured a nude top and silver bottom with red and black accents down the arms, legs, and around the waist. The entire look was bedazzled with crystals. The look was styled with mix match red and silver boots, pairing well with the mix-match nature of the ensemble. Feben is known for using imagery in her designs to visualize the black life experience. She thanked Beyoncé for the opportunity in her Instagram post on @feben.x saying,
Renaissance tour - Thank you for inviting me into your world. What an incredible moment to be a part of, and a pivotal one for myself, and my inner child. It means the world to be supported and seen as a black female designer in the industry, thank you @shionayt.
Photo: V Magazine
Making an entrance on her disco ball horse, Beyoncé made her way to the stage wearing a custom LaQuan Smith catsuit that resembled shattered glass. She paired the suit with an over-the-top silver fur coat, and silver pointed-toe pumps. LaQuan Smith is a black fashion designer born in Queens, New York. He has dressed celebrities like Little Mermaid actress Halle Bailey, and model Winnie Harlow. He describes designing for Beyoncé in an Instagram post as “such an honor.”
Beyoncé’s brand, Ivy Park, a collaboration with Adidas, made an appearance in Beyoncé’s Amsterdam show. Her dancers hit the stage in what people hope to be Ivy Park's next anticipated collection. Queen B wore a hot pink custom-made IvyPark ensemble. Beyoncé herself can be credited for the design of the Ivy Park piece worn in her show. In a rare sentimental Instagram post, she shares her inspiration from the disco era with a modern twist. The look features a halter cross top and a double-slit dress. Paired with matching hot pink gloves, the sparkling pink disco look made by Beyoncé herself was an excellent addition to her show.
Stylists were also involved in the creation of this jaw dropping look. The stylists and consultants included Shiona Turini, Julia Sarr-Jamois, Vance Gamble, and Kj Moody, all black creators.
Each outfit Beyoncé wore for her show was unique, yet captured the essence of Beyoncé’s style and paired well with her music and performance. I wonder if we’ll see Black collaborations of the same magnitude moving forward with the Renaissance tour.