The Fashionability of the 2020 ESPY Awards
The 2020 ESPY Awards transpired as an unexpected tribute to black designers, born from the show’s commendation of black athletes and their racial equality activism. Athletic power couple Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird hosted the event from their cozy abode wearing various garments of black-owned fashion labels, their most noteworthy attire being that which honored the late George Floyd.
Rapinoe and Bird began the show with their most overt symbol of support for racial justice, Black Lives Matter t-shirts by black, female Phenomenal founder Meena Harris. Even their shoes were subtle signifiers of racial solidarity, with Rapinoe having laced up sneakers from Colin Kaepernick’s Nike collection and Bird outfitted in a pair from the black-owned Fear of God.
Next, they flaunted complementary pantsuits, Rapinoe in white and Sue in black, both of which were accented by t-shirts emblazoned with George Floyd’s initials.
As the night progressed, the couple switched to evening wear, courtesy of Pyer Moss’s Haitian-American designer Kerby Jean-Raymond. Rapinoe was positively radiant in her silky, ruffled yellow dress, and, Bird was draped elegantly in a satin lavender gown. Their following outfit changes drastically differed from one another; Rapinoe’s bright yellow blouse and pants ensemble by Christopher John Rogers contrasted with Bird’s darker-hued Off-White blazer and pants.
They ended the 2020 ESPY Awards wearing t-shirts of each other's faces, their last salute to black designers being their Off-White and Fear of God sneakers. Photo credit: https://www.today.com/style/megan-rapinoe-sue-bird-espys-t184954
Report: Nia Hunt
At the rise of Covid-19 many of us first questioned the timeline of fashion week and would we see the regular calendar continue - the question weighed over many of us for months! It was refreshing to see design houses and designers across the globe take advantage of the uncertainty and plow into production mode - thus my interest in Jerri Reid New York - The Black Designer based in Brooklyn New York wow’d instagram with his latest collection paying homage to the Black Is King film which debuted earlier this year in July. I was taken aback at quick of a turn round the young designer produced and released his well crafted designs reflecting some of the films most memorable moments.