The Death Of Andre Leon Tally, MY inspiration
André Leon Talley was an important pioneer in allowing black voices to be heard in the world of fashion. Mr.Talley was born on October 16, 1948 in Washington, DC and tragically passed away just recently on January 18, 2022 in White Plains, NY. Mr.Talley was in my opinion the most influential fashion journalist of all time because of how much influence he had on me to try and pursue a career in his field. Mr.Talley did not take the conventional route to being a fashion journalist then becoming the first Black individual to become a creative director of Vogue from 1988-1995 and then a Vogue editor from 1998-2013.
Mr.Talley is important to the community because black individuals can see someone who looks like them in a field where they seem that they don't belong, because in the world of fashion it is very common for big time positions to be ran by the same people with a lack of diversity. Mr.Talley’s pathway to becoming a fashion journalist was not conventional at all, he studied French literature at North Carolina Central University from 1966-1970 then proceeded to receive a masters degree from Brown University in French literature. Mr.Talley discovered his talent for fashion when he landed an internship with Diana Vreeland at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1974. After Vreeland was impressed by his skills, the Vogue editor hired Mr.Talley to work at Andy Warhol's Factory and Interview magazine which set him up later down the line for him to create a flourishing career at Vogue.
The way that Mr.Talley contributed to the history and culture of black individuals, was when he finally arrived at Vogue he pushed the company to feature more Black models that had the right criteria and needed a big publication to feature them to showcase their work. Another reason why Andre Leon Talley contributed to the history of Africana culture is that he was an idol for those who want to work in the fashion industry, standing at 6’6 and acting like his own person and having his own personality, he didn't have the most conventional body frame or personality when an individual talks about the fashion industry.
The reason why Mr.Talley is an inspiration to me is because he paved the way for more Black designers, journalists, models, etc that work in the fashion industry after his death the whole world of fashion mourned his loss because of how important he was and how he beat the odds and played the cards that were dealt to him. Another reason why I find Andre Leon Talley so inspiring is because im trying to get to his level and beyond and now seeing how possible it is for those who look like me inspires me even more to put in the hard work that he did to reach his level and I hope I can be even as half as inspirational
To conclude Andre Leon Talley was a pioneer in the fashion industry and helped me become more versed in it because of how inspirational he is towards me and those who look like me who want to get into this industry that may be gatekept by those who are white for years. Mr Talley did not have the classic route that most individuals in his field had and used his knowledge of fashion and luxury to boost him even further into the industry and allowed him to make a name for himself.