How Telfar Became the Symbol of Black Wealth for working-class Americans
The Trailblazing Brand, Continuing to Make Luxury Affordable for all.
Throughout fashion history, Black designers have constantly pushed the barriers by thinking outside the box with their creative ideation and execution of design. Dapper Dan comes to mind with his take on streetwear with his bold usage of luxury existing brands, Gucci and Fendi - which he sold in the black mecca of Harlem in New York, with his most iconic piece being a Louis Vuitton-inspired bomber jacket with statement puff sleeves.
Telfar, by Telfar Clemens, was established in 2005 in one of the biggest fashion capitals, New York. The company started gaining traction during the Pandemic - where as we know, shops were closed and we were subject to looking at four walls within our bedrooms, accompanied by the convenience of online shopping. This became the catalyst for Telfar’s growth as they were able to strategically build the brand off the back of this nationwide lockdown that quickly came into effect.
With already having recognition from Solange Knowles and collaboration in the making with Gap Inc, Clemens drove to create his fashion label, without realising how iconic it will become in the following subsequent years.
Telfar set out for Pace University, after moving to Maryland with his family after escaping the Liberian Civil War. Being personally swayed to a more conventional path, he decided to study accounting at university, as opposed to following his creative streak that shone so brightly from a young age. With this not necessarily being his passion, Clemens decided to put more time and energy into designing oversized T-shirts by reconstructing them with thread and stitching - despite this not being revolutionary yet - Telfar managed to build up powerful connections which allowed him to successfully sell his designs in a clothing store owned by VICE magazine. This moment proved to be one of the biggest milestones for Clemens, which contributed to his company's success.
"With Telfar, We Don't Follow A Specific Fashion Diet When It Comes To Images and Inspiration." - Telfar Clemens, AnOther Magazine, Autumn/Winter 2022
Shortly after this, Telfat came up with his slogan for his brand: “It’s not for you. It’s for Everyone.” Behind this slogan was the representation of one of Clemen's core values - creating a luxury brand that has an emphasis on inclusivity, affordability and giving back to the black culture; which is atypical for high fashion as the price points are never particularly pocket-friendly to the average working-class person - which was extremely strategic as the release of his ‘Shopping Bags,’ which have now become synonymous with black culture.
Having received the CFDA Fashion Vogue Award, which included a $400,000 cash prize - Clemens was at a crossroads - he could either put the majority of this money into his somewhat niche clothing line, a market that was already saturated by other designers or invest the money into the growing success of the Shopping Bags, to create a variety of sizes and colours.
Clemens decided to invest the funds into his bag line and this accelerated the popularity of the brand as well as the exposure the brand gained through his previous work and achievements. Around 2018, the signature shopping bag became viral - from celebrity endorsement from Beyonce, Zoe Kravitz and Oprah - who have expressed their enthusiasm towards the brand.
The success of the bag allowed Black Americans to purchase, without having to pay a hefty price tag, which is normally utilised as an exclusion tool by other brands to restrict who purchases their items. With inclusivity being a value that Clemens' brand represents, he decided to launch the 'The Telfar Security Program,' with the premise being that you can request any bag, in any cooler and any size, and it will be specially crafted for you with guaranteed purchase and delivery. This interesting buying and marketing strategy, allowed all customers to get their hands on a bag that they were not necessarily able to get through the normal drop, which you can be notified by email about.
There was also an environmental element - as only the number of bags requested were made and available for purchases, as opposed to mass producing in factories, which allowed the company to save materials and limit the costs f labour and production.
With Clemens becoming a trailblazer within the Black fashion sphere, he continues to build upon his brand and constantly conjures up innovative ways to keep his diverse audience attracted to his brand, which has already demonstrated the potential to make luxury and affordability fall into the same category.