The Incredible André Leon Talley 1948 – 2022

André Leon Talley: A Pioneer for Diversity

The American Fashion journalist and stylist André Leon Talley became the first African American male creative director at Vogue in the early 1980s. His death in January of this year has led to a great deal of analysis of his life and how he pioneered the campaign for diversity in the Fashion industry.

Certainly, on the Spring 2022 catwalks, we saw that diverse representation is starting to reach record levels. Fashion reporting is now able to shine a comparative spotlight on brands that do and don’t use an acceptable cross-section of society. 

Talley became famous for his larger than life floating kaftans, capes and robes that were made for his 6ft 6 tall frame by the likes of Tom Ford, Karl Lagerfeld and Valentino.  A man of size and stature, flamboyant to the end, but it is his impact on penetrating the fashion circles as a black African American that will always be of greater significance.

His story is one of Hollywood dreams, a humble African American boy from the deep South where segregation was ingrained in the moral compass of society, raised by his grandmother, Bonnie Francis Davis, a cleaning lady who grounded him, yet had a love of Fashion.

Escapism for André was his fascination with Vogue magazine which he avidly studied in his local library as a child. Jackie Kennedy Onassis was his icon and the shiny pages of this magazine transported him to a fantasy world which one day he would come to dominate for his advocacy of Diversity in Fashion.

Initially working for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1974 without pay, André rose to heights unseen previously by a man of colour in the Fashion world.  His editorial work was certainly impressive by anyone’s standard. He became Paris Bureau Chief at Womenswear Daily, worked with Andy Warhol at Interview and made his mark at ‘W’ and Ebony as well as The New York Times. 

He pushed designers to feature more African American models in their shows and included more Japanese designers in the pages of Vogue in the ’90s than ever before. Comme des Garçons and Issey Miyake were both introduced to the magazine under his reign.

André served as a stylist to the Obamas during their time at the Whitehouse, styling Michelle Obama on her first Vogue cover who famously said ‘he changed the face of fashion for a generation of girls like me.’

He was a man of culture and graduated with a BA in French Literature winning a scholarship to study a Masters Degree in the subject. His advocacy for promoting black culture was evident even then as his thesis was on the influence of Black women on Charles Baudelaire the French 19th century Poet. In fact, France awarded him the Chevalier de L’ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2020 for significant recognition in the field of Arts and Literature.

Read – Thierry Mugler. 1948 – 2022

As Editor-at-Large of Numéro Russia in 2013, he eventually resigned over anti-LGBT laws in Russia. His sexuality as a gay man and what he stood for was non-negotiable and the word compromise was never in his vocabulary.

He was a recognised author, co-writing with Richard Bernstein & Paloma Picasso the book – Megastar. His autobiography in 2003, A.L.T.: A Memoir shows his keen observation of beauty and its creators.  He pays tributes to his grandmother alongside elite designers who he believed had much in common- a sense of propriety and an ‘understanding of Luxury’.

Later in 2005, he produced A.L.T 365, an art monograph featuring photos and captions from one year of his life – a visionary forerunner for Instagrammers of today some would say. His book, The Chiffon Trenches courted controversy as he opened the doors to his extreme folly for eccentricity on his journey through his Fashion career, as well as his turbulent relationship with Anna Wintour – Vogue’s most famous editor. 

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Despite this in January of 2022, Wintour paid tribute to André in his passing, describing his ‘fiercely self-created existence’ and how privileged she was to have been ‘in the orbit of someone who had the incredible gift, one amplified by his immense charm’ and ability to ‘joyfully turn the volume of life up.

Some have criticised him as a diva and rather self-obsessed, but isn’t that what Fashion dictates if one is to survive and indeed break boundaries?  Not being talked about just doesn’t give you the edge, but assertive self believe does. His defiant self-centric confidence was crucial when entrenching his position on the front row of the white powerhouses of Fashion. And on the front row, he sat for many decades!

 It is the human condition to intuitively make the decision of friend or foe. Our accommodating eyes will automatically feel fearful of things we are not used to seeing which brings us down to how often we are exposed to displays of diversity.

Today, the big fashion houses like Burberry, Givenchy and Prada are all improving in the diversity indexes – using models of colour, plus sizes, transgender and non-binary models too. Take up of over 50 models is also seeing a rise in New York, Milan and Paris ahead of London. Amputees, designer’s mothers and migrants have all started to grace the catwalks in Paris.  

One could argue that gaining acceptable rankings in the diversity stakes not only gives the big fashion labels credence and street cool, but their consumers can also feel satisfaction and reassurance that their purchases reinforce an ethos that is all-inclusive – a slice of a utopian world vision at a price. Nonetheless, inclusion and diversity are here to stay. Erasing sectors of society is not for this world of social media and the interactive public.

Read – 5 French Fashion Brands and How They Transformed the World of Fashion

As a Black, Gay, practising Christian, André Leon Talley paved the way for inclusivity in Fashion which led to such film tributes as ‘The Gospel According to André’ by Kate Novack.

His were the first footsteps on the campaign for diversity in the fashion industry which is now starting to wake up to the importance of acknowledging the full range of human experiences and identity. Defiant in dignity and style his aspirations live on and one day we might all realise that monoculture does not fit all. Yes, the human race is fearfully tribal but it can be boundlessly beautiful when we celebrate and embrace its diversity.

“I’d like to be remembered as someone who made a difference in the lives of young people – that I nurtured someone and taught them to pursue their dreams and their careers, to leave a legacy.” – André Leon Talley, Forbes Magazine

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Author: Vicky Hatia