A pretty face and a gorgeous design aren’t the only way to make a mark in fashion. As an endless array of behind the scenes shows has shown us, there’s always an army holding up the elaborate apparatus of creative endeavor. The Atlanta Post has rounded up 10 blacks who play key though background roles in the industry. From Pullitzer prize-winning journalist Robin Givhan to automotive executive turned panty pusher, Richard Dent III, it’s an interesting mix of professionals working to move fashion forward.
June Haynes
You might say that retail was in June Haynes’ rearing — as a young girl in Guyana she worked in her mother’s haberdashery. Transplanted to New York she studied fashion buying and merchandising at FIT. She got her big break when Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbano, having tapped her on a Barney’s sales floor, tapped her to manage their first U.S. boutique. Haynes eventually oversaw all North American stores, a position that prepared her for her current and most demanding job: since 2003 she’s been senior vice president for retail at Valentino.
