EveryStylishGirl, A Networking Platform for Black and Brown Women in Fashion and Media

By Claudia Langella

The fashion industry has grappled with issues of representation and diversity for decades. Whether on the pages of fashion magazines or in boardrooms, there must be equal representation because everybody wears clothes, no matter the color of their skin. New York Magazine Social Editor, Nana Agyemang is making a difference in the industry today. 

Nana Agyemang via EveryStylishGirl

In 2017, Agyemang launched EveryStylishGirl—a networking directory for Black and Brown women who work in fashion and media (plus, they’ve just ventured into the business world with EveryStylish Girl Biz!). The goal of EveryStylishGirl is to connect Black and Brown women across the globe who work in the industry. Agyemang founded the platform because she herself had a hard time making connections with other women that looked like her when she began her career.

“This came to fruition through my frustration with the industry and the pipeline issue with hiring new talent,” she told Vogue. There are people working in both fashion and media who don’t reside in major cities, and Agyemang wants to make sure their voices are heard, too. “I struggled so much as a young girl in Ohio getting connections in the industry. It was literally impossible. There’s so much talent we’re missing out on when we forget about those women who don’t work in major global cities.”

The ten Black and Brown women who head the company range in age and expertise; some are recent grads and others are entrepreneurs, but each of them have the same goals in mind. EveryStylishGirl aims to answer these questions: “Who is fighting for the women who have no access, who have no voice, no big name, or credentials? Who is independently lobbying for those women to gain access?”

EveryStylishGirl hosts virtual and in-person networking events called Sip n’ Slays where professionals share their stories with young women who are just launching their careers. Past speakers come from companies like Sony Music, Instagram, Teen Vogue and Refinery29.

Representation is crucial in every industry, but especially the media. If you don’t see people who look like you in the industry you want to work in, it’s hard to imagine yourself scoring the positions you want to hold one day. EveryStylishGirl has connected over 1,500 Black and Brown women since their start, and they aren’t stopping any time soon. 

"To say the least, four years ago we were overlooked and now we have become a necessity," Agyemang said to The Zoe Report. "We hope that...Black and Brown women will work in more spaces in media and fashion. They will be enlisted in positions of power, and create effective long-term change."