This past summer, I was presented with an amazing opportunity to tour New York’s Garment District, and what I saw as a Black creative wasn’t just beautiful or innovative — it was affirming. I witnessed other Black creatives who are not only at the forefront of technological advancement, but using that to completely reshape the fashion landscape.
Our first stop was the New York Embroidery Studio — a nondescript building from the outside, but on the inside, houses one of the most advanced tools in fashion tech right now: the Stratasys J850, a printer that uses lenticular printing, or a type of 3D printing, to apply holographic, raised, or shifting visuals directly onto fabric (think layers, gradient, photo realism, or textures that appear to move when you do). This is how sketches become sculpture, and fabric becomes an engaging and fun interactive experience.
This tour, which was led by Lenese Griffin, a seasoned apparel production manager with a wealth of experience in product development, opened my eyes to the massive, complicated world of fashion. The industry is so much more than aesthetics and seasonal trends — it’s an intricate system that’s evolving into something more intelligent, inclusive, immersive, and intentional. And we’re at the intersection between high design and high tech, and Black designers like LaQuan Smith, Anifa Mvuemba, and Madison Maxey are leading some of the boldest work in that space.
LaQuan Smith
LaQuan Smith’s spring/summer 2025 show featured a sleepwear capsule “Lucid Dream,” co-created with Samsung, that drew design inspiration from the sleekness of the Galaxy Ring. The sleepwear arrived in vivid chartreuse silk organza and it served as a contrast against other designs, like trench coats made of a new material Smith calls “transparent horse,” made by his Italian mills. He described the look as perfect for when “a woman, on a rainy night, goes to her man’s house to have makeup sex.” It’s sensual luxury with a futuristic edge.
The New York-based designer used “AI Atelier” on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, where AI tools like sketch-to-image helped with the design process, and “Now Brief,” which supported things like organizing fabrics, scheduling fittings, and making communication with his team more efficient.
Anifa Mvuemba
Congolese born and DMV-based Anifa Mvuemba is the designer behind Hanifa, a brand that draws on her cultural background, resulting in bold silhouettes and inclusive sizing. In May 2020, she presented Pink Label Congo, a collection that honored her Congolese roots while raising awareness about issues like the exploitation that’s tied to coltan mining, as a digital runway show using invisible 3D avatars on Instagram Live. It was immediately celebrated for its innovation and cultural commentary, proving that technology can be used to amplify a message and unite the community instead of diluting it.
Since then, Hanifa has continued to evolve, balancing innovation with intentional craft. Mvuemba uses digital tools, like CLO, Procreate, and Blender in her design process, reducing waste while refining her vision of how clothes should move on the body. Her philosophy is clear: Fashion should be inclusive, technologically forward, and deeply connected to heritage.
Madison Maxey
Imagine buying a jacket that not only keeps you warm, but also senses how often you wear it, keeps track of how many times it’s been washed, and even helps a brand understand how its product moves through your life. That’s what Loomia is doing right now. The tech — Loomia Electronic Layer (LEL) — is a flexible circuit sheet that bends, sketches, and survives in fabrics while carrying functions such as heating, lighting, or pressure detection. And yes, the layer holds up when stretched or handled; its electrical performance stays stable, unlike older “smart fabrics.”
And the woman behind Loomia is: Madison Maxey, who started it out of a desire to make electronics disappear into clothing, so the fabric does the work without feeling like gear. Before Loomia, she experimented with conductive inks, computational design, and patterning electronics with designers and engineers. LEL is now mostly used in medical, outdoor, automotive, and wellness fields, proving that wearable tech can be something that’s used, lived in, and trusted every day, by everyone. Case in point: A recent collaboration with L.L. Bean, where LEL was sewn or attached inside of outdoor gear to report wear behavior: temperature, wash, count, and usage patterns. The versatility of the technology shows how seamlessly it can be folded into existing brand identities and products. Loomia isn’t just for Loomia — it’s scalable and transferable, and that’s its real strength.
These designers are writing the next chapter of what fashion looks like. They’re building new systems, new fabrics, new languages, and doing it on their terms. We ’re entering a new era of fashion, and it values identity, innovation, and equality that leaves an impact — and I can’t wait to see what’s next.
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
