DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT
celebrating maison black
The Founder & Chief Creative Office
Tori Nichel
As Founder and Chief Creative Officer Tori Nichel is most recognized as a womenswear designer and design leader with a strong entrepreneurial spirit. She is known in the industry for brand building, conceptualizing, and spearheading design vision & storytelling. She has successfully launched and re-invented brands. After establishing herself as an accomplished Senior Designer at Kenneth Cole, Tori Nichel flourished as Head Designer at Tibi, amplifying her creative vision. She has also designed for the incomparable Jennifer Lopez. Her design expertise paired with her infectious energy & mega-watt smile landed her on NBC’s Fashion Star. Recognized by WWD and Forbes as a “Designer to Watch,” Tori Nichel conceptualized, designed, and financed her namesake contemporary collection. She successfully led brands for some of the nation’s largest retailers driving over $500 million in volume scaling design trends for the masses.
Now walking in her purpose with a finite mission to serve the Black design community, Tori Nichel creates a destination for Black creatives to be shopped and recognized for inspiring and leading global style. Tori Nichel intends to disrupt the fashion tech space by introducing immersive digital shopping experiences that inspire connectivity between the customer and the designer. Tori Nichel was raised in the metropolitan Detroit area and holds degrees in Fashion Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology and Michigan State University.
Maison Black’s mission is rooted in our founder Tori Nichel’s vision of marrying her passion for fashion and purpose to serve the Black designer community in order to create access, exposure, longevity, and sustainability for Black designers in the fashion industry.
As a global retail destination, Maison Black amplifies the innovative design of Black creatives who exemplify design excellence.
“Black culture has always set trends and defined style. Maison Black’s curated capsule experiences will allow the purveyors of design and style to be recognized across the globe. Maison Black creates community, fosters unity, and creates space for Black creatives to build legacies and Black heritage brands. ”
By Roberé Lett | Publisher | Style Editor
Six luxury brand designers came together for the first time, all from Detroit but left for the greener pastures of NYC and design fame. Shawna McGee (S McGee Collection), Aaron Potts (A Potts Collection), Sharryl Cross (Truth), Kevan Hall (Kevan Hall Designs), Nicole King (N’GAI), and Isaiah Hemmingway (Isaiah Hemmingway). Each of these stellar designers has not only created clothing for every major design house from New York to Europe but are now taking center stage with their own collections. Maison Black is leading the charge for Black Design with unparalleled devotion and so we must pay homage to Tori Nichel and her dream of making sure that the Black culture of design has the legacy it deserves.
We salute Tori Nichel for her incredible drive and determination to bring Black fashion design and designers to the creative forefront where they belong!
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