It should have been a star-making moment. You had NBA legend and future Hall of Famer LeBron James endorsing three Black female fashion designers — Fe Noel , Kimberly Goldson and Undra Duncan of Undra Celeste New York — as the trio created James’ first women’s basketball shoe, the LeBron 16, with Nike, as part of a collaboration fostered by Harlem’s Fashion Row, an agency bridging the gap between brands and designers of color. The collaboration was announced at Harlem’s Fashion Row’s annual gala in 2018, taking place at Capitale in New York City.
I was in attendance as the then-editor-in-chief of The Root , an African American news site that covered the gala alongside a multitude of press clamoring for a quote from James. As I watched the pro baller applaud these three designers, many hailed this as a moment that would elevate Black women in fashion to the stratosphere. “Initially the expectations of it were very high,” Duncan told me this spring during a video chat.
“Three designers with relatively small brands getting picked for a massive opportunity ...
The exposure through [Harlem’s Fashion Row] was huge. We had half a billion press impressions. The shoe sold out in three minutes.
The resale market sold the shoes for $1,000, $1,500. Anticipation from it was through the roof. We just knew it would be the thing that would change everything for us.
” “It was surreal,” Goldson said. “It was one of those experiences that you can’t even dream abou.