story by Shermarie Hyppolite
illustration by Meena Rakasi
Women of color have always been at the forefront of the fashion industry, even if their contributions are rarely showcased by the mainstream media. Multimedia journalist Nana Agyemang is dedicated to changing that narrative and portraying the fashion industry as it should be--diverse, colorful, vibrant. Since many WOC in media lack institutional support, she created EveryStylishGirl: a bright, democratic, women-powered fashion platform to help more women break barriers.
EveryStylishGirl was first envisioned by Nana in 2015, and she launched it in 2016 as a storytelling fashion Instagram page. However, it soon blossomed into a full-fledged media platform and mentorship collective. ESG offers inspiration and opportunities for women hoping to enter the fashion media industries, including a college girl boss training program, online internships, and a brunch-networking event called Sip N' Slay which operates in three international cities. The site offers inspiration and opportunities for women hoping to enter the fashion industry, serving as a networking site, fashion, and beauty site.
Given today's modern cultural reckoning surrounding diversity, reclaimed narratives, and female empowerment, ESG serves as a testament to the future we're all fighting for. Unfortunately, although representation in the fashion industry is incredibly important, oftentimes amazing women of color who put in so much work into their content are rarely ever showcased on media sites. Therefore, Nana's multimedia site makes it a point to highlight all shades of brown, including those with darker skin and kinkier hair, creating a space that really cares about appreciating the beauty and hard work of the black woman. This stems from Nana's own experiences feeling rejected due to her dark skin and natural hair.
When she's not running her media platform, Nana Agyemang is a powerhouse, publishing passionate articles for Refinery29, ELLE Magazine, New York Times, and BBC News. Nana’s mission to bring attention to boss women of color in the fashion industry makes her stand out as a leader in advocacy of representation for WOC and boss women in every aspect of life.
Nana Agyemang uses her skills and resources to make sure that the women we view in media look like us, and providing both hope and tangible resources for young girls who want to have a career in the fashion world. Nana and her team at EveryStylishGirl, at essence, care about helping powerful women accomplish their goals in life, providing exposure in their careers so that they are qualified for bigger brands in the future.
Ultimately, Nana dreams of a world where women of color can be recognized as the trendsetters for fashion, love themselves in their skins, and be surrounded by empowered women like themselves who are dedicated to changing the game.
