He said Suite 7’s meaning came from Suite being the highest type of room you can get and seven being his favorite number and the number of completion according to The Bible.
“I wanted to highlight seven Black designers and have them do seven looks,” Moore said.
Moore thought creating the fashion show was great, but he knew there was more he could do. After attending New York Fashion Week events with his late friend Quinton Jackson, founder and owner of BPLR clothing line, Moore was inspired to bring a similar concept to St. Louis.
“We didn’t have a Saint Louis Black Fashion Week and Saint Louis Fashion Week didn’t really highlight and showcase designers and models of color too often,” Moore said.
“I wanted to ensure Black and brown designers and models had a space to have a fly production, great cultural relevance and not have to squeeze into a space that was never designed for them.”
KING TALK was scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 3, and Black men are invited to to network and converse at Whiskey on Washington, located at 1321 Washington Ave, St. Louis, MO 63103.
The "NEXT–GEN: A NIGHT FOR BLACK YOUTH,” a celebration where young people can learn about various careers in the creative and media industries, is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 4 at Scene Event Space located at 3333 Washington Ave Suite 120, St.
Saturday, a GUIDED ART MUSEUM TOUR, with the Saint Louis Art Museum will be held. The museum will host two 15 person group tours through SLAM. That evening, the "PRIVÈ" Fashion Show Pre-Party will take place at The Dorsa Room located at 1101 Washington Ave.
Sunday, Nov. 6 is the grand finale with the 8th Annual Suite7TM Fashion Show hosted at The Third Degree Glass Factory Located at 5200 Delmar Blvd.
The seven designers include Colin Jones of CMJ Designs x Styles, Jahleel Griffin of The Label 17, Kendra Tunstal of West Novem, Maare Rashaad of Unforgettable Fittings, Pierre McCleary of 1026 Styles, Kisha Kandeh of The Woke Brand, and Afton Johnson of Young Addy Collection.
Moore said Saint Louis Black Fashion Week is one of those things where people will hear about it and once they see it in person they’re impressed.
“We try to level this thing up every year,” Moore said. “We always want to make sure we bring in the best of the best because if not it’ll water down the energy of what we’re trying to bring to the city.”
Moore’s father is a photographer and he’s been around a camera his whole life. He got into film and media in high school. After high school is when his passion really started to take off. He gained clients in St. Louis Cardinals, LVMH, Don Julio, Hershey’s and K.Swiss Global.
He’s transitioned from doing lifestyle content to doing storytelling and creating a lane for Black culture.
“I’m really focused on telling the narrative of Black stories because I used to sit in advertising agency boardrooms and there would only be one of three or three out of a room of 50-60 having conversations about our culture, and we weren’t even there to have a voice in it,” he said. “As I started seeing all this portrayed I would see how ads came out and I was like man these are hella inauthentic. I was like yo imma start dedicating my content around Black brands and Black stories.“
For the last five years Moore said he hasn’t been gungho on getting clients because of their name but instead telling their story.
“Now my thing is telling Black stories and telling them in excellence,” he said. “We’ve had enough oppressive conversations and movies. “What’s up with the triumph? What’s up with making it to the top? What’s up with us being named and proclaimed and getting the awards that we deserve. Those are the stories I’m trying to tell.”
Moore said he wants St. Louis to be a palace where we’re not scared to venture out of the norm.
“I’m trying to shed light on infinite possibilities in St. Louis,” Moore said. “Saint Louis Black Fashion Week is more than just a fashion show. It's a week of Black excellence, we’re dressing to the nines coming in our best and we’re presenting ourselves unapologetically.”
For tickets and more information to Saint Louis Black Fashion Week, visit https://www.doerhouse.com/stlbfw.
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