Kylie Jenner, Blake Lively and more honor designers at CDFA Awards
The Council of Fashion Designers of America Awards took place at the American Museum of Natural History, honoring the top talent of American design.
- Sixteen-year-old Langston Howard was interviewed by Michael Strahan as part of a series called “Generation Rising.”
- Howard was interviewed by the Detroit Free Press in 2022 before he showed two looks during New York Fashion Week.
- Howard received a $10,000 check from the American clothing brand PacSun on “GMA.”
A teen fashion designer from Detroit made an appearance on ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Monday and walked away with a $10,000 check from the American clothing brand PacSun.
Sixteen-year-old Langston Howard, whom the Detroit Free Press featured in a story when he was 13, was interviewed by Michael Strahan as part of a series called “Generation Rising,” which highlights inspiring young changemakers making differences in their communities during Black History Month.
Howard talked with Strahan about his brand, called “The Top,” which signifies “where you would like to reach … at the end of the day; we all want to succeed whether it be mentally, physically or financially,” Howard told Strahan.
Howard launched the brand in 2022 through a fashion club within the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan and told the Free Press in September 2022 about how he was preparing to show his designs during New York Fashion Week in February 2023. The event, a collaboration between the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan and the Black-owned fashion brand Maison Black, paired five Black male New York-based designers with five young Black male designers in Detroit to guide them in designing a full look that they presented on Feb. 7 in New York City.
Showing looks at Fashion Week “motivated me to go home and get right back to work,” Howard said Monday during the “GMA” interview.
Howard showed Strahan a few pieces he designed, including a red zip-up hoodie with a patch that says: “The PURSUIT Strive to achieve success in all aspects of your life. Achieve mental, physical, and financial success” and two leather outfits he designed for New York Fashion Week, which he said were inspired by techno music in Detroit.
He also created a custom hoodie for Strahan that says on the back “IF NOT NOW THEN WHEN.”
“I did this because it really resonated with me as a person,” Howard said.
At the end of the interview, Strahan presented Howard with a $10,000 check from PacSun to help Howard continue to grow his brand. Howard said he can start to create more runway looks with that money.
“You can make me outfits any time you want,” Strahan said. “I’m going to rock this. I promise you that.”
“The Top” hoodies, zip-ups, T-shirts and sweatpants are sold online at thetopbylrh.com and range in price from $35-$80.
Contact Adrienne Roberts: [email protected].
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