Professional Fashion &Costume Historian
Examining fashion through the lens of race, class & culture.
Hi! I’m Shelby!
A fashion and costume historian, and 2021 Forbes 30 Under 30 Honoree, with an immense passion for studying Black history and how it intersects and affects the cultural climate, economics, and, most importantly, fashion.
When I’m not obsessing over the story behind the clothes, I am partnering with brands, agency and publications to create impactful & engaging fashion content and campaigns that bring awareness to the cultural importance of fashion & dress.
I consult with fashion, tech and luxury brands to build out equitable D&I/DEI solutions and programming. That programming extends to content, speaking engagements and internally facing partnerships with Senior leadership. My consultations extend to costume design for TV/Film — I work with costume designers to provide research for their onscreen costume projects. I soon hope to take on my first role as Costume Designer for a TV/film project.
A Bit About
Me
I am passionate about Black history & how topics like economics, culture & society intersect with fashion. Fashion is political! It’s an often-overlooked social science which has deep-rooted systems & stories that reveal a great many facts about the past & the present cultural climate..

