ATLANTA — Tracy Nicole didn't grow up seeing Black designers that looked like her owning a high-end brand.
The minute she came across Tracy Reese, she knew she could turn her dream of designing into reality.
"It actually showed me that I could do this," Nicole said.
Nine years ago, Nicole launched her own brand focusing on luxury items for women who are juggling work life and play.
"I love being able to create something that makes a woman feel good," she said.
Nicole is one of 22 designers selected to showcase her work in the Black Fashion Movement in Atlanta. Black designers are coming together at the North Point Mall in Alpharetta to showcase their luxury items from Oct. 21 to Oct. 24.
The Black Fashion Movement started with the goal of promoting, celebrating and supporting Black-owned brands, said Founder Frenchye Harris.
"It provides a platform and it allows for brands to be put out there into the community, to the public and to meet the consumers who are dying to shop with brands like this," Harris said.
The luxury shopping experience is set up like a retail store. You can shop for luxury, high-end items for clothing, jewelry and even home goods, Harris said.
According to the Black Fashion Movement, less than 1% of Black-owned brands are sold in American retailers. Harris said she hopes to change the narrative for Black designers in the fashion industry.
"We tend to be associated with street wear urban attire," she said. "And our breadth of design and impact on this industry is much greater than that."