-By Pratyasha Sarkar
The annual Juneteenth holiday, also known as “Emancipation Day” or “Freedom Day,” honours the abolition of slavery in the United States. It is a time for celebration and meditation. On the Amsterdam leg of her Renaissance global tour, Beyoncé found her own way to mark the occasion as Americans throughout the country gathered to celebrate the holiday today (19 June). She walked the stage wearing only outfits made by Black fashion designers.
The singer posted on Instagram on Sunday night, “In honour of Juneteenth, everything I wore for Renaissance World Tour tonight was created exclusively by Black designers,” Beyoncé has collaborated with the stylists KJ Moody, Shiona Turini, Karen Langley, and Julia Sarr-Jamois of British Vogue to develop a massive “tour-drobe” with a disco-inspired aesthetic, with fresh creative looks being revealed for various legs of the tour. The blockbuster tour comprises 51 dates. Feben, Maximilian Davis for Ferragamo, Olivier Rousteing for Balmain, Ibrahim Kamara for Off-White, LaQuan Smith, and her own creations for Ivy Park are some of the Black designers she supported on stage.
A unique red, white, and gold sparkling bodysuit by the up-and-coming London-based designer Feben, who is of Ethiopian descent and was born in North Korea, was one of the standout outfits from Beyoncé’s Amsterdam show. This is not their first time working together; Beyoncé hired the artist to produce costumes for the music video for her song “Brown Skin Girl” just after she graduated from the MA in womenswear programme at Central Saint Martins in 2020.
Beyoncé additionally wore a custom-made outfit from her own collection, Ivy Park, that featured bright pink with sequins, a halter neckline, thigh-high slits, and matching gloves. Her dancers matched in bodysuits and crop tops with a combination of sequins, fringe, velvet, and mesh, all in the same intense hue of pink.
A unique red, white, and gold sparkling bodysuit by the up-and-coming London-based designer Feben, who is of Ethiopian descent and was born in North Korea, was one of the standout outfits from Beyoncé’s Amsterdam show. This is not their first time working together; Beyoncé hired the artist to produce costumes for the music video for her song “Brown Skin Girl” just after she graduated from the MA in womenswear programme at Central Saint Martins in 2020.
However, a fitted red beaded Ferragamo gown with a square neckline, a thigh-high slit on the left leg, and a sculpted waist may have been the most iconic look of the evening. It embodies everything that makes a standout dress. Since taking over as CEO of Ferragamo in January 2022, Maximilian Davis has made this flaming crimson his signature. Although it is a tribute to his origin and the Trinidad and Tobago flag, the colour is also significant to Ferragamo’s history.
