Fashion Historian Who Uses Research To Uncover Black America’s Contributions To Billion-Dollar Industry

Meet Shelby Ivey Christie, a New York-based, fashion and costume historian who is changing the way the world views fashion and highlighting the overlooked Black contributions to the billion-dollar industry. Christie combines are nearly ten years of professional fashion experience, having worked at Vogue, InStyle, and W Magazine, with her background in history to examine fashion and dress through the lens of race, class, and culture.

She’s passionate about connecting the dots to discover how economics, culture and society intersect with fashion. What makes Christie unique is her uncanny ability to utilize her social media and research skills to provide in-depth analysis to unearth untold Black fashion stories and narratives for her massive Twitter following.

Known for her pairing in-depth research, primary sources, and historical text with internet content like memes and trending topics to transform very academic subjects into more accessible and exciting themes that have attracted large followings and press, she’s garnered interest from fashion luminaries. Through her tireless and meticulous research, Christie has solidified herself as an aficionado of the history of Black fashion and costume design. 

“My platform balances deep-diving into the contributions of Black fashion figures of the past and amplifies the work of current Black fashion talent. It’s cool because many of the fashion figures from the past that I share are still here with us. So, I can encourage people to follow them and support their current work in real-time.” she said in an interview. “When it comes to new and current Black fashion talent, I love championing, supporting, and sharing them with my audience.”