Bethann Hardison

I am so excited to be honored at this year’s The People’s Ball alongside @juneambrose and @patriciamichaels Join me this Sunday at the @bklynlibrary for this special event! RSVP here: https://bit.ly/2026peoplesball Co-curated by @souleouniverse Jakab Orsos, and Meredith Walters

We continue the launch of our 2026 Advisory Board/Judges. A collective of industry leaders shaping the future of emerging designers. #ftus

“The opportunity to wear, menswear, womenswear, it doesn’t matter—it’s the fit.” - @bethannhardison Mixed, layered, and reinterpreted. Make the silhouette yours.

ITS BLACK HISTORY MONTH ... And with all I wanted to say and do in celebration.. I thought better be said by this young fellow. Often times it's best out of the mouth of babes. @lakeanthonymusic

Who says getting older means slowing down? @BethannHardison reminds us that our joy doesn’t need to come with guilt, rules, or labels. Watch our full conversation with Bethann, @JaneFonda , and @JennaLyonsNYC now on my YouTube channel or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Aging can be a sensitive topic—but on @IMOpodcasts , we’re naming it, claiming it, and tackling it head-on. At 61, I’ve never felt more sure of myself. In this week’s episode of IMO: The Look, @JaneFonda offers a mantra that is worth repeating: “Live so you don’t reach the end with regrets.” This is a truly special conversation with Jane, @BethannHardison , @JennaLyonsNYC about finding wisdom, joy, and purpose as we get older, and how to embrace every chapter. Watch now on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

“We’re all students of Bethann Hardison,” says Tyson Beckford in ‘Invisible Beauty,’ the 2023 memoir-in-film of the soon-to-be 83-year-old materfamilias of American fashion. Beckford is of course known as the rare male model to have ascended to household name status. Hardison helped put him on the map—like she did with Veronica Webb, Kimora Lee Simmons, and a generation of faces that made their way onto runways, magazine pages, and TV screens—a few years after founding her modeling agency in 1984. The Bethann Management era followed two decades of history-making moments for the New York native, from being discovered by the streetwear savant Willi Smith when she was but a Garment District showroom assistant to walking in Stephen Burrows’s Battle of Versailles face-off in 1973. It also ushered in a whole new chapter of her life dedicated to holding the fashion industry accountable for maintaining the strides in racial diversity it had made, ever so incrementally. Hardison’s Black Girls Coalition, founded in 1988 with Iman and brought back in 2014 as runway diversity waned, empowered dozens of models of color to not only speak out but stand behind each other, denouncing racism in ad campaigns as much as they rallied around homelessness in the industry. An initiative as rhizomatic as the BGC is a unicorn in a modeling industry that has become as splintered as it is self-centered. These days, Hardison is as invested in the forces shaping fashion from behind the scenes—like Polo Ralph Lauren’s James Jeter or stylist Carlos Nazario—as she is in the front row. But she’s never short on opinions about the trade she revolutionized time and again. For our September issue, Hardison sat down with CULTURED’s style editor-at-large, @jasonbolden , to parse the fate of the fashion model. 1 and 7/ Photography by @tom__scanlan 3 and 5/ Photography by Arthur Elgort

This is a hard one for anyone who knew Ananda Lewis. Her passing is truly a hard pill to swallow. I chose this photo because it represents the time and age we first met. We became quite close and private as she was, she allowed me to know bits and pieces of what was meant to remain private. These were the early days of MTV and Teen Summit. I watched and saw beyond MTV and search for a TV production company to give Ananda her own talk show, with a positive outcome once meetings were had. No doubt she was a bright light, smart, and determined. Our talk show didn't happen. And once she left NY and went west we lost touch. I got a letter a few years back apologizing for things gone by. Ananda was one of my favorite humans on earth. She remained inspiring and that will never leave me and the memory of her convictions. I often think of the conversations we would have about what is happening in the world today. What would Ananda say ? But the conversation I longed to have never happen. So there is that. It's had its effect. We were similar in ways, where life has its way with you, and that's ok. Those who are meant will understand. Ride steady cowgirl...you will remain in my heart always. 🙏🏾🖤🙏🏾 #anandalewis

Bethann on the couch. My full interview with Bethann Hardison is now live on Apple and Spotify. Full video available to watch on YouTube at 08:00ET/12:00GMT. Series links in bio. #fashionneurosiswithbellafreud

In this powerful interview from 1966, Gordon Parks speaks candidly about the realities of navigating a world built to underestimate him — and the strength it took to rise above it. His mother’s wisdom, his resilience, and his extraordinary talent propelled him into spaces that were never designed for him — including Life magazine, where he became the first Black staff photographer. Join us in honoring Parks’ legacy and the artists and changemakers who carry it forward at the 2025 Gordon Parks Foundation Gala. May 20, 2025 | Cipriani 42nd Street, NYC Click the link in bio to learn more and support. #GordonParks #GPFGala2025 Honorees: @bethannhardison @rashidjohnson Anna Wintour of @voguemagazine Ambassador Andrew Young Performances by: @andradaymusic & @hashtag.daveguy 2025 Fellows @salamishah & @sherphotographs of A Long Walk Home @fordjourstudio Chairs & Hosts: @peterkunhardt @aliciakeys & Kasseem Dean (@therealswizzz ) @saraharison Kathryn & Ken Chenault @AndersonCooper @michijig Judy & Leonard Lauder (@thecompanyikeepbook ) @TonyaLewisLee & @OfficialSpikeLee @CarolSuttonLewis & William M. Lewis, Jr. @AlexSoros and @HumaAbedin @BenStiller & Christine Taylor Clara Wu Tsai Gail and Jeff Yabuki

On this #MetGala day, it feels only right to spotlight a true fashion icon and trailblazer. Legendary changemaker @bethannhardison reminds us that leadership isn’t about perfection, it’s about purpose. 💪🏽 Bethann, whose impact on fashion and inclusion is unmatched, encourages us to stop comparing, release the pressure, and lead with balance, self-compassion, and clarity. 💬 Want to go deeper? Click the #linkinbio to read our editorial featuring insights from Daisy Auger Dominguez on what makes a remarkable woman leader and how community and mentorship light the way for the next generation. 💥 #MAKERS #WomenWhoLead #LeadByExample #Leadership #MAKERSWomen #MetGala #FashionIcon #BethannHardison

Papa Francisco …Pope Francis has been laid to rest and unlike any other he chose not to have final rest in the Vatican, but in a church that he took worship in every Sunday, Rome’s St. Mary Major Basilica. I was a HUGE fan of Pope Francis he was cut from a different cloth. His character impressed me greatly. The concern for humankind. The pain he suffered for the children facing destruction. Catholic I am not, raised by my Islamic father who respected all religions. I simply honor those who care for all. There are Holy men and then there are one of a kind. Papa Francisco was just that. The first and last at embracing life until the end. His commitment to the children of Gaza, yet not ignoring the people of Jerusalem. A very special human who took the road often untravelled. The first Jesuit Pope, first from South America and first non-European born. You will be greatly missed. Great humans are becoming few and far in between. Travel well eternally Papa Francisco. #popefrancis🖤🙏🏾 #marymajorbasilica