When the 2016 BET Honors aired on Monday, March 14, the world was reminded of what black excellence truly looks like. This event was dedicated to the prestigious accomplishments of some of the most influential African-American figures in the world, including 18-year-old rising fashion mogul Kyemah McEntyre.
McEntyre is an East Orange, New Jersey native with a bright future in the fashion industry. She was recently acknowledged at the BET Honors as a ‘Next In Class’ celebrant and hit the red carpet in an extravagant original design.“When I first found out I was entered in the [Next In Class] contest…[my family and I] went ballistic. It was huge,” McEntyre said during an interview with BET, “To be recognized at such a young age means everything to me.”
McEntyre’s drive for creativity began at an early age. She disliked wearing school uniforms, which made her look identical to everyone else around her.“I knew I had a passion for fashion the moment I decided to be an individual,” McEntyre said. As a traditional artist and painter, McEntyre’s fashion designs originally began in her head. It was not until her senior year of high school when she created her first design: an African print prom dress that went viral on social media. “When the world first saw my prom dress, it was crazy. I was excited,” McEntyre said, “The reason why I made the prom dress was for my local people to understand the beauty of African culture.”
The dress, which celebrates individuality and natural beauty, was originally posted to Instagram and earned over 250,000 shares within a matter of days. Power actress Naturi Naughton caught sight of the buzz and hired McEntyre to design a dress for her to wear at the 2015 BET Awards. Naughton said she felt like a “queen” in McEntyre’s design and received compliments from stars such as Ciara, Sanaa Lathan and Ne-Yo.“When I saw [McEntyre’s] sketches, I just felt like, this girl is an artist,” Naughton said, “She has a vision.”
Following the 2015 BET Awards, acclaimed model Tyra Banks reached out to McEntyre on Instagram and reposted her prom dress. Banks then flew the rising fashion star out to the set of her talk show FABLife.“Tyra Banks is someone who I’ve looked up to for years,” McEntyre said, “For her to take time to post my dress, that was amazing for me. I can’t believe it happened.”
During the taping of FABLife, Banks surprised McEntyre when she walked on set wearing a dress the college freshman had designed.“This is the beginning of your journey and becoming the force that I know that you can be in the fashion world,” Banks said to McEntyre on national television.Today McEntyre attends the Parsons School of Designs in NYC and plans to someday launch a fashion line. “There is absolutely no reason [for me] to back down,” McEntyre said, “I’m just ready for what’s next.”