Twenty years of Telfar: 6 milestones to understand its success

On Saturday, June 21 in New York, Telfar celebrated two decades of existence with a runway show that was anything but normal. From his family’s Clemens apartment in Lefrak City, Queens, with no money, no godparents in the industry, the designer created what is now the largest black brand in the world, and one of the few success stories that has remained 100% independent.

But this radical independence has only been possible thanks to an even greater interdependence: that of his community. Every person who walked in the show – friends, collaborators, royal families, models selected by public vote on its TelfarTV channel – is part of that collective story that has redefined what we mean by fashion.

From Bushwick to the world, we review 6 stellar moments that defined Telfar’s history.

1. Shopping Bag was born

It all started at the FW14 show, when Telfar first presented its now iconic Shopping Bag. Inspired by Manhattan department store bags – with direct references to Bloomingdale’s – the design was as simple as it was brilliant: a rectangular, vegan leather bag, available in three sizes and with a TC logo in low relief. What seemed like a simple accessory became a cult item for fashion insiders.

Priced at under €300, the bag became a symbol of a new idea of the aspirational; one that projects belonging and community rather than exclusivity. In September 2019, makeup artist Xya Rachel referred to the bag as the “Bushwick Birkin” in a Tweet, alluding to both the famous Hermès bag and the neighborhood where Telfar has his studio in New York. The nickname caught on as the bag became ubiquitous around Brooklyn and the cool kids of downtown New York. It didn’t take long for the media to pick up on the nickname. Accessible, cool and radically inclusive, it marked a before and after. But the impact was not immediate.

2. CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award

In 2017 came the big turning point: Telfar won the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, taking home a $400,000 prize that it invested directly into the production of the Shopping Bag. Sales increased 25-fold in just three years. But as its popularity grew, so did frustration: bags sold out in seconds and resale skyrocketed. Instead of turning scarcity into strategy, Telfar responded in an unexpected way.

3. Bag Security Program

Telfar responded by democratizing access with a radical idea: the Bag Security Program. Launched in August 2020, this system allowed anyone to pre-purchase any bag, in any size and color, for 24 hours. No limited stock, no nerves, no bots.

The program returned in 2021 by popular demand, and even today, new releases continue to sell out. Its affordable price (less than 300€), its variety of colors and its inclusive identity made it the most representative bag of the decade.

4. Clemens’ consecration at Pitti Uomo

Telfar’s debut at Pitti Uomo 97 in January 2020 marked a before and after in his career. Pitti – one of the most prestigious showcases for men’s fashion worldwide – invited Clemens as a star designer, a position historically reserved for established European firms or up-and-coming designers deemed “worthy of legitimacy” by the industry.

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Pitti Uomo was, in short, the internationalization of the Telfar phenomenon. A sort of official (though not necessary) confirmation that the Queens designer was no longer just the darling of the New York underground: he was a new global benchmark.

5. Telfar TV

Following the slogan “It’s not for you, it’s for everyone” Telfar launched Telfar TV. Instead of relying on external platforms or the traditional fashion press, it launched its own TV channel, with live broadcasts, home videos, open castings and exclusive drops, the channel was at the same time a distribution platform, a media experiment and a work of art in itself.

Before Twitch became a big thing, Telfar already started streaming, creating programming made by and for its people. The Shopping Bag could only be purchased at certain times through the channel, forcing the audience to tune in… but also to become part of its world.

6. Collaborations: White Castle, Liberia, UGG…

Moose Knuckles, Eastpak, Converse, Melissa… Many collaborations have been a success when they have touched the little hands of Telfar Clemens.

One of the first viral collaborations was with White Castle, which has gone on to have 3 launches throughout its history. Clemens redesigned the iconic American fast food chain’s uniforms, and then launched capsule collections inspired by them. Proceeds went to support the release of unjustly incarcerated youth.

The collaboration between Telfar and his native Liberia is also one of the most special. It came in 2021, when the designer was chosen to create the Liberian Olympic team’s uniforms for the Tokyo Games. It was a moment of enormous symbolic charge: a designer of African descent, queer and self-defined as an outsider dressing the athletes of his country of origin on the world’s most important sporting stage.

And UGG’s was certainly one of the most celebrated. The fusion between the gustosito footwear brand and Clemens’ distinctive design resulted in bags and sheepskin garments that sold out instantly. It was a commercial success, showing how Telfar could dialogue with big brands without diluting its essence.

In these two decades, Telfar has shown that an independent, queer, black and genderless brand can conquer the industry from its own codes, without losing its roots or its message: “It’s not for you, it’s for everyone. ”Maybe that’s why its shopping bag has found its way into the arms of Beyoncé, Solange, Dua Lipa, A$AP Ferg or Bella Hadid, and also into those of the fashion student from the Bronx or the freelance stylist from Paris.