Meet Faye Clerk Moseley of FLAIR (Fashion Legacy Association for Industry Recognition)

Today we’d like to introduce you to Faye Clerk Moseley.

Faye, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I am a native of Jackson, Mississippi (a southern belle) who understands the fine nuances of working with people. My positive perception paired with impeccable interpersonal skills, a strong philanthropic spirit of caring and giving back, created my unique talent for bringing people together. I am a former Ebony Fashion Fair® Model who modeled domestically and abroad. I am the Founder, Chair and President of FLAIR, Fashion Legacy Association for Industry Recognition. I am a wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt and friend. In addition to my experience as a model, my son (a FIDM graduate) inspires my passion and drive to ensure that our legacy continues through FLAIR.

FLAIR is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization comprised of Ebony Fashion Fair® Alum (professional models, commentators and production staff). FLAIR’s mission is to provide educational and mentoring programs for fashion and design students, provide scholarships and support emerging multi-cultural fashion designers. My leadership as a strategic senior level executive with more than 25 years of experience in organizational development, human resources, administration, customer service and the non-profit arena provides the perfect foundation for FLAIR. The organization is comprised of more than 500 former Ebony Fashion Fair® models, commentators and production staff who were a part of the 51-year run of the iconic fashion show.

I earned my MBA and BS degree in Business Management from the University of Phoenix. I hold a professional certification in Organizational Development & Leadership from DePaul University’s Executive Management Program. I hold dual professional certifications in Organizational and Human Resources Development and Human Resources Management from UCLA’s Anderson School of Business and a professional certification in Transit and Paratransit Management from the University of the Pacific.

In addition to my work with FLAIR, I am currently the Chief Human Resources & Risk Management Officer at the City of Carson. I was formerly the Executive Deputy Director of Human Resources for Access Services; the top Human Resources Executive for The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® and I’ve worked with General Electric/NBC, Sega GameWorks, St. Paul/Travelers, CNA Insurance Company, Public Storage, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Herbalife.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being born and raised in the south (Jackson, MS) presented its own set of challenges given the perceptions, stereotypes and obstacles along the way. As a young girl, seeing images of women that looked like the women that I idolized – my mother, my sisters, aunts, grandmother, was extremely impactful. From the earliest time that I recall actually considering a career in the fashion industry, I was keenly aware of the challenges that existed that that particular time. The element that I found to be the most egregious was the blatant racism. Black models never, with exceptions during the past few decades, appeared on the covers of major fashion magazines. The industry mindset was that if you have a black face on the cover of a magazine, it won’t sell. With the exception of Ebony Fashion Fair, when you did see fashion shows, it was not uncommon to only see white models on the runway. As models, we were often told “you’re a black model, it’s a challenge.”

Before Naomi Campbell and Tyra Banks, there were black models who had insurmountable challenges to overcome before breaking into mainstream fashion. Some of our pioneers who paved the path for future generations, not only had to convince editors and photographers to hire us but we also had to sway society’s perception of beauty. In addition to those challenges, It’s about economics as well. It’s not (always) that the fashion industry thinks that only white people are beautiful, as many have understandably assumed. It often thinks that only white, and some Asians, are the only consumers that have money (i.e., Oprah’s experience at Trois Pommes and Hermes).

It took a fashion show in France, Versailles ’73, to galvanize fashion to finally acknowledge that Black is Beautiful. In 1973, as a public relations fundraiser to repair the Palace of Versailles, organizers devised a charity fashion show that pitted French designers like Yves Saint Laurent, Hubert de Givenchy and Christian Dior against American designers such as Stephen Burrows, Anne Klein and Oscar de la Renta. Only one black designer participated, Stephen Burrows, whom we recently honored at FLAIR 2019. The American designers arrived in Paris for the show with over 30 models, of which 11 were black. The ethnic contingent was more for economic reasons as the black models were cheaper to book.

Versailles marked a turning point in the way people viewed black skin, beauty and fashion. The following year another historic event occurred when the August 1974 issue of American Vogue featured a black model, Beverly Johnson, on their cover – the first time in the legendary fashion magazine’s then eight decade history. In 2008, Italian Vogue did an all black issue of the magazine which sold out and was reprinted to fill demand. The road has been anything but smooth and black models still struggle to be viewed, booked and paid the same as white counterparts. FLAIR celebrates these and other black models such as Dorothea Towles Church, Donyale Luna, Naomi Simms, Beverly Johnson, Bethann Harrison, our own Pat Cleveland and Iman – who have blazed the trails thus far despite the challenges and struggles along the way.

Please tell us about FLAIR (Fashion Legacy Association for Industry Recognition).
Fashion Legacy Association for Industry Recognition (FLAIR) is a non-profit, 501c(3) organization comprised of former Ebony Fashion Fair® models, commentators and production staff. We are proud of the fact that our members share a common history of showcasing a collection of the finest fashions in the world and performing in the national and international touring fashion show, the renowned Ebony Fashion Fair®. What sets us apart is that FLAIR produces a biennial charitable fashion show, which provides an opportunity for FLAIR alum to share their talents and give back to an industry that afforded us aspirational opportunities for success.

FLAIR’s mission is to advance the fashion and design industry through educational and mentoring programs that encourage, inspire and empower students to pursue careers in the fashion and design industry. FLAIR awards scholarships to students from under-represented communities; showcases emerging and multi-cultural fashion designers; and pays tribute to the achievements of fashion and design cultural influencers.

We are proud of the fact that with the growing concern over the shortage of opportunities for education in the creative arts arena, FLAIR alum – renowned for representing beauty, style and elegance – created an educational-based non-profit organization to provide mentoring programs for fashion and design students. FLAIR serves as a grassroots vehicle providing support to the current and future generation of fashion and design achievers. Through fund-raising efforts and our signature charitable fashion show, scholarships are awarded to select FLAIR Care Scholarship Recipients.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory from childhood is growing up in a household with images of beautiful, intelligent, educated and loving human beings that challenged me to be the best person that I could be. They consistently instilled in me that I could achieve and be anything – that there were no limitations only those that I set for myself. Every memory that I have as a child begins with my parents and siblings, my immediate and extended family, all whom influenced me directly and indirectly.

Contact Info:

• Address: FLAIR, Inc.
  3651 S. La Brea Avenue
  Suite #901
  Los Angeles, CA 90016
• Website: www.flairinc.org
• Phone: 323-687-3358
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @flairinc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flairinc.org/
• Twitter: @flairinc

Image Credit:
Photo images credit of FLAIR, Inc.; Photographer Malcolm Ali and Zachery Witt, ZLW Photography for FLAIR, Inc.

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