{"id":213936,"date":"2026-04-29T12:09:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T12:09:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/213936\/"},"modified":"2026-04-29T12:09:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T12:09:10","slug":"runway-for-all-caribbean-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/213936\/","title":{"rendered":"Runway for all \u2013 Caribbean Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"Participants\t\t<\/a>\t<\/p>\n

Participants at People\u2019s Ball at the Brooklyn Public Library\u2019s central branch.\n<\/p>\n

Photo by Gregg Richards<\/p>\n

\t\t Search our comprehensive guide to caribbean events in NYC<\/a> for more local events \u2014 or submit your own<\/a>!<\/p>\n

The Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) will honor trailblazers in American fashion at Brooklyn\u2019s People\u2019s Ball, the city\u2019s largest fashion night, on Sunday, May 3.
Hosted annually on the eve of the Met Gala, the free People\u2019s Ball is co-curated by Harlem icon Souleo and celebrates fashion in everyday New Yorkers.<\/p>\n

Now a Brooklyn Spring ritual, BPL said the People\u2019s Ball brings together \u201chundreds of boldly dressed attendees \u2014 each one invited to take the runway in the middle of the library.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ParticipantsParticipants at People\u2019s Ball at the Brooklyn Public Library\u2019s central branch. Photo by Gregg Richards<\/p>\n

Coinciding with America\u2019s 250th anniversary, BPL said this year\u2019s theme honors American trailblazers in fashion and will honor legendary model Bethann Hardison, June Ambrose \u2013 stylist known for dressing Jay-Z, Missy Elliott, and others \u2013 and Patricia Michaels (Taos Pueblo), an internationally celebrated Native American fashion and textile designer.<\/p>\n

BPL said Hardison, with over 50 years championing diverse representation, is best known for walking in the legendary Battle of Versailles fashion show and for leading initiatives to increase racial diversity within fashion.<\/p>\n

She led the Black Girls Coalition with Naomi Campbell, Iman, and Tyra Banks, and has advised the CFDA and served on Gucci\u2019s Changemakers Council.
It said Hardison opened Bethann Management, one of the first Black-owned modeling agencies, which launched the careers of Kimora Lee Simmons, Tyson Beckford, and more.<\/p>\n

\"ParticipantsParticipants at People\u2019s Ball at the Brooklyn Public Library\u2019s central branch. Photo by Gregg Richards<\/p>\n

Through her work with Jay-Z, Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes, and more, BPL said June Ambrose is celebrated for designing some of rap\u2019s most unforgettable fashion moments, notably conceptualizing groundbreaking visuals in music videos and on red carpets.<\/p>\n

BPL said she developed the look for Missy Elliott for \u201cThe Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)\u201d music video, including the now-legendary black vinyl bubble suit.
Ambrose has served as Puma\u2019s creative director, helping launch the brand\u2019s women\u2019s basketball division in 2021.<\/p>\n

It said Michaels broke new ground as the first Native American designer to compete on Project Runway, gaining recognition for both her artistic vision and her commitment to Indigenous representation in major fashion venues.<\/p>\n

BPL said Michaels, known for \u201cblending Indigenous artistry with contemporary couture, has been a longtime advocate for Native American visibility in fashion.
Tony-winning R&B singer Melba Moore will perform disco classics, and DJ Fritzo will play a set at the People\u2019s Ball.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Participants at People\u2019s Ball at the Brooklyn Public Library\u2019s central branch. Photo by Gregg Richards Search our comprehensive…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":213937,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[98,100,99,9,24,63],"class_list":["post-213936","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn-headlines","tag-brooklyn-news","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213936","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=213936"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213936\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/213937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=213936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=213936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=213936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}