Invisible Beauty

Fashion revolutionary Bethann Hardison looks back on her journey as a pioneering Black model, modeling agent, and activist, shining a light on an untold chapter in the fight for racial diversity. From walking runway shows alongside Iman to discovering supermodels like Tyson Beckford and mentoring icons like Naomi Campbell, Hardison has been at the epicenter of major representational shifts in fashion. Catalyzing change requires continuous championing, and as the next generation takes the reins, Hardison reflects on her personal journey and the cost of being a pioneer. In tandem with Frédéric Tcheng (Halston, Dior and I), Bethann Hardison and her co-director trace her impact on fashion from runway shows in New York and Paris in the ’70s to roundtables about lack of racial diversity in the early 2000s. Interviews with industry players speak to the state of fashion, while friends and family attest to Hardison’s rebellious and ambitious spirit. The film is an absorbing record of Hardison’s accomplishments and a rare contemplation on the life of a radical thinker.

This community screening kicks off the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art (MoCADA)'s forthcoming exhibition, Bethann Hardison: Black Girls Rule!, curated by Claude Grunitzky, Christine de Lassus and Amy Andrieux. The special retrospective celebrates the life and career of Bethann Hardison, a visionary whose immeasurable influence has paved the way for Black women in arts + culture, education, business, and philanthropy for more than 40 years. This one-of-a-kind retrospective will honor Bethann's contributions then and now, from her formative years in Brooklyn to her legendary ascension onto the global stage as fashion icon and muse. This exhibition will be the inaugural exhibition to be hosted at MoCADA's long-awaited new gallery and performance space at L10 this November.