Black Designers Reimagine Denim Staples for New Harlem's Fashion Row X Gap Collab – Latest Fashion Trends & Style Tips February 11, 2026 at 08:30PM

📰 Black Designers Reimagine Denim Staples for New Harlem's Fashion Row X Gap Collab

✨ Fashion Insights & Trends:

Make some space in that denim drawer: Gap and Harlem's Fashion Row have reunited for a 20-piece collection of distinctive denim staples. Launching Feb. 13, the limited-edition lineup spotlights the work of five Black designers: Daveed Baptiste, LaTouché, Igdaliah Pickering of Igdalyah, Waina Chancy of Atelier Ndigo and Nicole Benefield of Nicole Benefield Portfolio.

Each participant designed a four-piece capsule that reimagines denim through fashion-forward construction, treatments or artistry.

"Denim felt inevitable," Brandice Daniel, CEO and founder of Harlem's Fashion Row, tells Fashionista of the category choice. "In Black culture, denim has always been a canvas. We tailor it, distress it, remix it and make it speak. Denim gave the designers room to reinterpret a Gap staple without losing themselves."

*Gap x HFR collaboration, featuring work by LaTouché (left) and* *Igdalyah (right).*
Photo: Joshua Kissi/Courtesy of Gap

Each designer proposed something unique, pulling inspiration from their respective cultural backgrounds and personal Gap memories.

"Black culture has always shaped fashion, often without credit and often without ownership," Daniel points out. "This collaboration is about honoring that influence while building something tangible in the present. Designers of color are doing what we have always done — taking the familiar and making it speak differently — this time on a global stage and with real support behind it."

Baptiste's sculpted garments, for instance, were inspired by ocean waves, Caribbean shores and blue sunsets. Each piece embodies surface treatments that feel like water, he says: "This collaboration reflects where I am right now — standing at the intersection of art and fashion. I've spent years building a practice rooted in storytelling and craftsmanship. Working with Gap allows me to translate those ideas into pieces that reach a much wider audience without losing integrity."

Igdalyah's Pickering drew from memories of growing up in the Virgin Islands. That inspiration took shape in washed denim, symbolic of the movement and the contrast of Caribbean water. "My work is about finding beauty in familiar things," she shares. "[This collection] is about reworking the familiar so it intentionally carries emotion, memory. Old made new."

LaTouché's exploration of inventive pleating techniques, structure and proportions tells the story of Haitian artistry and resilience. "The inspiration for my Gap x Harlem's Fashion Row collection is envisioning my daughters wearing these timeless denim pieces 10 years from now, while inspiring Haitian youth that anything is possible," LaTouché says. "I dream of Gap joining me in Haiti someday to invest in the next generation of creative youth, igniting their potential and building a brighter future together."

*Gap x HFR collaboration, featuring work by* Atelier Ndigo.
Photo: Joshua Kissi/Courtesy of Gap

Meanwhile, Atelier Ndigo centered its collection around Haiti's national flower, the Choublak (Hibiscus) flower. "Growing up in Haiti my mom's garden was filled with Hibiscus flowers and I have such beautiful childhood memories of my mom using them for floral arrangements or putting them in our hair; I wanted to bring a piece of that to our collection," Chancy explains.

Nicole Benefield Portfolio took cues from the modern uniform, reinterpreting classic styles with a relaxed ease. "My current stage as a designer feels like a fresh start, driven by a noticeable shift in consumer desires," Benefield says. "This recent collaboration has inspired a 'dressing down to dress up' philosophy. The exciting exploration for me now is figuring out how everyday, casual clothing can serve as a versatile base for more dressed-up occasions. This collection represents a strong foundational step in developing that concept."

*Gap x HFR collaboration, featuring work by Daveed Baptiste (left) and* Nicole Benefield Portfolio (right).
Photo: Joshua Kissi/Courtesy of Gap

This partnership marks the sixth year of collaboration between Gap and HFR. As retailers continue to scale back on their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in compliance with the Trump administration, Gap and HFR remain steadfast in uplifting promising Black and Brown talent.

"In Black culture, longevity matters. Consistency matters. Showing up matters," Daniel emphasizes. "Continuing this partnership means the work was not treated like a moment — it was treated like something worth building. Designers of color are often invited once. Being invited back, and invested in over time, creates a very different kind of opportunity. It allows designers to grow, to take creative risks and to build real businesses with staying power."

The Gap x HFR collection will be available starting Feb. 13 at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT on gap.com and in select Gap stores.

Scroll on for the full collection (with pricing!).