Gabriella Karefa-Johnson

EXCLUSIVE
  • Global Contributing Fashion Editor at Large for Vogue
  • Former Fashion Director for GARAGE Magazine
  • First Black Woman to Style a Vogue Magazine Cover
  • Named to The BoF (Business of Fashion) 500

Global Fashion Editor, Fashion Director, and Stylist Gabriella Karefa-Johnson is known for her stylistic vision and ability to tell stories through an inclusive gaze. A New York-based stylist and editor of Caribbean and West African descent, Karefa-Johnson has a keen eye for up-and-coming designers and a narrative-led approached aimed at diversifying representation in fashion. She worked as an associate fashion editor under fashion director Tonne Goodman at Vogue, and later became Vogue’s Global Contributing Fashion Editor at Large. Karefa-Johnson made history as the first Black woman to style a Vogue cover and has styled more than a dozen international covers of Vogue featuring Serena Williams, Paloma Elsesser, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Amanda Gorman, among many others.

Gabriella is known for her fierce propagation of inclusion in the industry, breaking barriers and disrupting the status quo to tell a more expansive story about the world – one that is full of possibilities. In 2017, she was named Fashion Director of biannual fine art and high fashion publication GARAGE Magazine, where she harnessed her expertise in contemporary American Art, and has served as a guest judge for Netflix’s Next in Fashion. Karefa-Johnson has shared her vision for a more inclusive fashion landscape with groups including Fashion Scholarship Fund, LVMH Prize, Woolmark Prize, Vogue Forces of Fashion, and Barnard’s Class of 2023 Commencement.

 

Gabriella  Karefa-Johnson headshot
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Past Hosts Include:
  • Fashion Scholarship Fund
  • LVMH Prize
  • Woolmark Prize
  • FTUS Awards
  • Vogue Forces of Fashion
  • Barnard College
Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, editor and stylist: On breaking barriers in the fashion industry | VirgilAbloh - Get Sharable Link
Talks & Conversations with Gabriella Karefa-Johnson
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Designing a More Inclusive World Through Fashion

Throughout her work as a global fashion editor and stylist, GABRIELLA KAREFA-JOHNSON is celebrated for her ability to tell inclusive and expansive stories that make an impact beyond the world of fashion. In this engaging program, Gabriella shares her work as an industry-leader in the world of fashio ...

Throughout her work as a global fashion editor and stylist, GABRIELLA KAREFA-JOHNSON is celebrated for her ability to tell inclusive and expansive stories that make an impact beyond the world of fashion. In this engaging program, Gabriella shares her work as an industry-leader in the world of fashion to break barriers and increase representation, offering lessons and inspiration that resonate with every industry.

Styling the Future, One Cover at a Time

Stylist and celebrated fashion director GABRIELLA KAREFA-JOHNSON has created some of the most iconic fashion magazine covers in recent memory, featuring icons such as Serena Williams, Vice President Kamala Harris, Amanda Gorman, and more. Serving as Global Contributing Fashion Editor at Large for Vo ...

Stylist and celebrated fashion director GABRIELLA KAREFA-JOHNSON has created some of the most iconic fashion magazine covers in recent memory, featuring icons such as Serena Williams, Vice President Kamala Harris, Amanda Gorman, and more. Serving as Global Contributing Fashion Editor at Large for Vogue, she is known for her expressive and stylistic storytelling informed by a background in Art History, and her expansive and inclusive vision for the future of the fashion industry. In this talk, Gabriella shares her vision and takeaways that apply across mediums.

College & University Audiences: Bringing Your Experience to Build Your Career Path

In this motivational talk geared toward college and university audiences, GABRIELLA KAREFA-JOHNSON delivers an inspirational message toward students and early-career professionals about how to leverage education and experience to build the career path of their dreams. A gifted mentor and trusted voi ...

In this motivational talk geared toward college and university audiences, GABRIELLA KAREFA-JOHNSON delivers an inspirational message toward students and early-career professionals about how to leverage education and experience to build the career path of their dreams. A gifted mentor and trusted voice, Gabriella touches on balancing expectations with your own vision to build resilience, carve out a path forward, and stay true to your dreams.

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Biography

Gabriella Karefa-Johnson is a New York-based stylist and editor of Caribbean and West African descent known for her keen eye for up-and-coming designers, as well as her narrative-led approach aimed at diversifying representation in fashion. The stylist, known for her looks pairing disparate colours, textures and silhouettes, worked as associate fashion editor under fashion director Tonne Goodman at Vogue.

In 2017, she was named fashion director of biannual fine art and high fashion publication of Dasha Zhukova's Garage Magazine where she harnessed her expertise in contemporary American Art first honed at Barnard College from where she graduated Cum Laude in 2013.

After returning to Vogue In 2021, she became the first Black woman to style the magazine's cover. As Global Contributing Fashion Editor at Large, she has styled 14 international covers of Vogue, featuring Serena Williams, Paloma Elsesser, Kamala Harris and Amanda Gorman among many others. Gabriella is known for her fierce propagation of inclusion in the industry and continues to strive for a fashion landscape accepting and exhausting of everyone.