Chicago’s Field Museum made history on Juneteenth 2025 with its first African fashion show, blending cultural pride, bold design, and community celebration during African Fashion on the Runway (All Photos by Lanette Warbington).
On June 19, the Field Museum transformed its halls into a vibrant celebration of style, heritage, and cultural pride during Chicago’s African Fashion on the Runway, a Juneteenth event that made history as the museum’s first-ever African fashion show.
The midday runway show was a high-energy centerpiece of the museum’s Juneteenth 2025 programming. Led by the visionary Angelica London and her creative team, the production blended fashion and freedom, showcasing bold, original designs that reflected the spirit of African tradition and contemporary Black excellence.
Presented in partnership with the Field Museum, Black Fashion Week USA, and Akese Stylelines, the show drew inspiration from the museum’s powerful exhibitions Africa Fashion and Connecting Threads: Africa Fashion in Chicago. Models walked the runway in stunning garments directly influenced by these exhibits, each look telling its own story of resistance, identity, and global impact.
Co-hosted by Emmy-winning journalist and media personality Samantha Lampkin and iHeartMedia’s Trey White, the event brought out a stylish and energetic crowd. Guests were encouraged to “dress to impress”—and they delivered. From vibrant prints to sleek silhouettes, the audience itself added to the pageantry of the day.
Included with museum admission, the event spotlighted not only fashion but the more profound significance of Juneteenth—a day of reflection and joy marking the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. The show offered a creative lens into that legacy, centering Black designers and creatives whose work continues to shape culture worldwide.
Explore the photos below by Lanette Warbington to see moments from the runway, the crowd, and the rich expressions of fashion, freedom, and community:
Photo Credit: Lanette Warbington
Photo Credit: Lanette Warbington
Photo Credit: Lanette Warbington
Photo Credit: Lanette Warbington
Photo Credit: Lanette Warbington
Photo Credit: Lanette Warbington
Photo Credit: Lanette Warbington
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