For Dr. Kimberly McGlonn, fashion is something that can speak and protect people, and it’s that ideology that has guided her throughout her journey, writes Shelton Boyd-Griffith for Vogue.
McGlonn is the founder of Blk Ivy Thrift, a retail project that serves as a fusion toward activism, history, and vintage fashion.
She initially launched it as a brick-and-mortar shop in West Philadelphia. However, she has since evolved it as a traveling exhibition that reshapes the connection between fashion and history.
McGlonn noted that for the Black community, fashion has been “literally a cloak for us” that has been used as forms of artistry, intellect, and resistance.
McGlonn’s journey with Blk Ivy Thrift started with her exploring the intersection between vintage fashion and the storytelling of Black culture.
One of her first curated designs was one about the Civil Rights era, which doubled as an archive of history.
“This wasn’t just about selling clothes,” she said. “It was about preserving the ways in which Black people have used fashion for safety, self-expression, and solidarity.”
Her influences include the likes of James Baldwin, Coretta Scott King, John Coltrane, Lorraine Hansberry, and others. All of them have shaped her lens on fashion as a tool for resistance.
Read more about how Blk Ivy Thrift displays history through fashion at Vogue.
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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on PHILADELPHIA Today in April 2025.
