‘Never thought I’d inspire’: Wisdom Kaye reflects on journey from an iPhone and a room to the global fashion stage

The fashion-forward influencer was honored with the Virgil Abloh Award at Harlem’s Fashion Row’s 19th Annual Awards Show.

If you’ve been deep in Black fashion over the past few years, you’ve likely seen Wisdom Kaye.

The Nigerian-American model has essentially redefined digital fashion, taking on requests from fans to essentially style everything from flags to even piecing together outfits based on a set financial amount. In sum, the Houston native emerged as one of the more daring men on social media, amassing more than two million TikTok followers in 2020 alone and curating various looks from whatever inspires him for more than nine million followers on Instagram.

That hard work was rewarded during New York Fashion Week as Kaye was presented with the Virgil Abloh Award at Harlem’s Fashion Row’s 19th Annual Awards Show.

“I never thought that with an iPhone and the corner of my room that I would inspire people all over the world,” Kaye said. “I never thought that my ideas were really that great… I’m incredibly fortunate.”

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Kaye’s Instagram feed has been moment after moment with him stealing the show. He styled various countries for the “High Fashion World Cup” earlier this summer and recently starred in an Old Navy campaign opposite Cardi B.

“I’m immensely fortunate to traverse the digital and physical side of our industry. With the amount of autonomy that I have as well … I also recognize that not everybody has the same privilege that I do.”

Harlem Row’s Fashion Awards gave flowers to innovators and risk takers. From Erykah Badu being honored with the Fashion Icon Award, Brandon Blackwood being presented with the Designer of the Year Award, and Jahleel Weaver was recognized as Stylist of the Year.

The moment was especially big for Harlem’s Fashion Row founder Brandice Daniel. In a video uploaded to Instagram, Daniel emphasized one key point: “Designers of color matter.”

“I’m so grateful to every single person who helped us say that loudly,” she captioned the post. “To the designers who trusted us with their work. To our partners who invested. To the people who showed up, made introductions, opened doors, wrote checks, gave advice, and kept believing in what we are building. Thank you. @harlemsfashionrow has never been a solo project. It has always been a village.”