Bravo's Project Runway: Meet Marquise Foster
Marquise Foster is a Black designer--one that should not be underestimated.
His collections have been showcased at both, New York and Philadelphia Fashion Week. He has dressed celebrities like Indya Moore and Dominique Jackson, he’s even been featured in magazines like Desnudo and 7Hues. Such accomplishments are admirable and impressive--especially so for a self-taught designer.
A native of Oakland, Marquise’s love for fashion first appeared as a creative outlet during his teenage years. It later blossomed into so much more. In 2009, Marquise moved to New York City to pursue a career in fashion. He matured his craft by interning, before branching out to launch his brand. It was only a matter of time before his talent and brand made its way to the television screen.
Marquise will compete alongside 15 designers in the eighteenth season of Bravo’s Project Runway. It’s an opportunity many dream of, but only a select few are able to obtain.
“Coming into this competition, you have other designers that went to school or studied under other designers,” Foster told TNJ. “Being a self-taught designer in that environment, people expect less than, but I showed them I’m going to make it hard for you to get to the next round.”
Progressing to the next round was just one-half of his focus. The other half was representing and being that voice for other black designers.
“I am a black designer, first,” he said to TNJ. “We don’t see ourselves a lot in major design houses. We have to work twice as hard to get just a little recognition.”
For Marquise, that recognition will not end with the show, that’s for sure.
When he’s not expanding his ever-evolving line, Marquise teaches fashion design to high schoolers in Harlem. It’s his way of showing others that “anything is possible.”
“[The show] pushed my thinking,” he said. “I’m not just a self-taught designer, but I am a designer who can do it all.”
The new season of Project Runway premieres tonight, December 5th, at 9:30pm.