tara donaldson
Author, Editor, Photographer
I write, I create, I photograph. I believe there are beautiful stories about a diversity of people to be told all over this world, and I have made it my mission to help tell them. I am an experienced editor and visual storyteller with a hunger for challenging the status quo. Find out more.
Snapshot
Pieces & Publications
Fashion and the business of it has been a focus of my work at WWD and Sourcing Journal for 10+ years. I have managed a digital newsroom, covering the industry from factory floor to fashion trends, sustainability to social impact and everything in between. In travel, I’ve featured destinations, culture, adventure, cuisine, lifestyle and wellness. My work has appeared in Condé Nast Traveler, Afar, CNN and more.
Black in Fashion: 100 Years of Style Influence & Culture
A stunning and comprehensive look at the indelible contribution of Black designers, models, scene-makers, and stylists to fashion, from “the bible of fashion”—WWD.
Black in Fashion is a celebration of Black voices in fashion as captured by Women’s Wear Daily contributors and photographers since the publication’s inception in 1910. WWD is showcased here with more than 375 black-and-white and color photographs, illustrations, and articles from its massive archive. The book, written by Tonya Blazio-Licorish and Tara Donaldson, explores the contributions of trailblazing designers like Stephen Burrows and Virgil Abloh, whose philosophy inspired a new generation to interact with fashion differently; pioneering models like Naomi Sims, who in 1969 at age twenty-one launched Naomi Inc., a cosmetics company catering to Black women; and celebrities and multi-hyphenates like Josephine Baker, whose approach to fashion in the 1920s single-handedly changed and challenged the influence of Black culture on a global scale. In-depth profiles on Black creatives throughout the fashion world—and on key topics such as the Black is Beautiful movement—punctuate the lavish pages as well, in addition to original interviews with notables and a foreword from acclaimed American designer Tracy Reese. Black in Fashion is an incomparable celebration of Black fashion from the ultimate voice of authority.
Coming September 3, 2024.
Is ‘Unfashion’ the Best Way to Be In Fashion? Mimi Plange Thinks So.
Dear Fashion: You’re Doing the Diversity Thing All Wrong
CN Traveler: What to Know About Trinidad & Tobago’s Carnival
Afar: The Cuisine That Seasoned Charleston is Finally Getting its Due
CNN: 17 of The World’s Most Overlooked Islands
SPEAKING
Moderating those en mode
Whether for WWD or other fashion industry events, I search for those best at telling their stories and saying what others don’t, and work to center their voices.
Kate Jones Photo. Shot for WWD Apparel & Retail CEO Summit, October 2023. L-R: Designer Stephen Burrows and models Alva Chinn and Pat Cleveland.
PROJECTS
The Diversity List
The Diversity List is bringing transparency to the fashion industry, highlighting ethnic and gender diversity at 100 leading companies. See who represents the brands you buy from.
“I’m going to make everything around me beautiful. That will be my life.”
