By Stephanie Woods-McKinney
NYABJ members were recently gifted with copies of the picture book biography Miles of Style: Eunice W. Johnson and the EBONY Fashion Fair. The book is a brief but informative overview of the beginning of an era for Black women and the rise of Black fashion and power. Miles of Style, written by Lisa D. Brathwaite, gives the reader a visual of the many roads traveled, and the journey fought and championed by its founder to become an iconic brand.
The story starts with Johnson's childhood and dives right into the challenges faced by a Black woman during the 1940s. It also addresses the rise of an empire. Although the book is designed as a children's book, this publication is ideally suited for anyone who admires a biography that includes beautiful images and incorporates numerous colorful illustrations by Lynn Gaines.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in reading about an iconic fashion figure and understanding the importance of Black Fashion, which demanded its place in the movement.
On a side note, the now-deceased couple, Eunice W. Johnson and her husband, John H. Johnson, demonstrated Black publishing leadership as editors of the Negro Digest and Ebony magazine. Miles of Style, published by Lee&Low Books, is available wherever books are sold, including Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.
Photo Credit: Bill Allen, Perception Media
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