Italy Names Its Change-Makers: Highlights from the Black Carpet Awards 2025

Spotlights swept the proscenium at Teatro Manzoni as the Black Carpet Awards—now in its third act—honored the “Leaders of Change,” a cast rewriting fashion and culture’s script for inclusion, access, and impact. Presented by the Afro Fashion Association with the patronage of the City of Milan and support from the National Chamber of Italian Fashion, the evening felt less like a prizegiving and more like a manifesto, where fashion, culture, and future-facing ideas shared one stage.

Founder Michelle Francine Ngonmo marked the association’s 10th anniversary with a rallying call. Her message: dream boldly—and then build the conditions for those dreams to become real. “Invest in these leaders of change,” she urged, positioning community not as a buzzword but as a daily practice. Hosting for the third year, Tamu McPherson (creative, All the Pretty Birds founder, Shoe Up for Justice founder, and Bvlgari CSR ambassador) kept the tempo brisk; Naomi Campbell, serving as the evening’s emcee, appeared via video to salute “true inclusion, authentic representation, courageous leadership, and creativity with purpose.”

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