WHO ARE WE
FASHION DESIGNERS LIFE
Without fashion designers there would be no diversity...."
-CYNESIA CSPENCE
About Fashion Designers Life
Our Story
Fashion Designers Life (FDLife)® started with a simple frustration: multicultural and diverse designers weren't getting the recognition they deserved.
Our founder, a recent fashion college graduate at the time, created fashion designers life concept in 2013, and after years of CREATING THE PLAN FDL LIFE launched in 2017. What began as a mission took shape over the years, in 2017 FDLife started planning full-scale productions, bringing designers together on the runway and in front of audiences who needed to see their work. In April 2025, that mission became official, FDLife was registered as a U.S. trademark.
Today, FDLife is a NYC-born global creative agency built for multicultural and diverse fashion designers, a platform where talent gets seen, heard, and celebrated. Through runway productions, networking events, live panels, and multimedia, FDLife turns visibility into opportunity for all designers and especially the designers who need it most.
Our mission
The fashion industry has
never lacked talent, it's lacked access. FDlife exists to close that gap. We produce experiences that put diverse designers on a platform, in front of the right rooms, and in conversation with the people who
can help move their careers in so many directions of elevation.
Every event we host, from full runway shows to cool networking events, panel discussions and multimedia is built around one goal: giving designers a real shot and real exposure.
What We Do
Runway Productions
Multi-designer and diverse fashion shows that put emerging and established talent on stage together.
creative Networking Events
Spaces where designers, models, and industry creatives can build the relationships that move careers forward.
The Fashion social club
Our social incubator throwing fashionable theme events where designers and fashion enthusiasts alike can network and party.
Panels & talks
Real conversations about the business side of fashion, led by people who've lived it.
MEET THE FOUNDER AND Creative DIRECTOR
CYNESIA CSPENCE
Meet the Founder
Fashion Designers Life was created and led by creative director and college graduate Cynesia Cspence. Born and raised in Harlem, NYC she spent most of her life surrounded by fashion and trends that she was influenced by family and her neighborhood in Harlem. Along with always having a love for computers during her youth, she then decided to go to school for fashion design. There in college she learned every element of fashion design, fashion business and computer aided design. After graduating college Cynesia started working several fashion design and computer aided design internships but what truly open her eyes is when she got the opportunity to work at fashion productions such as Mercedes Benz fashion week in bryant park during NYFW and other fashion productions such as full figured fashion week in nyc where she was a assistant designer for a well known australian fashion designer and designed several garments for the models while working at the design house. Cynesia path runs through event production, graphic design, media relations, multimedia, and business education. Cynesia also find joy in teaching fashion design and business to the next generation of Harlem's young creatives. What started as one graduate's frustration with an industry overlooking diverse talent has grown into a full-circle mission, shaped by experience from the classroom to the runway.
Since her first production, FDLife has brought together dozens of designers on a single runway, hosted events alongside live shows, and built a growing community rooted in one belief: diversity in fashion isn't a trend, it's the future.