New York Fashion Weeks fall-winter shows aptly coincide with Black History Month. Blackness is intrinsic to the foundation of style and fashion as we know it today, despite the industrys reluctant on-again, off-again love affair with Black creatives.

As the first day of New York Fashion Week commences on Friday, a spotlight shines on the designers and models who have worked their way to the coveted runway. But little attention is paid to the people who work to preserve their looks.

Black fashion archivists, historians and others have used their knowledge and built platforms to ensure that during the offseason, the work of Black designers is not merely relegated to a trend, but rather heralded in the broader fashion canon.

HuffPost spoke to five Black fashion professionals ranging from consultants to archivists who have made it their mission to preserve Black fashion history.