"He was an advocate for diversity and inclusion well before it even became a topic in mainstream media. And also he celebrated non-binary fashion in a very opulent way," said Tony Long, the CEO of FashionBar LLC, a fashion and strategy consulting company in Chicago.
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Talley was a fashion journalist who worked his way up at U.S. Vogue to serve as editor-at-large.
Talley helped dress Michelle Obama when she was first lady.
"I think he is a trailblazer," Long said. "This is a fashion legend when you think about André."
Melissa Skoog worked alongside Talley. She said Talley stood 6 foot 6 and he had an even larger personality.
"When I first met André there was an intimidation factor, but he was so warm and loving and such a player and such a gentleman," Skoog said.
Early in his career Talley worked at Ebony. He shared memories of that time in his memoir.
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"He talks about how he had already worked in fashion at these other publications, but in the Black community Ebony is a brand that's so iconic," said Marielle Bobo, Ebony's editor-in-chief.
Talley made an impact not only in the U.S., but also the world.
"Being visible and visibly in these key places over decades, I think that is just priceless," said Katrin Schnabl, the fashion department chair at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Talley was 73-years-old.
"We can never replace André, but we can actually aspire to be like him and what he's done to the community on an inclusion perspective as well as on a fashion perspective," Long said.