This article is dedicated to re-learning fashion history by amplify the individual roles of Black designers in historically white dominated spaces. This list of 10 breakthrough and significant artists is not extensive to say the least, but these are designers that helped pave the way for future generations of designers of color and the exchange between culture, fashion, and society.
Ann Lowe
Born to a dressmaking family, Ann Lowe became a brilliant designer for American elites. Although she designed clothing for upper class and influential families, she often was underpaid for her work. Families like the Rockefeller's, the Kennedy's and the Roosevelt's spread word of her talent, so she expanded her designs further into upper class society.
(Image courtesy of The Vintage Woman Magazine)
Jay Jaxon
Queens-born and raised, Jay Jaxon, was a pioneer of Black representation in couture fashion. The seamless presence that Jaxon made in couture fashion was often overlooked. After his first line launched, he described his work as loving and inclusive. He said, “I’ll use the colors of all the people of the earth — cream, beige, tan, brown and some yellow and reddish tones, possibly stressing the combinations of brown and white.”(reported by journalist Yvette de la Fontaine of Women’s News Service, 1970).
(Image courtesy of whitneymanney.com)
Willi Smith
Credited with creating “streetwear” as a style in the fashion community, Willi Smith was the most famous Black designer in the 80s. His brand, WilliWear Limited, was recognized as a platform for accessible and affordable fashion that pushed the boundaries of fashion and classism.
(Image courtesy of Collater.al)
Patrick Kelly
After first gaining popularity in Paris for bold and comical designs that emphasized the ironies in Southern American culture, Kelly became a powerful influence in fashion. He learned to sew from his aunt in his home state of Mississippi, and carried a strong energy of his roots in his work. Although his career was short, he made a lasting impression as one of the earliest Black designers in couture fashion.
(Image courtesy of CFDA)
Dapper Dan
Dapper Dan was the go-to designer for many Hip-Hop artists in New York in the like LL Cool J., Rakim, and Jay Z. Dapper Dan created custom looks by screen printing designer patterns on leather and incorporating the branding into his personal work. Read more about his impact in Harlem, NYC & in the fashion industry here.
(Image courtesy of the Metro Times and Grailed.com)
Virgil Abloh
I think the fashion community will be mourning the death of Abloh for a long time. The juxtaposition of luxury and culture that he augmented during his career is iconic and everlasting. Abloh started as the creative director for Kanye West, then created his own brand, Pyrex, and later Off White. He was the creative director for Louis Vuitton, and broke barriers between race, class and power dynamics within the fashion industry by introducing creative freedom without the technical skills that were expected from trained designers.
(Image courtesy of Financial Times)
Kimora Lee Simmons
As an aspiring model from a young age, Lee Simmons started from a different perspective in the fashion industry, but revolutionized conversations of bodies with her brand Baby Phat. In 2010, Kellwood (the then owner of Baby Phat), did not renew Simmons’ contract with the company. It wasn’t until 2018 that she was able to buy the license and re-launch her billion dollar brand under her leadership.
(Images courtesy of Vogue and the FADER)
Shayne Oliver
After taking a hiatus in 2017, Shayne Oliver is back and making noise at New York fashion week 2022. The show comments on race and gender by blurring the lines between the binary and displaying radical movement and bold designs that reflect the culture. In an article by Complex, Oliver’s brand Hood by Air is explained: “In fact, he prefers the term ‘hood’ over ‘ghetto’ because he feels the latter has connotations of victimization, while the former symbolizes realness.”
(Image courtesy of the New York Times)
Telfar Clemens
The name and the brand, Telfar, developed a genderless label influenced by styles from New York, Liberia, and an early childhood in Maryland. The streetwear style of Telfar includes zip-off hoodies, sleeves, and pants. He later went on to work with major brands like Gap, Converse, and UGG. His iconic handbag, commonly seen today among a wide array of styles, was nicknamed the “Bushwick Birkin,” with reference to the Bushwick borough in New York.
(Images courtesy of Hypebae.com and WWD.com)
Citations
Cavallo, Alice. “30 Black Designers Who Shaped Fashion History.” L'Officiel USA, L'Officiel, 16 Feb. 2021, https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/black-designers-fashion-history-virgil-abloh-telfar-clemens.
DeLeon, Jian. “The Influential Black Fashion Designers You Should Know.” Complex, Complex, 12 Dec. 2021, https://www.complex.com/style/2020/02/the-25-greatest-black-fashion-designers/dapper-dan.
Felder, Rachel. “Overlooked No More: Jay Jaxon, Pioneering Designer of French Couture.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 28 Jan. 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/28/obituaries/jay-jaxon-overlooked.html
Manney, Whitney. “#Myhistory: Jay Jaxon.” Whitney Manney, Whitney Manney, 14 Feb. 2020, https://www.whitneymanney.com/new-blog/jayjaxon.
“Queer Black History: Willi Smith- Fashion for the People.” My Queer Agenda, 1 Apr. 2015, https://myqueerto.com/2015/02/07/queer-black-history-willi-smith-fashion-for-the-people/.
Singh, Rajat. “Fashion Flashback: Patrick Kelly.” CFDA, 24 Feb. 2017, https://cfda.com/news/fashion-flashback-patrick-kelly.
Tuzio, Andrea, and Giulia Guido. “The Story of Willi Smith, the Designer Who Invented Streetwear.” Collateral, 18 Mar. 2021, https://www.collater.al/en/the-story-of-willi-smith-the-designer-who-invented-streetwear/.
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