The History of Black Fashion | LA2DAY - The Los Angeles Lifestyle Magazine

The History of Black Fashion
By Dorielle Hammonds FOR LA2DAY.COM 29 Feb 2008

Before Black History Month ends, I feel the need to pay tribute to a few of the African-American pioneers in fashion design. These fashion designers paved the way for other designers of color. Because of the door that they opened, Black women and men have made a name in fashion. Whether it is modeling, styling, designing, or photography, the following historical figures opened the door to the fashion world for Black America.

Elizabeth Keckley (1818-1907)

Born a slave in Virginia in 1818, Elizabeth learned how to sew from her mother. Her outstanding skills as a seamstress earned her money as she sewed for her master as well as his friends and family. A client of Elizabeth's gave her a $1200 loan that was used to buy her freedom as well as her son's. In the 1850s, Elizabeth opened and maintained a successful dressmaking shop in Washington, D.C. Her dressmaking impressed First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln and she was asked to design a gown for Mary's Inaugural Ball. President and First Lady Lincoln were so delighted by her dress that Elizabeth became Mary's personal dressmaker.

Elizabeth Keckley

Ann Cole Lowe (1898-1981)

Ann learned how to stitch at a very early age. She and her mother moved to New York from her birthplace of Alabama, where her mother operated a small dressmaking shop. After Ann's mother died, she continued the shop while taking fashion courses at S.T. Taylor Design School to perfect her dressmaking skills. In the early 1950s, Jacqueline Bouvier ordered some of her designs. When she married John F. Kennedy in 1952, Jackie decided to get her wedding dress made by Ann, as well as 10 additional dresses for those in the wedding party.

Unfortunately, in 1961 the I.R.S. seized Ann Lowe's shop because of back taxes. An anonymous person, who is believed to be Jacqueline Kennedy, cleared all her debt. That same year, Ann opened a boutique in Saks Fifth Avenue and was awarded the Couturier of the Year Plaque by New York Fashion society.

Five of Ann Lowe's gowns are currently in the collection of the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum in New York.

Ann Cole Lowe JK Wedding Dress

Willi Smith (1948-1987)

Willi Smith was one of the most successful African-American fashion designers in the fashion industry. Smith was born in Philadelphia and then moved to New York to attend Parsons School of Design. In 1976, Smith opened his own company called Williwear. He designed the suits for Edwin Schlossberg and his groomsmen when he married Caroline Kennedy in 1986. Smith also designed the wardrobe for Spike Lee's 1988 film, School Daze. Willi Smith died at the age of 39 from an AIDS related illness. At the time of his death, his company Williwear sold $25 million worth of clothing a year.

Willi Smith

Stephen Burrows (1943-Present)

Stephen Burrows is the first African American fashion designer to reach international fame. After attending Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, Stephen went to work for New York based department store, Henri Bendel in 1968. This move catapulted Stephen's fashion career. His client roster quickly grew and included celebrities like Cher, Barbara Streisand, Jerry Hall, Diana Ross, Liza Minnelli, and Lauren Hutton. He soon became an international sensation in the early 1970s, bringing universal acclaim to American fashion. He introduced vibrant colors and his signature lettuce hemline edge to the runway.

Stephen somehow faded out from the couture fashion world in the eighties, simply designing for the theater and a few couture clients. In 2002, he was welcomed back to fashion with the reopening of "Stephen Burrows World" in Henri Bendel. Stephen Burrow's celebrated his 40^th year as a fashion designer in 2006.

Stephen Burrows