The History of Blacks in Fashion By Jamie Virostko, additional reporting by Natalie Nichols In celebration of Black History Month, we’re taking a behind-the-scenes look at the history of black fashion: The designers. The photographers. The entrepreneurs. The stylists. The icons. And the pioneers... 
FIRST LADIES... - In the early 1850s, Elizabeth Keckley was a talented seamstress and a slave. She earned money for her household as a dressmaker and bought her freedom with a $1200 loan from a loyal customer. While running a successful dressmaking shop in Washington, D.C., her skill so impressed First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln, she became Mrs. Lincoln’s personal dressmaker.
PIONEERS IN STYLE...  Ophelia Devore - For Renaissance man, Gordon Parks, the title of “Fashion Photographer” does not even begin to develop the picture. In the 1940s, he was hired by Vogue Magazine and Life. Legendary photographer, artist, composer, writer, and filmmaker, he also published several books and directed the 1971 film, Shaft.
- Mrs. Eunice W. Johnson, producer and director of Ebony Fashion Fair had to purchase designer goods, as none of the major fashion houses would loan out their clothes to the largest traveling fashion show in the world. Ebony Fashion Fair was the first to showcase black models in the stylings of Europe’s top designers. To this day Mrs. Johnson is the only woman to travel over seas and purchase designs to be used during a traveling runway event
DESIGNING MEN... - In 1976, Willi Smith created the popular Williwear, a colorful and youthful sportswear Line. His designs were featured in the Spike Lee Film, School Daze. Sadly, Willi Smith was lost to AIDS at age 39. He remains one of the most successful African-American fashion designers in history. Many of his outfits are current hot items in vintage clothing shops and on the net.
- Stephen Burrows was one of the first African-American designers to achieve international fame. Bursting on the fashion scene in the 1970s, he was known for vibrant colors and his signature lettuce hemline edges. An inspiration for current designers such as Marc Jacobs, Burrows has created garments for celebrities like Oprah, Cher, Diana Ross, and Naomi Watts. On June 7, 2006, he was awarded a Board of Director’s Special Tribute Award by the CFDA.
 Stephen Burrows STRUTTING THROUGH HISTORY... - Somalian born Iman was the daughter of a diplomat who spoke multiple languages. Exotic and intelligent, she became one of the world’s top models in the 1980s.
- Entrepreneurial host of "America’s Top Model," Tyra Banks has graced the covers of the Victoria’s Secret Catalogue, Sports Illustrated, and GQ--three more firsts for African Americans.
 Iman
Although we can’t begin to cover it all, we know one thing for sure: Whether sitting at a sewing machine or behind a camera, whether designing for the catwalk or strutting down it, African Americans have made incredible and undeniable contributions to the world of fashion. |
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