Black Luminaries In Fashion History
by Christian Hopley
From the state of the economy to foreign policy, and even the racial climate of the time – the choice of dress reflects it all. It would be remiss of any fashion lover or historian to ignore the contributions of fashion trailblazers, especially the Black ones. This article is a love letter to four black fashion architects from different eras of American history, from the 1860s to the early 2000s.
Elizabeth Keckley – 1860s
A formerly enslaved black woman, Elizabeth Keckley became the main dressmaker for Mary Todd Lincoln during the four-year Lincoln administration in the mid-1800s.
Keckley and her son's freedom cost $1200. In 1855 she saved enough money from her seamstress business and had enough support to buy her out of slavery. After being freed, she moved further north to Washington D.C., where, in her words, her business was more prosperous than it had been in the south. Through one of her patrons, Margret McClean, Keckley was able to bring her designs directly to the eyes of Mary Todd Lincoln. After being introduced to the soon-to-be first lady, Keckley was invited to the White House along with three other seamstresses and was handpicked to be the main dressmaker. This assignment will become the most revolutionary aspect of Elizabeth Keckley's legacy.
A formerly enslaved black woman was tasked to dress the most important woman in the country. Much like any nation, American citizens looked to the First Lady to set the fashion trends of the time. Yet not only were American citizens eyeing the dresses of the First Lady. The entire western world also had its eyes on the Lincoln administration as they ushered the country through the Civil war.
Elizabeth Keckley, in her designs, had a propensity for extravagance. Her most famous gown for Mrs. Lincoln was a three-piece day dress of green and white plaid wool which also featured a cape. Another unforgettable gown she constructed for the first lady was a royal purple crushed velvet gown with white piping, a large crinoline skirt, and even interchangeable day and evening bodices. The purple color signified the regality of the first lady, and the large skirts on both the plaid day dress and the purple gown commanded any room that the first lady entered.
Along with being a dressmaker, Keckley still found time to establish the Contraband Relief Association, which in the summer of 1862 housed enslaved refugees who escaped to Washington D.C. in search of freedom. Fashion saved her life; it's what emancipated her.
Zelda Wynn Valdes – 1950s
The new Black Girl Luxury aesthetic owes to Zelda Wynn Valdes as she pioneered the movement of bringing the black female figure to the forefront of high fashion. Valdes prioritized fitting stiffer couture fabrics to the curves of a body, more specifically, black women's bodies. She was not afraid of risque for the time low-cut figure-hugging dresses – it was her signature.
In 1948 she became the first black store owner on Broadway in Manhattan. The Chez Zelda store turned into an oasis for black women who The New York Times says "had often felt the sting of racism at other boutiques."
Valdes sold sensual yet demure gowns, serving the poshest women of upper black society. Diahann Caroll, Dorothy Dandridge, Mae West, and Eartha Kitt were among her clients. She also made the bridal gown of Maria Ellington for her marriage to artist Nat King Cole. Her most famous client, though, was blues musician Ella Fitzgerald. Zelda Wynn Valdes remarked that she had only time to measure Fitzgerald's fuller figure once in her entire career since the singer was constantly touring. After that first measurement, Valdes would simply study recent pictures of Fitzgerald and estimate where her weight had changed. The dresses were made and delivered in a record turnover time of three-four days. Ella says Zelda always made the dress measurements perfectly each time.
Valdes's emphasis on the female curves led Hugh Hefner to personally commission her to create costumes for his new Playboy bunnies – now an immortalized American symbol of femininity and seduction. The scintillating costumes consisted of a high-leg strapless corset, a large fluffy tail, cuffs, a bowtie collar, pantyhose, and bunny ears.
For most designers, breaking into the costuming world posed a challenge, but Valdes had much success both in her work at Playboy and during her long stint at the Arthur Mitchell Dance Theater of Harlem. Here she designed costumes for the dancers and was also credited with creating skin tone tights that match different shades of dark skin. Because of her, it's an unspoken requirement for all dance companies to carry inclusive nude shades, not just typical pink tights meant to match the white dancer's skin. Zelda Wynn Valdes spent her career putting black femininity on the main stage, from centering the curves of the body in her designs to creating inclusive nude shades in costuming.
Stephen Burrows – 1970s
Juneteenth shares the month of June with Pride Month. It is imperative to note that much of Queer history and liberation is, in fact, Black History. Stephen Burrows is a memorable Black and openly gay luminary. Educated at FIT in New York City, after graduation Burrows established his own line of gender-neutral clothing His pieces were made for the disco scene of the 70s, especially for queer people like himself. Later he began to focus on womenswear.
Since 2019 Stephen Burrows Is Custom Collaborative’s Senior Advisor. Click here to learn more about him and what drove him to our mission.
Burrow’s credited for creating the lettuce hem, now featured on the trending pleated two-piece sets and cropped cardigans. Zig-zag stitching, intentional color-blocking, pattern mixing, and appliqués are other characteristics of a genuine Stephen Burrows piece. He frequently utilizes jersey materials and is a fan of non-constricting clothing. His clothes were made to dance around the body – whether you were walking the streets or dancing at the 70s disco.
Stephen Burrows was the only Black designer in the famous 1973 "Battle of Versailles" fashion show, which featured many other high-profile American designers. He was also the sole American designer who didn't have as much of a large following, and the one to carry the American side of the show to victory over the French designers. Like Zelda Wynn Valdes, Burrows made his dresses with the Black feminine form in mind. Model Barbara Jackson was even quoted raving about the craftsmanship of his clothing, saying, "They were really designed for our bodies."
June Ambrose – 1990s
In hip-hop's early days, many rappers simply dressed up for music videos. But as the 90s raged on, music videos became more widespread and more technologically advanced, especially with the rise of Afro-futurism. This was when hip-hop was still trying to cement itself in the music industry as a genre worth respect. Hip-hop didn't have any connection to the luxury fashion world before stylist June Ambrose. She took rappers out of typical casual street style and put them in coutúre pieces – in a way that felt the most natural to the genre.
From the 90s to the 2000s, June Ambrose was responsible for building the rapport between hip-hop and luxury fashion houses. Stylist LawRoach employed the same strategy of using styling as a tool to bring artists into stardom. He successfully turned Zenday into an A-list celebrity by forming connections between her and luxury fashion houses. Now brands were designing more extravagant collections with hip-hop artists in mind as they became the new largest marketer of the brands.
Christian Hopley is a lover and researcher of fashion who is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations Journalism at Georgia State University. This material was created during his summer 2022 internship at Custom Collaborative.