Stephen Burrows joins Custom Collaborative as Senior Advisor

Stephen Burrows created looks that defined American Fashion: slinky silhouettes, lettuce-edge hems and vibrant color-blocked creations that celebrate the joy and freedom of unfettered creative expression. His designs have been worn by legends ranging from Cher to Michelle Obama — and he also created a limited-edition collection for Target to celebrate the opening of their first Manhattan store in East Harlem.

Growing up in Newark, New Jersey, Burrows began thinking about fashion through the lens of dance. “I fell in love with mambo,” he says, and in high school he and his friends would trek to Manhattan to join the lithe crowds at the Palladium Ballroom dancing to Afro-Cuban music. He also loved sketching and would draw dresses for his dance partners. At first he thought he wanted to be an art teacher, but when it came time to pick a major in college he had a realization that perhaps drawing wasn’t enough — he could design as well.

In 1964, Burrows transferred to FIT where he developed a strong group of friends and collaborators who fueled his creative energy and appreciated his inventive cuts and techniques. “I started making clothes for myself,” Burrows says, “but then friends wanted what I made.” He noticed that American knitwear always had a lining, interrupting the material from the body. Instead, he created pieces that were meant to be worn out dancing — glamorous, liberated silhouettes that clung to the body and moved with the wearer. Dresses, but also t-shirts and pants, garments that anyone could wear.

When he graduated, Burrows got a job at a blouse manufacturer on 7th Avenue. “I was making $125 a week salary — I thought I was rich!” he says, laughing. Meanwhile, his own designs were a huge hit at disco clubs including Studio 54 and Max’s Kansas City. When a friend (and custom client) opened the avant-garde O Boutique on Park Avenue he invited Burrows to show his clothes in the store. Soon, Burrows’ work had caught the attention of Geraldine Stutz, owner of the luxury retailer Henri Bendel who offered him his own boutique within the department store. “I didn’t deal with the customers,” Burrows says, “I was in my own world making things I wanted to wear — you need a good team to make it happen!”

This is why Stephen Burrows believes the work of Custom Collaborative is so important — everyone deserves a good team. He and and founder Ngozi Okaro share this outlook. When Okaro founded Custom Collaborative it was because she saw the importance of community in creating space for creative talent to flourish, particularly for women from low-income and immigrant communities who routinely face barriers to employment.  

Burrows modestly attributes his success to luck and wants to pay it forward to the next generation of designers, especially those most in need of a nurturing space to create and express their individual talents. 

"Ngozi and her team are making it possible," he says succinctly.