The groundbreaking work of 10 contemporary black fashion designers (established and up-and-coming) based in New York City will be showcased in an unprecedented exhibition, Black Dress, celebrating the creativity and entrepreneurship of the field. : Ten Contemporary Fashion Designers”. Organized by Pratt Institute fashion professor Adrienne Jones and coinciding with Black History Month and New York Fashion Week, the exhibition features international fashion superstars Tracy Reese, Byron Lars, and Omar Lars. It includes designs by Salam and Pratt Institute alumnus Jeffrey Banks. A fashion-forward video created especially for the exhibition by renowned artist and 2013 MacArthur Fellow Carrie Mae Weems. Organized by Pratt Manhattan Gallery (144 West 14th Street, 2nd floor), this free exhibit will be on view until April 26, 2014.
Black Dress opens at a time when black designers are still underrepresented in the fashion world, despite their growing influence and success. In response, this exhibition was conceived by curator Jones with the aim of bringing wider awareness to the victories and achievements achieved by contemporary black designers in the industry. To illustrate this new emergence, Pratt Manhattan Gallery’s exhibition space will be transformed into a series of Madison Avenue-style shop windows that shine a distinct spotlight on each designer’s work.
Each store window features designers who have influenced contemporary fashion around the world – designers who have worked and been successful in the industry for decades – as well as attracting the attention of runway audiences, fashion editors and consumers. The bold visions of young designers are on display. Exhibitor Reese is a board member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, and her distinctive designs can be seen in both the Tracy Reese and Plenty by Tracy Reese lines. A pioneering designer and founder of the Byron Lars Beauty Mark, Lars was named Rookie of the Year by Women’s Wear Daily for his edgy take on classic American design. I did. Salam is a designer and entrepreneur who founded Sukena Fashion House, known for its vibrant colors and elegant fabrics. Banks is a protégé of Ralph Lauren and now runs a brand that includes men’s clothing, accessories and home decor.
Another featured designer is Samantha Black (Sammy B), a Pratt University graduate and former “Project Runway” contestant. Renowned fashion innovator Stephen Burrows. Donna Dove is a Harlem-based visual artist, designer, and entrepreneur. Epperson is a self-taught Brooklyn designer and former “Project Runway” contestant. Michael Jerome Francis is an environmentally conscious designer. and Laquan Smith, a celebrity-purveyor designer based in Queens.
The designers featured in the show draw from a long history of black fashion design in America, dating back at least to the 1860s when Elizabeth Keckley became Mary Todd Lincoln’s sole dressmaker. According to Jones, today’s designs include Keckley and Ann Lowe, who designed Jacqueline Bouvier’s 1953 wedding dress for her marriage to John F. Kennedy, and who designed and sewed other dresses. It is said to be steeped in the cultural heritage passed down by tailors and dressmakers. Politicians, slave owners, and members of high society in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Despite their significant contributions on the runway and behind the scenes, Jones says black names are underrepresented in the industry’s narrative in America.
“Black designers are coming onto the scene with more attention than ever before,” Jones said. “The Black Dress will highlight the correlation between entrepreneurship, creativity and locality. These elements will work together to create a new destination for designers and their communities where fashion excellence and achievement will be recognized. “It creates opportunities to become…” she added.
The exhibition is co-curated by Jones and pioneering art dealer and exhibition developer Paula Coleman.
In conjunction with the exhibition, a panel discussion on the contributions of Black designers will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on March 5 in Room 213 of Pratt’s Manhattan campus at 144 West 14th Street. Panelists include Michaela Angela Davis, former editor-in-chief of Essence; Julie Wilson, Huffington Post/Black Voices Style and Beauty Editor. Harriet Cole, former editor of Ebony, Essence, and Uptown magazines; Elaine Welteroth, Teen Vogue’s beauty and health director. and Pratt Institute fashion professor Adrian Jones. Moderated by Walter Green, Profiles98 fashion editorial director and Black Dress consultant.
Exhibition mannequins were generously donated by PATINA-V and Saks Fifth Avenue.
To join the conversation, follow Pratt Institute on Twitter (@PrattInstitute), Facebook, and Instagram using the hashtag #BlackDress.
Image: Installation shot from the “Black Dress: Ten Contemporary Fashion Designers” exhibition at Pratt Manhattan Gallery. Image credit: M. Alexander Weber.
