TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Ann Lowe was the first internationally recognized black fashion designer, and her career began designing dresses for Gasparilla.
Born in Clayton, Alabama in 1898, Ann Lowe learned to sew from her mother and grandmother. From an early age, she was interested in using scraps to make flowers similar to those in her family’s garden. This later became her signature design.
Lowe began sewing at the age of five. In 1916, at the age of 18, local socialite Josephine Edward Lee bumped into Lowe inside a New York department store, and she moved to Tampa. Lee liked Lowe’s clothes and the way they were made.
Tampa Bay hosts 17th Annual Soul Roll Invitational Skate Jam
“Mrs. Lee had a large family here and needed someone to make her clothes, so she invited Anne to come with her to Florida and set up a residence in her home.” Henry B. Plant Museum Curator Susan Carter said.
This changed Lowe’s life. After moving and making clothes for Lee’s family, Lower quickly became the go-to designer for Tampa’s elite. In 1924, she was chosen to design a dress for Gasparilla. Three of these dresses are on display at the Henry B. Plant Museum as part of the Gasparilla Collection.
Two of the three suits are part of the Gasparilla Collection at the Henry B. Plant Museum.
“Every once in a while, we end up with a treasure like an Ann Lowe dress,” Carter said. “We started with one book, then we got one from a member of the museum association, and then we got two more, and they’re all related to Gasparilla.”
One of the dresses was made in 1924 for the Queen of Gasparilla, Sarah Reichs Keller. It depicts Lowe’s famous flowers. The other dress was made in 1926 and was created by Katherine Broadus. The third is a silk dress with tulle flowers and pearls worn by Rebecca Davis Smith in 1957 to a Gasparilla event called the Jewel Circle.
“It was a bigger deal back then. She lived and worked and designed and made money designing costumes for Gasparilla,” Andrew Brown said.
Browne is co-owner of The Paper Bar, a fashion and art brand. He studied Lowe’s contributions to the community.
“In the ’40s, she was invited to work with Christian Dior, and she said, ‘I’d love to do that, but here in America,'” Brown said. “If she wasn’t here in Tampa, she wouldn’t be where she is today.”
Brown, the company’s director of education, has taught several students about Rowe. In fact, he and partner Jason Radcliffe had their students interpret a 1947 Oscar dress that Lowe had made for Olivia de Havilland. They unveiled their final designs, mood boards, and illustrations during their 2021 fundraiser.
After several years in Tampa, Rowe moved to New York to attend the ST Taylor School of Design. When she arrived, she was not welcomed by the principal because of her race. In fact, Ms. Lower was isolated from her classmates because she didn’t want other black women in the same room.
Despite being discriminated against, Lowe’s design ability far exceeded that of his classmates. Her design was used as an example of other students’ excellent work. Due to her skill level and ability, she graduated from the program in half the time required.
Lowe then began designing clothes for major design houses, celebrities, royalty, and more. Lowe designed Jacqueline Kennedy’s wedding dress and bridesmaid dresses. In fact, when she went to deliver the dress, they tried to let her through the back door because of her race, but she refused.
Ms. Lowe never got the recognition she deserved because of the color of her skin and America’s racial climate.
“Anne didn’t label her clothes. No one knew. She was just a black woman who designed clothes, she was just a fashion seamstress,” Carter said. Ta. “She wasn’t given much consideration.”
That lack of recognition prevented Ms. Rowe from receiving adequate compensation for her work, which led her to file for bankruptcy multiple times.
Lowe was the first internationally recognized black fashion designer to never receive flowers. But now her flowers and designs are internationally known and exhibited at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian Institution, the Henry B. Plant Museum, and more.
Lowe’s dress is on display at the Botanical Museum until March 5th.
Coverage of the pirate invasion and parade can be viewed online and broadcast. Coverage of the invasion begins on WFLA Now on Saturday, Jan. 28 at 11:30 p.m. The Pirate Parade will be broadcast on News Channel 8 at 2:30 p.m.
