The impact that African Americans have on every realm of American society is enormous, but many are unaware of the contributions African Americans have made to the world of fashion. When the names Iman, Naomi, Tyra, and Beverly are said, most know exactly whom one is referring to, but what about Patrick Kelly?Born in racially tensioned Vicksburg, Mississippi, Kelly was a southern gem with big dreams and empty pockets. From Mississippi to Atlanta to New York and ultimately Paris, Patrick Kelly became a mapmaker, leaving thimbles and thread everywhere he traveled. Embracing the city of light and finding his joie de vivre in Paris, Kelly went from selling his clothing on the street and being a costumer for a club, to presenting his first collection in 1985 (the same year Christian Lacroix introduced his groundbreaking le pouf dress to high society) and later, going on to become the first American admitted to the Chambre Syndicale du Prêt-à-Porte a prestigious organization of ready to wear fashion designers in France.
Celebrities such as Bette Davis, Cicely Tyson, Isabella Rossellini and Grace Jones helped Kelly become a rising star in the fashion industry, as they were fans and wearers of his garments. With inspiration from his female relatives, Kelly was most known for not only his ability to take the most simplistic garment and adorn it with colorful buttons, jewels and bright ribbon, but also, his racial conscience that inspired thought among viewers of his fashion shows. Before his shows, Kelly would give audience members black dolls with nappy hair and protruding bright red lips also known as a “pickaninny”. While many would question his reasoning behind using a doll that represented so much racial tension, Kelly would use the doll as a totem, connecting his culture and race to the fashion world. Slightly controversial, yes, but it became these symbols and images that made Kelly a famous designer in Paris and beyond.
To mix politics, high fashion and race is difficult, not impossible.
Fabulously yours,
Jennifer Pauline
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