Black History Month is always a good time to revisit the accomplishments that black people have made for centuries. The contributions of the black community certainly do not exclude the fashion industry. While those contributions should be learned and noted every day, it’s evident that all of these major steps are not necessarily well-documented, and taking the time to note these steps of progress are necessary for future generations. It’s important for all of us to know where we’ve been, and have faith in where we’re going. It’s necessary to know what paths were blazed by our ancestors and forerunners, in order to know what trails are yet to be burned down.

Here are just a few of the most iconic and important moments in fashion black history. (Note, these accomplishments are not in chronological order rather grouped by significance.):

1. 1861 – 1865 Elizabeth Hobbes Keckley is the personal dressmaker and confidant of First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln.

In the name of freedom and fashion, we’d be remiss to not point out that former first lady Mary Todd Lincoln (spouse of Abraham Lincoln) favored Elizabeth Keckley as her personal dressmaker and confidant. Keckly was a former slave who bought her own freedom prior to working in the White House.

2. 1948 - Zelda Wynn Valdes becomes the first black designer to open her own shop.

Zelda Wynn Valdes was the first black fashion designer to open her own shop. That shop was the first black-owned business on broadway.

 

3. 1953 Former First Lady Jackie Kennedy marries Former President John F. Kennedy... in a dress designed by Anne Lowe.

We knew we liked Jackie. Her wedding gown was designed and created by Anne Lowe, who can be considered the first black high fashion designer in America. Lowe was designed for many women in high society, but the legendary wedding gown of the prominent American widow is of particular historical significance and solidified her role in documented history. The Kennedys were married on September 12, 1953.

 

4. 1957 - Arthur McGee becomes the first black man to run an established design room.

Known as the dean of African-American designers. This man paved the way for future designers of international renowned black designers like Armani’s Patrick Robinson, Donna Karan’s Edward Wilkerson, Prada’s Lawrence Steele, Ralph Lauren’s Max Wilson, and Stephen Burrows who would become one of 5 designers most responsible for setting the tone of American fashion’s unique identity. In 1951 at the age of 18, McGee entered a contest where he won a scholarship to Traphagen School of Design, He went on to study at FIT, and in 1957, he became the first African-American to run the design room of an established Seventh Avenue clothing company, Bobby Brooks.

5. 2010 - Robin Givhan becomes the first fashion writer to win a Pulitzer Prize.

Robin Givhan, the current fashion editor for The Washington Post, was a well-respected writer and contributor to several fashion publications like Harper’s Bazaar Magazine and Vogue Magazine. The Princeton University graduate was awarded the Pulitzer Prize "for her witty, closely observed essays that transform fashion criticism into cultural criticism."

6. 1973 - Stephen Burrows is one of 5 American Fashion Houses to Represent the United States in the “Battle Versailles” against 5 French Couture Houses. This event is what truly put American Fashion on the map.

In the 2015 book written by Givhan, “The Battle of Versailles” she retells a 1973 showdown between Yves Saint Laurent, Hubert de Givenchy, Emanuel Ungaro, Pierre Cardin, and Christian Dior and their American counterparts Halston, Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass, Stephen Burrows, and Anne Klein. This intense fashion show was part of a fundraiser to restore King Louis XIV’s palace. The attendees included notable names like Liza Minelli, Josephine Baker, Princess Grace of Monaco, Andy Warhol, and Elizabeth Taylor. At the time, American fashion directly copied french fashion with the permission of French designers. A groundbreaking move for the time, This runway show consisted of 36 models and 10 of them were black including Bethann Hardison who would become a household name, and would go on to found the Diversity Coalition as an activist for the representation of black women in fashion. This show brought the political and unique landscape that was American culture: women’s liberation, the blurring of gender roles, and the racial dynamics of the time.

However, Burrows shook up the status quo the most. Givhan told Harper’s Bazaar, “He had a collection that was completely divorced from French fashion.” He brought his bold, striking colors and a unique cultural perspective to the runway, and the attendees were blown away.

7. 2010 - Bethann Hardison goes on named Vogue Italia editor at large.
8. 2008 -Two years prior, in July, Vogue Italia publishes its “All-Black” issue.

During a time in the fashion industry when there was major discussion around the limited use of black models (specifically the strange tokenism that leaned to there only being one black model on any given runway at a time.) Vogue Italia released an “all-black” July 2008 issue that exclusively used black models. This published celebration of black beauty sold out in 72 hours in the US and UK. Requiring an additional order of 30,000 issues. The issue featured historically iconic black models Pat Cleveland, Tyra Banks, and Veronica Webb. The cover featured Naomi Campbell, Liya Kebede, Sessilee Lopez, and Jourdan Dunn.

9. 1965 - Donyale Luna becomes the first black model to appear on any magazine cover.

Some have called her the “first true black supermodel.” When a sketch of Donyale made the cover of American Harper’s Bazaar. In 1966 British Vogue feature her on its cover.

10. 1974 - Beverly Johnson became the first black model to appear on the cover of American Vogue.

A forerunner of fashion model history, Beverly Johnson broke racial barriers when she became the first black model to feature on the cover of American Vogue’s August 1974 issue. Grace Mirabella was the editor at the time. The magazine had been turned over to her the year prior with the goal of reflecting the lifestyle of modern, liberated women during the spike of women’s equality marches and protests. The movement was spurred by a popularization of the book The Second Sex written by Simone de Beauvoir in 1949.

 

11. 1988- Naomi Campbell becomes the first Black model to grace the cover of Paris Vogue... after Yves Saint Laurent threatens to pull advertisement dollars if they discriminate against any black model including Campbell.

12. 1996 - Tyra Banks becomes the first black woman to appear on the cover of GQ... This kicks off a series of shattering firsts.

As a fashion model newbie, Tyra Banks hustled, booking 25 runway shows in Paris in 1991. That count was unprecedented for a new model. Eventually, Tyra started to gain weight, a no-no in the fashion world at that time. However, in true #blackgirlmagic style, refusing to starve herself, Tyra took what was disdained by the couture houses of Europe and turned it into a goldmine for lingerie and swimsuit brands in the US. Tyra’s curves made her stand even further apart as a true supermodel.
Her look hustle and fame won her the cover of GQ in 1996. In 1997, Banks became the first African-American woman to appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition. She also becomes the first black woman to be featured in Victoria's Secret lingerie catalog.

13. 1949 - Dorthea Mae Towles (Church) Becomes the First Successful Black Fashion Model in Paris, France.

Paving the way for all of the aforementioned and future models, Dorthea Church became the first successful black model to work in Paris, France when she is discovered by Christian Dior in 1949. It’s important to note that Dorthea Mae Church (néeTowles) was modeled in the United States for many black publications prior to moving to France. After working with Dior, she continued on to work with Pierre Balmain and Elsa Schiaparelli.

14. 2011 - Olivier Rousteing is Tapped as the Creative Director of Balmain

At the young age of 25-years-old, Olivier Rousteing, previously an unknown, replaced Christophe Decarnin as the Creative Director of Balmain, the French couture house which had been among the first to hire black models. On April 26, 2011, breaks into the scene with a new attitude. Bringing his roots and fresh take to fashion from the atelier, he infused Asian and African elements with the refined aspects of french couture. The result? A heralded aesthetic that generated $32 million in 2014 (a 20% increase in revenue from the previous year). His accessible luxury collection for H&M sold out in minutes. A voice for the millennial generation, he is the most followed designer on Instagram.

In order to understand his importance, you have to know a little-known fact about the term “haute couture.”. The French are very particular about the term. In order for something to be labeled “Haute Couture” and not just “couture,” the item must be approved by the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture (which translates to the Syndicated Chamber of High Fashion). There are currently only 35 Couture Houses with Membership and 58 former members in total since 1868. Though Balmain is no longer a member, Routing is among the first if not actually the first black person to act as creative director of any of these 93 houses. Talk about #YoungGiftedandBlack.

15. 1988 - Patrick Kelly is appointed to Chambre Syndicale du Prêt-à-Porter des Couturiers et Des Créateurs de Mode

Similar to France’s Haute Couture Chamber, France also has one for ready-to-wear, fashion that can be easily purchased and worn immediately. Patrick Kelly became the first black person to be admitted into this governing body. Kelly was known for dressing celebrities like Bette Davis, Paloma Picasso, Grace Jones, Madonna, Cicely Tyson, and Goldie Hawn, making a splash in Atlanta’s Buckhead community since the 70s. He designed styles that were known for color, humor, and deliberate references to African-American culture and folklore, putting black culture at the forefront of his designs.

 

16. 1979 - Lois Alexander Lane opened the Black Fashion Museum to curate and document African-American contributions to fashion.

Many people forget that Rosa Parks was actually a fashion designer and dressmaker. She’d actually spent a long day sewing when boarded that bus. No one knows exactly what Rosa Parks was wearing the night she was arrested, but she was carrying with her a yellow and tan floral wrap dress that belted at the waist, an understated and timeless style. In 1976, Parks donated that dress to Lane, who had spent the previous year organizing an event celebrating black fashion contributions called “A Bicentennial of Fashion”. In 1978, Lane traveled the nation to find garments designed by black people. Her exhibit would include a Sweet 16 ball gown designed by a black woman. The museum would open with a hand-stitched dress that had inset sleeves and waist sewn by a slave in Sauton, VA. Her curation of the accomplishments makes her both black fashion’s Superwoman and “Lois Lane.”

Countless other people have made cracks in the ceiling of fashion for the black community. From Mounia who was Yves Saint Laurent’s first black muse in the 70s to Alek Wek, black models have banged down doors to represent the glamour of black women. When Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs won a CFDA Fashion Award in 2004 for Menswear Design of the Year, he paved the way for celebrities to launch clothing brands and be taken seriously. Maria Borges was the first woman to walk the Victoria's secret fashion show with natural hair, and Andre Leon Talley worked tirelessly behind the scenes of fashion publications for decades to push black designers and models into the spotlight. =The achievements of blacks around the world should never be forgotten. They are an integral part of the pride in black beauty and identity that we have fought to have the freedom to embrace, shout, and celebrate... every month. Not just February.