Zelda Wynn Valdes was the first black designer and costumer to open up her own shop in 1948. Her shop was the first black owned business on Broadway in NYC.

She dressed some of the most famous people in history such as Josephine Baker, Ella Fitzgerald, Dorothy Dandridge, Ruby Dee, Mae West and many more.

Zelda got her start in fashion as a child by creating clothing for her dolls, she began cutting out patterns from newspapers. Zelda studied her grandmother’s work as a seamstress and also worked in her uncle’s tailoring shop.
She got her first job as a fancy clothier, where she had to prove her abilities as a young black woman to those who doubted her.
During the rise of her career she caught the attention of Hugh Hefner, who hired her to design the first Playboy Bunny Costume in the 1950s.

She helped with the formation of the National Association of  Fashion and Accessory Designers for those who were interested in pursuing a career in the Fashion Industry.
She also designed the uniforms for the Dance Theatre of Harlem.

She died at the age of 96 on September 26, 2001.

I love the way she designed dresses to accentuate women’s curves! She was truly Talented.