28 Days Of Black History: Meet African American Designer Scott Barrie…

Scott Barrie was best known for his sexy matte jersey dresses, which were popular in the 1970s and 1980s.

Scott Barrie

Scott Barrie whose real name was Nelson Clyde Barr was born in Philadelphia in January 1946. As a kid, Barrie knew he wanted to be a designer. He started making his own clothing using his grandmother’s sewing machine at the age of 10.

Barrie studied Applied Arts at the Philadelphia Museum College and Art and Fashion Design at the Mayer School of Fashion where he graduated in 1965. As a way of supporting himself, he starting cutting and sewing jersey dresses in his apartment to sell while working different jobs on Seventh Avenue. Barrie’s mother was not very encouraging about his career choice in fashion, “Blacks don’t make it there,” his mother would warn, but he quickly proved her wrong.

“Blacks don’t make it there.” 

In 1968, Barrie opened his own showroom after selling some of his designs to Bloomingdale’s and Henri Bendel.

Along with a few other black designers, Barrie was one of the first black designers to make his mark in American fashion. He proved himself to be a master at draping jersey and chiffon in modern ways creating elegant and often risqué evening wear.
Barrie’s designs consisted of a range of loungewear, furs, and accessories, he was also involved in costume design.

In the early 1980s, Barrie stopped designing under his own name, taking a position with the dress firm S.E.L. as a designer. In the later years  Barrie went on to design for the Italian design house Krizia and for the Japanese firm Kinshido until his death in 1993.

Sources:Ny Times, Fashion Encyclopedia, Fashion Model Directory 

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