Ola Hudson may not be a household name, but she has made some contributions to fashion. Many black designers do not get the recognition they deserve. So today’s black history post is about Ola Hudson.
Ola Hudson was born on October 12, 1946, in Los Angeles, California. Before pursuing her career as a designer, Hudson was a trained dancer. She studied at the Lester Horton School of Modern Dance. Shortly after, she went on to study at the Institute of Dance in Paris, at Le Loft in Switzerland, and the Max Rivers School in London. While there, she met and married Anthony Hudson.
Early in their marriage, she discovered her love for fashion. Hudson started designing women’s clothing for trendy boutiques during her time in London and back home in Los Angeles. She was good at creating innovative looks for rock-and-roll performers.
Mrs. Hudson quickly made a name for herself as a leading costumier to the stars. Her clientele list included celebrities such as Diana Ross, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, the Pointer Sisters, Stevie Wonder, Janet Jackson, and David Bowie. Hudson designed the suits worn by Bowie in the 1976 film, The Man Who Fell To Earth and Station to Station. Her design company Ola Hudson Enterprises created special collections for Henri Bendel, Arpeja, Right Bank Clothing, and Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills.
Hudson was also known for her retro design work, featuring details from the 1940s. Her creations were shown at the Los Angeles Space-Age Designs: Past-Present-Future in 1974.
Hudsons past collections of her work she designed for Bowie are on permanent display at the New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art.
In 2009 at the age of 62, Hudson lost her battle with cancer.
Ola Hudson is the mother of Slash of Guns N’ Roses.
