Zelda Wynn Valdes was the first black fashion 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 a[...]
Meet Designer Duro Olowu Duro Olowu was born in Lagos Nigeria, to a Nigerian father and a Jamaican mother, he was raised between both Nigeria and England. Olowu developed a love for fashion, he became inspired by the women around him, from the clothing they wore, which were a mixture of colors and textures. He gave up the chance to become a lawyer like his father and instead decided to pursue a career in fashion. Living in London provided him the opportunity to embrace the culture, art,[...]
Meet Designer Ozwald Boateng Ozwald Boateng was born in 1968 in London, England to Ghanaian immigrant parents. Back in Ghana his mother had worked in the fabric business and took in custom work as a seamstress in England. At the age of 5, Boateng's mother made him a purple mohair suit that quickly became his favorite outfit. At 16, Boateng began dating a girl he met at a London technical college, she showed him how to sew and make clothes. Soon after Boateng had switched his major from comput[...]
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Who Is Laquan Smith? Laquan Smith’s designing all began at the age of 13 when his grandmother passed down her old Singer sewing machine for him to use. From then on he began creating garments. At the age of 17, Smith was diagnosed with cancer, he pushed through until he won the battle. Once he graduated from high school, he began to pursue a career in fashion. After applying and not being accepted to the Fashion Institute of Technology and Parsons School of Design, he began interning at th[...]