To give credit is acknowledging someone’s impact to move a culture forward. To give credit is paying homage to the source of innovation, originality, and coolness that truly inspires the world.

As we celebrate Blackness every day, we become more comfortable with narrating our own stories. Whether through art, literature, or academia, we honor our ancestors by amplifying their voices and giving thanks for the pathways they paved.

As part of CFDA’s 60th Anniversary, three extraordinary American designers are deserving of infinite credit: Stephen Burrows, Willi Smith, and Patrick Kelly. They are more than just Black designers. They are Americans who moved the culture forward. Designers who are Black are often labeled as a “Black designer” or as a “streetwear designer,” which can overshadow the abilities to reach beyond their full potential. It is important to recognize Burrows, Smith, and Kelly as American designers as it puts all designers on the same playing field.

​​Black history is American history, as Blackness is forever and deeply rooted in America’s soil. As the language of luxury and streetwear fashion continues to evolve, know their names: Burrows, Smith, and Kelly. Each of these storytellers shifted cultural power by introducing new fashion perspectives, which shaped today’s crossover between luxury, fashion, and streetwear. Today, more designers are embodying their own sense of luxury through brand values.

Burrows’ light in storytelling brought global visibility to American fashion, especially at the famed 1973 Battle of Versailles, featuring Black models such as Pat Cleveland, Alva Chinn, Billie Blair, Bethann Hardison, and others. He was the first Black person to win a Winnie (award for womenswear) at the Coty American Fashion Critics Awards (the precursor for today’s CFDA Awards). He won two more. His fashion accomplishments proved to Kelly and Smith that it was possible to have an impact on American fashion.

Kelly, a native of Mississippi, pushed cultural and social boundaries while exploiting his very own Black trauma. He conceptualized stereotypical imagery by producing controversial fashion collections that ignited conversations for racial progression in America. Now designers are more encouraged than ever to contribute to cultural conversations in fashion.

It’s known that fashion journalists and critics were afraid of his ability to enlighten people of alternative societal perspectives. Kelly responded to his experiences as a Black, gay Southerner. He figuratively and literally projected love into his conceptual work which redefined tropes of Black love as well as ideas that Black people did not work hard enough. His signature ‘Runway of Love’ collection of dresses hand-embellished with heart shaped buttons caught the attention of his peers. In 1985, Kelly had a cover feature published in French Elle Magazine, yet his contributions to fashion had been silenced in America.

For most Black Americans, luxury is a state of prosperity – a sense of richness drawn from their resilience. For the originator of streetwear, Willi Smith, the idea of luxury was a unique departure from what the elites had originally defined it as. In 1976, Smith founded street couture. For him, the people outside in the streets had different views of the world. As an openly Black, gay, man in America, Smith connected to his peers and promoted Williwear as inclusive for everybody. To further conceptualize Williwear, the multifaceted visionary intertwined fashion with films and art exhibitions. He worked with contemporary artists to launch T-shirts for WillieWear production at Ronald Feldman Gallery in 1984.

Instead of assimilating to long held constructs of inspiration, he embraced the people around him so everyone in the streets embodied his brand Williwear, which generated $25 million in sales by the end of 1986. Smith’s collaborations were significant contributions to the fashion landscape and laid the groundwork for luxury fashion and streetwear brands crossovers such as Telfar x Mooseknuckle, Pyer Moss x Reebok, and Louis Vuitton x Supreme.

Burrows, Kelly, and Smith walked in their own pathways so that popular CFDA-recognized designers such Telfar Clemens of Telfar, Kerby Jean Raymond of Pyer Moss, and the late Virgil Abloh of Off-White could build luxury fashion and streetwear brands.

Many of today’s designers understand the impact Burrows, Smith, and Kelly had on them and the culture at large.

As Autumn Randolph of No Sesso put it, “I know Stephen Burrows, Willi Smith, and Patrick Kelly pushed creative boundaries in fashion. They were also fantastical in their work. There are not many people or creators who can take you to another place. And this is the work our brand aligns with the most.”

Designer Tia Adeola stated, “These designers quite literally showed me and I am sure other designers like myself that you can do it too. It’s extra reassurance seeing people just achieving your dreams.

“Willi Smith’s designs were often referred to as ’street couture,’ she added. “I think that in itself was the door opening for Black designers to be recognized as couture designers. Not street couture, just couture. Like him, I hope to continue to show the designers coming after me that it’s possible to design and create beyond what is expected of you and be recognized for it.”

We stand on a legacy trail blazed by Burrows, Smith, and Kelly who deserve to be structured on a mountain top for their contributions to American development. Each of these designers serves as a true representation of what leaving their own marks on the world looks like. We could give flowers over and over again but flowers are short-lived. It is more important to water their roots as we sow new seeds in American fashion that will flourish into trees of distinction, prosperity, and cultural richness.

Illustrations by Matthew White