“Black prosperity begins in the mind, in the spirit, and in each other.”
So said the show notes for Kerby Jean-Raymond’s couture debut, which he delivered via an audacious riff on Black American inventions and innovation. It was groundbreaking and historic considering the firsts Jean-Raymond had with the collection.
He became the first Black designer to be listed on Paris’ official haute couture schedule, and one of three Americans ever to be invited with their own house; Mainbocher and Ralph Rucci being the other two (Oscar de la Renta designed couture for Balmain). The city’s Federation de la Haute Couture et de la Mode even extended the schedule to accommodate for Pyer Moss’ two-day delay caused by a rainstorm.
Jean-Raymond staged the first-ever fashion show at Villa Lewaro, the iconic estate of Madame CJ Walker. She was the first self-made female millionaire and a Black entrepreneur, philanthropist, and a political and social activist. Walker created specialized hair products for African American hair care and traveled to the White House to petition President Woodrow Wilson to make lynching a federal crime.
Jean-Raymond is a master storyteller as well as an educator who uses fashion as a vehicle for strong narratives. Here, he highlighted the power of Black innovation—sometimes literally so. Cue the parade of models in, say, a refrigerator, air-conditioning unit, traffic light, handheld phone, hair curlers, or peanut butter jar. It was tongue-in-cheek, costume-y, innovative, and interspersed with nods to couture’s storied traditions.
“We are an invention inside of an invention,” Jean-Raymond stated. “Inside of the creation of race, we made blackness. Uprooted from home and put in a foreign land, we made culture. And when they tried to strip our humanity, we made freedom so tethered to each other that it still shapes the world today.”
A multi-colored bottle-cap skirt was embroidered with the words “Delicious and Refreshing.” It spoke to the entire collection. Congratulations, Kerby.
