Top Jamaican designers showcased at Black Dress in New York City

Top Jamaican designers Samantha Black and Michael Jerome Francis were among the select designers on show during the historic exhibition Black Dress, which came to a close at the Pratt Manhattan Gallery recently in New York City.

Black Dress: Ten Contemporary Fashion Designers, since its opening on February 6 to coincide with the start of New York Fashion Week, has seen a number of fashionistas and style mavens gracing the exhibit, which garnered extensive interest from patrons and a wide cross section of media.

The show, co-curated by Pratt Institute fashion professor Adrienne Jones and pioneering art dealer Paula Coleman, was an exquisite celebration of black designers.

Professor Jones, the concept developer and co-curator, told Outlook that the idea for Black Dress has been in the making for a few years and she was happy to have had the support of Pratt. She said the press coverage received has been amazing and she is hopeful they will be able to continue to raise awareness as they take the exhibit across the United States.

NOT JUST CONTEMPORARY DESIGNERS

"The original concept for the show was much larger than just contemporary designers. We wanted to go back to the history as you have seen on the scroll. We really need to be in a museum where I can bring it from dressmakers up until now, so people can understand the rich history that we brought to American design," added Jones.

According to the programme notes, Black Dress celebrated 10 black designers, who each possess a singular vision and the perseverance to succeed in the fashion world, which has historically downplayed their achievements. The exhibition explored how the background of each designer - coming from the United States, the Caribbean or Africa - has affected his or her work.

Samantha Black, a Pratt alumus who was featured on 'Project Runway' in 2012, was one of two Jamaican designers featured in the groundbreaking exhibition.

Black, the youngest designer showcasing at the
exhibit, has had the opportunity to work with Alexander McQueen in
London and Jill Stuart and Michael Kors in New York. She demonstrated
her elegance, sense of style, sophistication and keen attention to
detail in the pieces from her Samantha Black line which were on
display.

Jamaican Michael Jerome Francis was pleased
to be invited to be part of the historic exhibition.

"It's an honour to be able to show your work in New
York, but it's also a bigger honour to be able to show your work with
other black designers. It's not about ego, but actually contributing to
an amazing cause showing black designers in the industry," the
sustainable-couture designer told
Outlook.

Viewing the exhibit, we
were guided by fashion consultant Walter Greene along a mock street
scene in the gallery.

"We've created 'Style Avenue'
since we don't have a presence on Madison Avenue or Fifth Avenue. We
made the gallery to look like it's a street, appropriately named 'Style
Avenue', and there are show windows similar to what you would see in the
high-end stores, and in each window is one of the 10 featured
designers," Greene explained.

Other featured designers
included the self-taught Epperson, industry veterans such as Tracy
Reese, Byron Lars, Jeffrey Banks, Stephen Burrows, and up-and-coming
designers like LaQuan Smith, who has dressed Rihanna, Tyra, Beyoncé and
Lady Gaga.

'TALE OF THE SHIRT'

A
graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, Donna Dove, who hails
from Trinidad and Tobago, displayed a memorable design, 'Tale of the
Shirt', which was a show-stopping piece made from 17 T-shirts.

In an interview with Outlook, Dove
noted that she enjoys taking men's shirts and repurposing them to make
clothing for women.

"It makes me feel happy because I
get a chance to put my art on shirts and create this collection of
wearable art," stated Dove.

Being part of the
exhibition was sheer joy for this Caribbean fashion designer.

"Black Dress is representing black designers that are
not shown or heard about, so it's very dear to my heart, because as a
fashion designer, that is considered like an underground designer, it
gives me an opportunity to be seen and heard. It's good to see black
designers showcased in such a forum that people from near and far can
come and see what we do as black designers in New York," Dove
remarked.

Omar Salam, born in Dakar, Senegal, was
equally elated at the opportunity to be part of the exhibit.

"Being able to speak, for us to name ourselves and
speak of our truth and not in competition, but another element was
timely and long overdue," he stressed.

Salam, who
showcased his work in Jamaica at the Collection MoDA Fashion Showcase
last fall, is still revelling in the memories of his visit.

"My experience in Jamaica was incredible. When I
showcased at Collection MoDA, it was my first time, and I am still
raving, realising that the world is getting more and more flat and
realities are more shared than not. And I am looking forward to going
back," he told Outlook.

In order to
illustrate how the designers' creations come to life when worn, Black
Dress was complemented by a video directed and produced by Carrie Mae
Williams, famed MacArthur Fellow (2013), photographer and video artist.

Guest curator Paula Coleman describes the experience
of creating Black Dress as truly rewarding and hopes it helped to build a
greater awareness of black designers and their
impact.

Outlook caught up with
Jamaican designer Franz Christie at the closing reception and, according
to the young designer, "This exhibition provided great exposure for
black designers. I have learned a lot and seen the contribution of black
designers to fashion. I am hoping to draw on this amazing experience to
inform the course I chart as a Jamaican designer looking to expand into
this market."

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