In 2013, Professor of Fashion Design Adrienne Jones was struck with a realization. She had been paging through her godmother and former Fashion Institute of Technology faculty Clara Branch’s scrapbooks, which were filled with the names and photos of hundreds of Black designers and creatives. “As much as I thought I knew about the history of Blacks in fashion, there was so much more,” Jones remembered thinking. “If I thought I had a working knowledge, how many people knew almost nothing?” She decided then that the public—and design students, especially—needed to have a foundation of knowledge to understand “this is where it comes from. This is how it started,” she said. Thus began Black Dress.
Commencing with a widely acclaimed exhibition of ten Black designers at Pratt Manhattan Gallery in 2014, the initiative soon evolved into a decade’s worth of events, interviews, research, and connection-building, all with the mission of celebrating and elevating Black creators who have shaped the trajectory of fashion history. Now, ten years after its inaugural exhibition, Black Dress II: Homage is paying respect to the past and carrying its legacy into the future.
The First Black Dress
Jones kicked off the landmark exhibition by teaming up with co-curator Paula Coleman, a gallerist in Harlem, and fashion consultant Walter Greene. They partnered with Pratt Manhattan Gallery (then located upstairs) for their location and selected ten contemporary designers to feature in the space. Each designer created a mock storefront to showcase their work. The concept alluded to the lack of Black fashion featured in windows of high-end stores.
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![A gallery display featuring two mannequins dressed in elegant Tracy Reese dresses against a blue background. The mannequin on the left wears a midi-length slip dress with a floral print, sheer overlay, thin straps, and intricate detailing, accessorized with a red rose in its hand and strappy heeled sandals. The mannequin on the right is dressed in a black sleeveless dress with a fitted bodice, lace details on the upper portion, a plunging neckline, and a flared skirt, paired with lace-up black heels.]()
The original Black Dress exhibition (image courtesy of Adrienne Jones) -
![A woman with voluminous hair speaks into a microphone, wearing a metallic silver dress with thin straps. She is accessorized with large hoop earrings, multiple statement rings, and an array of bold metallic and beaded bracelets. Her expression is radiant and confident, with deep red lipstick and a poised stance. The background is softly lit, suggesting an elegant event or performance setting.]()
Adrienne Jones at the original Black Dress exhibition (image courtesy of Adrienne Jones)
The exhibition opening, which coincided with the first night of New York Fashion Week 2014, welcomed over 500 guests. “I had no concept whatsoever that it was going to be what it became that day,” said Jones. Now Jones and Rachelle Etienne-Robinson, BFA Fashion Design ’01, are hoping to replicate that revelatory moment.
Building Momentum
Jones and Etienne-Robinson, have been anything but idle since the first Black Dress exhibition. The initiative continues to spark new connections and grow in scale and scope, expanding as a resource across web, TV, and panel events. Etienne-Robinson, a former student of Jones, eagerly signed on to the initiative after the first exhibition, quickly becoming an invaluable collaborator. “Black Dress would not be where it is today without Rachelle,” said Jones. Together, they’ve curated a series, Black Dress Talks, around topics like Black style, costume design, modeling, journalism, and beauty, and conducted in-depth interviews with influential, yet often underrecognized, contributors to Black fashion history. “These were the architects that have allowed all of us to do what we currently do now. And these people cannot be forgotten,” said Jones. “We cannot let them be forgotten.”
Paying Homage
After a decade of discussions and dreaming, Black Dress’s second exhibition, Black Dress II: Homage, is now on view to the public at Pratt Manhattan Gallery. Curated by Jones and Etienne-Robinson, and on view through March 22, Homage builds on its predecessor by expanding its aperture to include a larger roster of designers (a number of whom also attended Pratt), encompassing clothing and hair stylists, beauty experts, models, jewelry designers, iconic celebrities, writers, journalists, and more. The exhibition pays respect to the wide range of creators who have influenced fashion history. The exhibition is a culmination of a decade of deep research, ongoing collaboration, and commitment to elevating the work of Black designers past, present, and future.
“Although it has taken ten years for this exhibit to happen, this is the exhibit I’ve always wanted to do in order to show the depth and the breadth of the many talents and accomplishments of those under the umbrella of Blacks in fashion. And if it took ten years for it to grow and evolve into this, then everything, everything in between, was worth it,” said Jones.
Homage takes over the Pratt Manhattan Gallery space on the first floor. “As our gallery has grown to an expanded space on the ground floor, so has our dedication to showcasing the vast talent of Black creatives in the fashion industry,” said Director of Exhibitions Nick Battis, who was also instrumental in carrying out the original Black Dress exhibition. Homage is divided into chapters that include archival pieces, hair and makeup, content from writers and journalists, and callbacks to the inaugural exhibition, as well as a growing list of names, recognizing the abundance of Black creatives that extend well beyond the limitations of a single exhibition. There is also a learning resource center, a sensory box for those who would like to feel fabrics and other materials directly, and a living guest book for attendees to sign.
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![Two stylish women pose together at a fashion exhibition, standing in front of mannequins adorned with intricate, avant-garde designs. The woman on the left wears a black lace dress with a red belt and matching red accessories, including a bracelet and pointed heels. The woman on the right wears a shimmering, multicolored sequined dress with sheer details and dramatic lace-up boots. They smile warmly, embracing in a celebratory moment.]()
Rachelle Etienne-Robinson (left) and Adrienne Jones (right) at Black Dress II: Homage opening night (photo by Anthony Artis) -
![A stylish person poses confidently in a color-blocked knit sweater with red, blue, and white panels, paired with frayed denim jeans, bright red shoes, and a bold red and blue hat, accessorized with a red crossbody bag.]()
Black Dress II: Homage opening night. -
![A lively crowd fills an art gallery space, engaging in conversations and admiring fashion exhibits. A person in a mustard-yellow hat and white outfit stands in the foreground.]()
Black Dress II: Homage opening night. -
![A woman in a brown shearling jacket smiles as she flips through a fashion book, while a man in a black beanie and coat stands beside her, observing the pages with interest.]()
Black Dress II: Homage opening night.
The exhibition has received press coverage in Vogue, The Cut, WWD, and Fashionista.
“Adrienne Jones and Rachelle Etienne-Robinson are brilliant visionaries, and not only have they brought to life their visions, they have worked tirelessly to ensure that the transformative influence of Black creatives in the expansive industry called fashion are joyfully affirmed, respected, and celebrated,” said Lisa Z. Morgan, chair of Fashion. “The exhibition holds multitudes, and embodies the multifaceted ways that clothing, fashion, and adornment activate personal and collective expression. To self-fashion and to ‘appear’ is to visually claim space and attention on one’s own terms, participating in what art historian Krista Thompson describes as ‘the visual economy of light.’”
The public opening on February 7 commenced with a Black Dress Talk featuring Tonya Blazio-Licorish and Tara Donaldson, authors of Black in Fashion.
The curators hope that this exhibition can create a lasting impression on the designers, artists, and thinkers of tomorrow. “What if this exhibit was around when I was at Pratt, how impactful that would have been,” said Etienne-Robinson. “We’re so excited, so grateful, so tired already, but it’s so well worth it.”
“I truly believe that this is going to be what catapults us to whatever that next level is,” added Jones, “and we’re ready.”