Adrienne Jones

Professor Adrienne Jones holds the honor of being the first Black woman to achieve full-time tenured status at Pratt Institute while teaching in the Fashion Design department for over 25 years. In 2014, Professor Jones conceived and co-curated the landmark exhibition Black Dress, which honored Black designers and addresses the lack of diversity in the fashion industry. Black Dress project includes a website that serves as a source of information and reference, a digital exhibition, Black Dress TV, where video interviews of prominent Black/African American figures of the fashion industry can be found, and Black Dress Talks, a live gathering of notable fashion creatives, discussing fashion and culture. Ms. Jones is currently writing the companion book to the exhibition and working on expanding and touring the exhibition. Ms. Jones is a painter, photographer, and fashion designer who specializes in leather and suede looks for her private clients. She has worked as a stylist, creative director, and fashion show producer. and has won many awards and honors, including being presented with the Innovative Visionary Icon of the Decade, by the African American Women in Cinema in 2015. In 2017, Professor Jones was awarded Pratt’s Distinguished Teacher Award, which recognizes exceptional teaching and dedication to the Institute’s mission and students. She was also chosen as one of five scholars for the Inclusive Pedagogy Scholars Program, which investigated and reported on the challenges of diversity and inclusion on the Pratt campus. In 2020, Ms. Jones was featured in the documentary, Dark Girls 2 which discussed the disquieting subject of colorism in women. She also co-wrote an essay for the book, “Willi Smith: Street Couture”, the companion book to the Cooper Hewitt exhibit of the same title.

• A.A. Fashion Design, Fashion Institute of Technology
• B.S. Art Education, College of New Rochelle
• M.S. Art Therapy, College of New Rochelle