The Lost Files of Black Fashion
Happy Black History Month! As this month ends, I thought I would use this platform to honor some of the names in fashion that have been lost in history. While researching another article I’m working on, I stumbled across some interesting information that may not be well-known, or at least it wasn’t to me. I felt this was important because I am well aware that there is so much about black history that has been minimized or erased entirely. With the fashion industry still in dire need of more inclusion, learning about our trailblazers from the past might positively impact our development today. After doing some digging I found multiple sites that speak on black fashion, but it’s not at the forefront of what we typically know. This information might be new to you too and what better time to learn it?! Anyway, I don’t want to keep you waiting I know this was a long introduction. So without further ado, I present to you…
Barbara Mae Watson. Have you heard this name before? I’ll be honest with you, before today I did not. As a first-generation Jamaican-American, Watson was born in New York in 1918. A woman of prestige education, who graduated from law school and went on to serve as the first black and woman Assistant Secretary of State for Security and Consular Affairs. The Nixon administration later attempted to replace her… a shocker (sarcasm), but continued her position under President Ford and Carter.
You might be asking, “What does this have to do with fashion?” Don’t worry I’m getting there. Before all of Watson’s political success, Barbara Mae worked alongside a man and fellow Jamaican named Edward Branford and a stylist by the name of Mary Yarbo, co-founding Brandford Models. In 1946, it became the first-ever all-black modeling agency. Yes, you heard that right, 1946. Almost two decades before the Civil Rights Movement, we had people within the black community breaking barriers in the fashion industry and it never made any waves. Unfortunately, I was not able to find any information on Mary Yarbo. Edward Branford on the other hand, has a lengthy resume. If you have spare time, look him up, it’s another interesting story. As for Watson, by 1954 she took over Branford Models which then became Barbara Watson Models, before ultimately shutting the business down two years later.
Ebony Magazine is an honorable mention. Founded by John H. Johnson’s publishing company and his wife, executive Eunice Johnson in 1945, Ebony was created as a safe space for entertainment and news catered to black audiences. It is still one of the most notable magazines in the US to date, delivering stories in fashion, entertainment, social reform, etc.
Dorothea Towles-Church was the first black woman to have gained success as a model in Paris. Born in 1922, Church was born in Texarkana, Texas. There, she went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in both pre-med and biology. She then moved to California, where she earned her master’s degree and worked as a teacher. While teaching, she also took up fashion shows, a subtle foreshadowing of the career she would soon have. In 1949, Church embarked on a trip to France to support her sister, Lois, a renowned pianist. Dorothea immediately found her calling with none other than Christian Dior, becoming the first black runway model in Paris and later modeling for the likes of Schiaparelli and Balmain. It was not all glitz and glamour, however, being the only black woman in an all-white space, she still experienced racial discrimination from the designers’ staff. After five years in Europe, Toweles-Church returned home, only to find that America was not willing to hire black models. With difficulty she continued to find work in the industry, however, her half-decade European excursion became what is known as her most consistent time in her modeling career.
She was a beautiful woman, but unfortunately, I cannot find any photos of her that I can upload here without getting copyrighted. So sorry, but if you’re interested in learning more details about her, check out the sources below.
Last but certainly not least, we have Ann Lowe. Credited as the first black fashion designer to hit mainstream success, Ann Lowe was born in 1898 in Clayton, Alabama. She gained recognition for her work in the early 50s, after designing for over 30 years. I was taught in one of my fashion classes that she created exclusively for white women, however, upon my research, I found that this was most likely not the case. While she was notorious for only taking wealthy, famous clients (who were mostly white at the time) she did not exclude race. Her most notable act was designing Jackie Kennedy’s wedding dress for her marriage to JFK. Her legacy lives on through the black designers we have today and some of her designs are even displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian.
These were just the bullet point versions of much more in-depth stories that I suggest reading. With so much more left in the shadows, these are just a few historic black moments in fashion’s history that I wanted to illuminate this month. The importance of inclusivity in fashion is an important aspect of our society that tends to be ignored. Black designers are the blueprint for many innovations, receiving little to no credit. Emphasizing stories like these will benefit our future creatives and inspire us to reach new heights that have yet to be climbed. Here’s to a beautiful and black future in the world of inventiveness.
Sources
“Ann Lowe.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 4 Feb. 2025, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Lowe.
“Barbara M. Watson.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 1 Feb. 2025, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_M._Watson.
“Barbara Mae Watson Papers.” The New York Public Library Archives and Manuscripts, archives.nypl.org/scm/20813. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.
“Dorothea Church.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Oct. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothea_Church.
Park, David. “Church, Dorothea Towles.” Texas State Historical Association, 15 Aug. 2013, www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/church-dorothea-towles.
