4 Trailblazing Black Designers Who Transformed Fashion

Four creative Black American designers broke down boundaries in high-end design and made luxury clothing more accessible to everyone, therefore altering fashion from 1976 to 2021.

Being the first American allowed into Paris's exclusive Chambre Syndicale du Prêt-à-Porter, a native of Mississippi, Patrick Kelly established new ground in 1985. His bold designs merged vivid fashion with sharp social critique up to his death in 1990.

Kelly had Southern flair and his art was spectacularly colored and pattern-driven. His achievements opened the road for the next Black designers working in European fashion.

"Street Couture" first appeared in 1983 from Willi Smith's WilliWear LTD. From galleries to stores, Smith's influence was felt everywhere; he even created striking costumes for 1988's "School Daze" for Spike Lee.

Smith battled for relatively good quality. His signature technique combined casual comfort with exquisite simplicity using basic, utilitarian forms.

When Louis Vuitton brought Virgil Abloh on board as menswear artistic director in 2018, everything changed. Off-White turned luxury with wide appeal into a creative force using imaginative collaborations between Nike and IKEA before he died in 2021.

Through his educational projects, Abloh gave future fashion designers chances. Speaking to younger generations, his innovative work questioned traditional luxury.

By creating logo-covered products that hip-hop artists began to view as must-haves, Dapper Dan transformed his Harlem store into a 1980s fashion hot spot. Legal issues ended his business in 1992, but in 2017, Gucci finally admitted his influence.

Their combined influence still impacts fashion today since it changed the view of accessibility and diversity in the industry.