The Creative Cookie

Fashion Fridays with Joanna Featuring Ann Lowe

On this week's Fashion Fridays with Joanna, we will be taking a look at  the life of Ann Lowe. Ann Cole Lowe was the first African American to become a noted fashion designer. She was best known for designing the ivory silk taffeta wedding dress worn by Jacqueline Bouvier when she married John F. Kennedy in 1953.


Personal Life

Ann was born in rural Clayton, Alabama, during the Jim Crow era in 1898. She was the great-granddaughter of a slave woman and an Alabama plantation owner. Ann Lowe was born into a lineage of seamstresses who had established their own dressmaking business in Montgomery, Alabama. Lowe's interest in fashion, sewing, and design stem from her mother, Janey, and grandmother, Georgia. Ann’s mother passed when she was 16-years-old. At the time of her death, Lowe's mother had been working on four ball gowns for the First Lady of Alabama, Elizabeth Kirkman O'Neal. Utilizing  the skills she learned from her mother and grandmother, Lowe finished the dresses. In 1912, she married Lee Cohen, with whom she had a son, Arthur Lee. After her marriage, Lowe's husband wanted her to give up working as a seamstress. Lowe left her husband and moved to Florida with her son, becoming a live-in dressmaker for a socialite for ten years. She married for a second time but that marriage also ended. Lowe later said, "My second husband left me. He said he wanted a real wife, not one who was forever jumping out of bed to sketch dresses." Lowe later adopted a daughter, Ruth Alexander.

Career

In 1917, she traveled to New York City to attend sewing courses at S.T. Taylor design School. As the only Black student, she was segregated to a separate room away from her peers. She returned to Tampa in 1919 and saw an opportunity to capitalize on the city’s yearly celebration known as the Gasparilla Ball, where a court and queen is crowned during week-long festivities. The following year, she opened her first dress salon named, Annie Cohen. The salon catered to members of high society and quickly became a success and she saved $20,000 from her earnings. Soon after, Lowe was on her return to New York City in 1928. Ann's reason for returning was for her to fulfill her dream as a fashion designer in the Big Apple. In order to make ends meet, she had to put her independent design career on hold and take jobs designing anonymously for other labels and department stores such as Henri Bendel, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Chez Sonia. In 1946, she designed the dress that Olivia de Havilland wore to accept the Academy Award for Best Actress for To Each His Own, even though the name on the dress was Sonia Rosenberg. As she was not getting credit for her work, Lowe and her son opened a second salon, Ann Lowe's Gowns, on Lexington Avenue in NYC in 1950. Design elements that Ann was known for were her fine handwork, signature flowers, and trapunto technique. When asked to describe herself she would use quotes such as "an awful snob", adding:

"I love my clothes and I'm particular about who wears them.
I am not interested in sewing for cafe society or social climbers. I do not cater to Mary and Sue. I sew for the families of the Social Register."

In 1953, Lowe got the opportunity of a lifetime when she was asked to create the dresses for the entire bridal party of Jacqueline Bouvier’s wedding to senator John F. Kennedy. The opportunity was presented to her by Janet Lee Auchincloss who happened to be the mother of the future First Lady. Though the opportunity helped her career at the time, Ann didn't really benefit from the earnings; she was paid $500. Throughout her career, Lowe continued to work for wealthy clientele who often talked her out of charging hundreds of dollars for her designs. Lowe was paid less than white designers for her custom design work. After paying her staff, she often failed to make a profit on her designs. Lowe later admitted that at the height of her career, she was virtually broke. Upon losing her son and business partner in 1958 to a tragic car accident, she had difficulty making ends meet, ultimately declaring bankruptcy in 1962 after losing her salon in New York City and failing to pay taxes. That same year, her right eye was removed due to glaucoma. Things started looking up again for Ann during the last years of her life when she was able to go under surgery to save her eye. In 1968, she opened a new store, Ann Lowe Originals, on Madison Avenue. She retired in 1972. In the last five years of her life, Lowe lived with her daughter Ruth in Queens. She died at her daughter's home on February 25, 1981, after a lengthy illness. Her funeral was held at St. Mark's United Methodist Church on March 3rd.

                                           

Jackie Kennedy in Ann Cole Lowe
(Photo by Bachrach/Getty Images)

 

Legacy 

Lowe is now recognized as a pioneering African American couturier. Her pieces are preserved in renowned museum collections including the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of the City of New York, and The Museum at FIT. Several others were included in an exhibition on Black fashion at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan in December 2016. A children’s book, Fancy Party Gowns: The Story of Ann Cole Lowe written by Deborah Blumenthal was published in 2017.

Photographer unknown. Ebony Magazine, Ann Lowe in her Madison Avenue salon, December 1966. Source: Ebony Magazine

 

Fashion Fridays with Joanna featuring Beverly Ann Johnson

 

Welcome back to another week of Fashion Fridays with Joanna! Today, as we wrap up Black history month, we will be taking a look into the life of Beverly Ann Johnson, an American model, actress, singer, and businesswoman. Johnson rose to fame when she became the first Black model to appear on the cover of American Vogue 1974. The following year, Johnson became the first Black woman to appear on the cover of French Elle. The New York Times named Johnson one of the 20th century's most influential people in fashion in 2008.

Early Life 

 

Beverly Ann Johnson was born October 13, 1952, to middle-class parents. Her father was a machine operator and her mother was a surgical technician.  Beverly attended School 74, Fillmore Junior High, and Bennett High School in Buffalo. In her early years,  she was mostly interested in sports, particularly swimming. She won several swimming championships and almost made the U.S. national team in the 100-yard freestyle for the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Mexico. She also had big dreams of becoming an attorney which she pursued at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts on a full scholarship. While still a college student, she started modeling with the encouragement of friends.

Beverly Ann Johnson Vogue cover 1974

Road To Success

Beverly had never considered modeling until her friends at Northeastern suggested she explore possibilities in the industry. In an interview, she even went into detail about how she always disregarded the idea of modeling. In the same interview, she tells the story of  working a summer job in a fashion boutique  before she went off to college when a woman approached her and presented her with a business card and an opportunity to pursue fashion. While on summer break in 1971, at the age of 19, Beverly sought out opportunities at modeling agencies. After she was turned down by a number of prestigious agencies, she put the number of the mysterious lady that she met during her summer job to use. The lead to her working with Glamour and Vogue Magazine. Gaining this position and maintaining it was not easy for Beverly. Like many women in the industry today, she was told to  lose weight. After her first appearance on the cover of Glamour, Beverly's career took off. With the success of her now thriving career, Beverly no longer desired her career in law. She left  Northeastern to focus on her modeling career. In the next few years, she appeared on the cover of Glamour six more times. Her appearance on the cover of the fashion magazine broke multiple racial barriers and opened so many lanes in the modeling world at the time. By the mid-1970s, she was an in-demand magazine model. Vogue approached Beverly  to be on its cover of the August 1974 issue; she accepted and graced the cover, becoming the first African American woman on the cover of one of the largest magazines in the world. Her cover was so popular that Vogue placed her there again in its special June 1975 “American Woman” edition. Her popularity became global when she became the first Black woman on the cover of Elle. In an interview with a  website for the clothing line Peter Nygard Signature, she was quoted saying,

 

"Becoming the first African American to grace the cover of Vogue magazine in August 1974 was a historical movement in time, the color barrier was broken."

Over the course of her career, Beverly appeared on more than 500 magazine covers, including other leading magazines such as Cosmopolitan and Essence. She also worked as a runway model for designers such as Halston and appeared in multiple TV commercials. She wanted to build on her popularity with Black women by creating her own brand of Black cosmetics. She also thought about making her own doll. She accomplished both of these business ventures in a matter of a few years.

 

She used her modeling success to branch out into film, television, and music. She appeared in shows such as Martin, Law & Order, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, and more. In the mid to late 1990s, Johnson also became an author. In 1994, she published a book called True Beauty: Secrets of Radiant Beauty for Women of Every Age and Color. Johnson started a successful business, the Beverly Johnson Hair Collection, which makes wigs and hair products.

 

Living Icon

 

Beverly faced several bumps on her road to success. She got married twice, once with her real estate agent Billy Potter in 1971, later divorcing him in 1974. On May 8, 1977, She married businessman and music producer Danny Sims. A year after being married they had their daughter Anansa Sims on December 27, 1978, in New York City. Beverly and Danny’s marriage did not end on the best note. She had some health concerns, including thyroid problems, perhaps caused by dieting to keep her weight down. Johnson later admitted that she was anorexic and bulimic. Even in the motion of going through personal troubles, she held  her status as an iconic figure in the industry. Beverly Ann Johnson is a living icon. She’s a businesswoman, model, actress, writer, director, and singer. 

 

Beverly with her family in Ebony Magazine

Fashion Fridays with Joanna featuring Dapper Dan

In this week's post on Fashion Fridays With Joanna, we will be taking a look at the life of none other than Daniel Day, better known as Dapper Dan. Daniel’s store, Dapper Dan's Boutique, operated from 1982 through 1992 and is most associated with introducing high fashion to the hip-hop world. Daniel went from elevating fashion in the Black community to working and becoming an influential style icon.   

Image Detroit Metro Times

RAGS

Daniel Day was born in Harlem, New York in 1944. He grew up with three brothers and three sisters on 129th and Lexington Avenue. Robert, his dad, was a civil servant and his mother, Lily, a homemaker. His family was a part of the lower class. The neighborhood he was raised in was very rough. It was known for violence, drugs, and a lot of harsh living situations. Throughout Dapper’s life he learned different ways to make money. By age 13, he was a skilled gambler. He has been very open about having to steal and sell drugs. Being from the neighborhood that he was from, it's not far-fetched to be involved in these types of activities, especially at a young age. In an article with Vogue, he said, “I was born and raised in the poorest section of Harlem. My first experience was with crime. I became a professional gambler, and to be a professional gambler, you have to be a professional conman.” Daniel mentioned in an interview with The New York Times that he gained the name Dapper Dan from his days of being a professional gambler. In the article, he goes on to say, “The name was a combination of two things. I was the flyest young guy in my neighborhood. But there was also an older guy, a gambler, and his name was Dapper Dan. When I started beating this guy in the crap games, he said, ‘You are the new Dapper Dan.’ He was also a really great tenor saxophonist. He told me: ‘Just call me Tenor Man Dan. Now, you’re Dapper Dan.’” Daniel's dream was to actually become a writer and he even worked in journalism for a bit for a Harlem newspaper called Forty Acres and a Mule in the ’60s. In 1968 Daniel was chosen by the Columbia University-Urban League program to travel with them as a student on a tour in Africa which they returned from in 1974. In an interview with The New York Times, he expresses that that trip changed his life. 

Source CBS News

TO RICHES

After Daniel’s return to Harlem he was back to finding creative ways to make money. He began selling shoplifted items out of the back of his car. He turned an illegal hustle into a legitimate business when he opened his boutique. Dapper Dan's Boutique opened in 1982 and was  located on 125th Street between Madison and Fifth Avenue. In the ’80s, he had enough capital to get serious about fur and leather, but many would not sell to him because he was Black and the location. Daniel was very observant of what people in his community found fashionable and, at that time, uncommon designer items were the trend. When he noticed that he could create costume pieces, he hired a group of tailors, including Africans he had met in Midtown, family members, and a friend from the Nation of Islam. From then on, his boutique was known for selling customized GUCCI, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, and MCM clothing which he referred to as “knock up opposed to knock offs”. Day clothing was often referred to as streetwear which set him apart from his competitors.  His main clientele were "hustlers and street people". His boutique was successful because not only could you get original costume pieces, but it offered his clients room to be comfortable and not fearful of being profiled as they shop for high-end brands. Around 1985, Dapper ventured into hip-hop fashion. One of his very first clients in the industry was, none other than, LL Cool J. From that very moment he became associated with hip-hop royalty. He also began working with boxers and athletes. Though his clientele was growing and his work was being noticed by people outside of just his city, his boutique was on the verge of being closed down; his illegal use of logos in his custom-made designs led to counterfeiting raids and litigation. In 1992, after legal action by Fendi and then-U.S. Attorney Sonia Sotomayor, Dapper Dan's was shut down for good. It is rumored that in conjunction to the lawsuits, he experienced an attempted kidnapping that sent him to the hospital with a gunshot wound, which is what eventually led him to shut down his boutique. Though his designs were everywhere for years, Daniel was not respected in the fashion world. That did not stop his love for what he did as he continued working underground and still styling celebrities such as Floyd Mayweather. This continued on for years until 2017. Dapper’s work, though it never slowed down, became mainstream. In mid-2017, in a homage to Dapper Dan, Gucci's creative director Alessandro Michele designed a jacket based on a well-known Dapper Dan design for Diane Dixon in 1989. This caused an uproar because many believed that Gucci had stolen the Dapper Dan design, especially due to Gucci not stating it to be a homage until after they drew criticism. He gained a lot of opportunities with his mainstream fame, with the support of Michele and Gucci CEO Marco Bizzarri; Day and the Italian brand partnered for a line of menswear. His success streak didn't stop there. In 2018, Day opened a new shop on Lenox Avenue in partnership with Gucci, Dapper Dan of Harlem, the first luxury house fashion store in Harlem. In an interview with Vogue he talks about his deal with Gucci and about his plans and aspirations. He said, "Gucci allowed for me to break Jim Crow barriers in fashion. So, now my real freedom is coming. This is going to be the biggest stage of my life. My plan is to try to work with young designers and show them how everything I did was connected to the culture and how to translate culture because that's the key to what I do." 

Dapper Dan in the 80s from The New York Times

 

BEING AN ICON

All in all, it's fair to say that Daniel, or as many would say, Dapper Dan, is an icon that brought luxury to the Black community and, not only did he bring it into the culture in the most unique way, but he was able to make his own table when he was unable to get a seat at the table in the fashion world. He soon earned the respect he deserved from those same people that shunned him. Daniel's story is a story of rags to riches. Even though he started off with a rough background and constantly  seeing things around him that offered a negative influence and caused him to slip off track, he was able to find a way to put himself in the right track. He's not only a legend in Harlem, or even just New York, but he's a legend and an icon to people in and outside of the Black community. He once had his designs on the runway, but now he is walking those same runways. Dan is still working at the age of 76. He has eight children with seven women: William Long, Daniel Day Jr., Danique Day, Aisha Day, Danielle Day, Malik Day, Tiffany White, and Jelani Day who is the brand manager for his father.

“I went from selling clothes on a table on the sidewalks of Harlem, now I'm on my own giant billboard on a rooftop in Harlem. l went from having holes in my shoes as a child, now l wear Gucci loafers. l came from the poorest neighborhood in Harlem, now l have a brownstone in Harlem. l never had a desire to move away and be by the rich people, now they are moving by me. l always believed in me and I always believed in Harlem—and l thank GOD for that.”- Dapper Dan

Gucci Dapper Dan Partnership today image from High Snobity

Fashion Fridays with Joanna featuring Madame N.A. Franklin

This week on Fashion Friday’s with Joanna I’m going to introduce you to Madame Nobia A. Franklin, a Texas beautician and entrepreneur who became a Black History figure. She made it her mission to market her products towards Black women of all shades, but her life began long before her mission took hold.

 

EARLY LIFE
Nobia A. Franklin was born in Cuero, Texas in 1892. Her life before becoming an entrepreneur remains  a mystery. It is rumored that  her father was Ira Franklin, but the identity of her mother remains unknown. It is said that Nobia was known at a young age for being engrossed in hair. She experimented with different hair products and styles on friends and neighbors in the rural cotton farmland. Nobia got engaged to  W.L McCoy and they were married on June 7, 1907. Her husband was precinct chairman for the Fifth Ward’s Black and Tan Republican Party.  Even after marrying her husband,Nobia made the decision to keep her maiden name. Not long after getting married, Nobia had her first child, Abbie, whom she passed her maiden name onto. Sometime in the 1910s, she and her family moved from their rural community to nearby San Antonio, Texas.

 

ROAD TO SUCCESS 

In the years after moving to San Antonio, Madame Nobia owned a hair salon  and  she sold her hair products door-to-door. To some, it may not have been a huge success to have a thriving at-home-salon, but Madame Nobia worked hard to gain a loyal clientele. Along with styling hair she found ways to develop specific cosmetics for her clients. It’s said that she sold self-manufactured hair tonics, creams, oils, bleaching agents, straightening combs, shampoos, powders, rouges, and lipsticks. 

It’s important to note  that in the 1900s Black beauticians and investors were really starting to experiment with chemicals and creams that would modify textured hair in different ways. Black Afro-centric hair care and cosmetics was becoming a multimillion-dollar arena. This gave way for a young Nobia to be successful. She marketed her products to attract new residents which allowed her to expand her fledgling operations.

 

In 1916, she opened a beauty shop in Fort Worth, Texas. In 1917, she moved to Houston where she opened The Franklin School of Beauty Culture and a manufacturing plant for her hair products. She also offered women a chance to own their own businesses. In 1927, Nobia and her daughter, Abbie, became business partners and they formed the N.A Franklin Association of Beauty Culture to institutionalize her product line among nascent sales agents. The association trained women in hair styling and management techniques.

The Franklin Beauty School

END OF THE ROAD

In the early 1930s, Nobia signed over her business to her daughter and her son-in-law, James H. Jemison. It is said that she proceeded to give up her business because she was battling with health issues and it seems as though her health was only declining. In 1934, Madame Nobia A. Franklin unfortunately passed away in Chicago. Her family honored her by burying her in her small hometown of Cuero. After Nobia’s death, Abbie and James Jemison relocated the business to Houston. The Franklin Beauty School grew to become the largest in the South by World War II. Thousands of graduates opened salons to serve hundreds of thousands of African American women. She is written down in history as a very successful Black woman who followed her dreams and was able to provide what we all want to leave behind - a legacy. 

 

Madame N.A Franklin advertisement from 1921

 

Link to The Franklin Beauty Institute:

Official website-https://www.franklininstitute.net/

 

Instagram-https://www.instagram.com/franklinbeautyinstitute/

Introducing Fashion Fridays with Joanna

My name is Joanna Etienne and I’m from Brooklyn, New York. I'm a High school senior at New Visions AIM I Charter High School. I've always had a passion for writing of all sorts including poetry, informative pieces, excerpts, etc. which is why  I'm so proud to share  - Fashion Fridays with Joanna! I will be posting about create-at-home DIYs and giving you some insight about creative people that you may not know or simply forgot about. My goal is for you to leave knowing more than before. I’m here to offer you a teenage perspective on fun fashion topics!

 

Look for my first Fashion Fridays with Joanna post tomorrow (2/12/21)!