Models walked in a historic fashion show dressed as items by Black inventors, from a hairbrush to a traffic light
Lauren Edmonds
- Designer Kerby Jean-Raymond of Pyer Moss debuted his first show at Paris Haute Couture Week.
- Jean-Raymond became the first Black American designer to host a show at the fashion event.
- His outfits were inspired by products made by Black inventors.
Kerby Jean-Raymond, the designer behind fashion brand Pyer Moss, made history as the first Black American to show a collection at Paris Haute Couture Week.
On Saturday, Jean-Raymond became the first Black designer to be invited to the Paris Haute Couture fashion event, according to Vanessa Friedman, The New York Times' fashion director and chief fashion critic.
His designs have been worn by Vice President Kamala Harris, who donned a beige jacket he designed ahead of the presidential inauguration ceremony in January.
The runway show, titled "Wat U Iz," was held in Upstate New York rather than Paris. According to the Associated Press, the show took place at an estate built by Madam C.J. Walker. Walker, the daughter of enslaved parents who made a fortune from a homemade hair-care line for Black women, is considered the first Black woman to become a millionaire in America, according to the History Channel
The show, titled "Wat U Iz," paid homage to Black inventors.
Jean-Raymond, who founded Pyer Moss in 2013, told the AP that he wanted his collection to pay tribute to the ingenuity and innovation of Black designers often overlooked throughout history.
He wanted the collection "to highlight inventions by Black people and show them in a nontraditional way," the designer told the AP.
As The New York Times reported, a model who wore a sculpted peanut butter jar paid homage to George Washington Carver. Carver created hundreds of peanut products, according to the History Channel.
Another design, inspired by Thomas W. Stewart, included a jacket that resembled a hand holding a mop.
The above look paid tribute to Thomas W. Stewart, who patented a new type of mop in 1893. His application said the patent was filed in September 1892.
Jean-Raymond appeared to use brown leather and a puffer-fabric material to create the shape of a hand holding a mop.
The designer paid homage to Solomon Harper with a look that showed electric hair rollers configured into a flowing headpiece.
Solomon Harper's electrically heated hair rollers were presented as a cascading headpiece in one model's look. According to Conair, Harper created his first hair roller design during the Great Depression in 1930 before updating his invention in 1953.
Models wore looks inspired by Garrett Morgan, who created the three-signal traffic light and the safety hood.
The Pyer Moss show highlighted two inventions by Garrett Morgan on the runway.
Morgan's three-signal traffic light — shown on the runway as a yellow minidress with red, yellow, and green cutouts. The History Channel reported that the device was patented in November 1923.
PBS reported that nine years earlier, Morgan patented the safety hood, or his version of the gas mask. Jean-Raymond's interpretation on the runway showed a model in a sculpted black dress and matching headpiece.
Jean-Raymond emulated Lewis Latimer's electric light bulb with a light-pink dress and sky-high headpiece adorned with jewels.
Latimer created a method for producing a more durable carbon filament, making incandescent lighting practical and affordable, according to the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
The headpiece resembled a lampshade, while the hanging jewels brought a reflective element to the outfit.
The designer interpreted Lonnie Johnson's Super Soaker as part of a model's pants, paired with a bright-yellow blazer.
One outfit in Pyer Moss' show paid homage to Lonnie Johnson's child-friendly toy, the Super Soaker. Johnson's website says that the toy generated more than $200 million in retail sales in 1991 and became the most popular toy in America.
Another outfit honored Lyda D. Newman, who made the first hairbrush with synthetic bristles.
The designer used fabric to make bristle-like embellishments along the front of a brown minidress. The outfit was a nod to Newman, who patented the first hairbrush with synthetic bristles, according to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
A model wearing cone pants and a sprinkle-adorned top paid tribute to Augustus Jackson, known as the "father of ice cream."
Augustus Jackson, who worked as a chef in the White House and cooked for three US presidents, is considered the modern-day "father of ice cream," according to the history website Black Past. He invented a number of popular flavors of the frozen dessert and is credited with revolutionizing the dessert's recipe by making it without egg, according to Black Past.
The designer made a bottle cap-inspired skirt to honor Amos E. Long and Albert A. Jones.
Amos E. Long and Albert A. Jones created the single-use bottle cap in 1898.
Jean-Raymond added a Pyer Moss logo to the model's gravity-defying skirt, which was made to look like a retro cap.
One model walked the runway with an oversized cell phone - a nod to technology pioneer Henry T. Sampson.
Jean-Raymond's tribute to Henry T. Sampson involved a model wearing a simple black top and skirt combo to let the audiences' eyes focus on the oversized cell phone.
Sampson pioneered the technology currently used in cell phones, according to a memorial shared by his alma mater, Purdue University. Sampson became the first Black American to earn a PhD in Nuclear Engineering in the US, according to Purdue.
Frederick McKinley Jones invented the mobile refrigerator, and Jean-Raymond's interpretation included a poignant message.
One model walked the runway in an outfit made to look like a white refrigerator, which paid homage to Frederick McKinley Jones, who patented the refrigerator system for vehicles in 1940.
The refrigerator was decorated in colorful alphabet magnets that asked the question: "But who invented Black trauma?"
Find more looks from Pyer Moss' Paris Haute Couture Week runway show on its Instagram page.
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