Kerby Jean-Raymond made history with Pyer Moss's first Haute Couture [1]. The collection made Kerby the first Black American designer [2] to be invited by the Chambre Syndicale to present during Paris Haute Couture. While the initial show got rained out the first time around [3], the designer had a better idea and postponed the show to Saturday, 10 July. He even made a portion of the audience open to the public.
The show, "Wat U Iz", took place at Villa Lewaro (Madam C.J. Walker Estate) in New York. For take two, Elaine Brown, an American prison activist, writer, singer, and former Black Panther [4] Party chairwoman, took the stage first to deliver a powerful speech before the show started. While a live performance took place in the centre of the stage, models walked out of the gorgeous mansion wearing one head-turning look after another. One thing each of the pieces had in common? Each look referenced an invention by a Black individual, as noted by New York Times writer Vanessa Friedman. [5]
There was a model wearing a green curtain complete with gold tassels; another wore a "Pyer Moss Creamy" bottle that looked like a designer version of a peanut butter jar. One model wore a pink ice cream-inspired bodysuit with a pair of waffle-cone pants. There was a chessboard suit with chess pieces attached to it, and another wore a dress that looked like a traffic light. There was even a fridge that had "But who invented Black trauma?" written on it in magnets. Kerby and his whole team then took the runway while the crowd gave them a standing ovation. Read on to take a look at the collection ahead.
