Groundbreaking Fashion Designers With Newark Roots Get Their Due at Exhibit

Newark has been a center for creativity and innovation in the fashion industry for more than 75 years—and a new show at the Newark Museum of Art is showcasing some of the most pivotal designers from Brick City, including Narciso Rodriguez and Stephen Burrows.

“’The Story of Newark Fashion: Atelier to Runway‘ brings long-overdue attention to the contributions of this creative community, focusing on bold innovators designing for iconic cultural figures, including Rihanna, Michelle Obama and others,” said Linda C. Harrison, Newark Museum director and CEO. “This exhibition shows the adjacency of the Black and Brown fashion community to household names and global brands.”

The exhibit celebrates the city’s deep roots in the garment and jewelry industries, and will be on view through June 2. In development since 2021, this is the museum’s first large-scale exhibition dedicated to contemporary American fashion. Bringing together loans from prestigious public and private collections, “The Story of Newark Fashion” features the work of 11 fashion designers with Newark connections.

 Narciso Rodriguez’s designs Photo: Mike Peters Photography/Courtesy of the Newark Museum of Art

At an opening-night celebration last week, many of the designers with work in the new exhibit were present, including Rodriguez, who says he got his start at his mother’s sewing machine while growing up in the Ironbound section of Newark.

“I was always very passionate about fashion—my mom sewed and she loved fashion, and I grew up watching her make things,” says Rodriguez, whose family came to Newark from Cuba. “My dream was to study at the Parsons School of Design and work for Donna Karan, and I was very lucky because I got to do both.”

A selection of his beautiful dresses is on display in the exhibit, along with photos of his early years as a designer.

Photo: Mike Peters Photography/Courtesy of the Newark Museum of Art

Newark’s story as an influencer in the fashion industry started in the 1950s and 1960s, when groundbreaking Black designers began working in the ateliers and classrooms of Black fashion designers Wesley Tann and Emily Miles. Both were pivotal mentors for the next generation: Tann designed for Jacqueline Kennedy, and Miles was considered Newark’s “first lady of fashion.”

This history set the stage for the museum’s survey of contemporary designers prominent in the field, including Project Runway finalist Shavi Lewis. Also included in the exhibit are the works of designers Douglas Says and Melody Asherman.

“The Story of Newark Fashion: Atelier to Runway” is guest-curated by Kristen J. Owens, a historian of Black fashion, with Tracey “Africa” Norman serving as a curatorial advisor. An international model and Newark native, Norman has long been both muse and model to several designers featured in the show. To celebrate Norman and the Newark fashion community, the museum commissioned a full-length portrait by Michalene Thomas of Norman wearing a Douglas Says gown.

A catalogue documenting the exhibition and featuring oral histories with the living designers, published by the Newark Museum of Art, is forthcoming.

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