Of Another Fashion

Caption from the Black Studies Database:

The African American model Charlotte Stribling, or “Fabulous” as she was known, relaxes during a fashion show in Harlem’s Abyssinian Church, 1950. During this period Harlem hosted an average of 300 fashion shows a year, many of them showcasing clothes that the models themselves or local seamstresses had made. Many of the shows became both a subtle form of protest at the white fashion industry located in and around New York’s Seventh Avenue, and a source of great pride in local black industry. “Fabulous” had a huge personal following and was one of the most sought after models in the area. The Abyssinian Church itself had been a center for the Civil Rights Movement, particularly under the pastorship of Rev. Dr. Adam Clayton Powell, Sr.

2 years ago 22 notes

Tagged with: #1950s #African American #models #Harlem Fashion

Of Another Fashion

An alternative archive of the not-quite-hidden but too often ignored fashion histories of U.S. women of color