Black Fashion Designers: 15 Names Who Shaped Fashion, From Ann Lowe to Sergio Hudson

Black fashion designers have shaped American and European fashion for more than a century, from Ann Lowe, who made Jacqueline Kennedy’s 1953 wedding dress, to Virgil Abloh at Louis Vuitton. Today the line runs through designers such as Sergio Hudson, shop his tailoring at Sergio Hudson at Coveti, and LaQuan Smith, whose emerald double breasted jacket sits beside Hudson’s kelly green version at Coveti.

Key facts

• Searches: about 2,400 a month worldwide for Black fashion designers
• Designers profiled: 15, from the 1950s to today
• Stocked at Coveti: Sergio Hudson and LaQuan Smith, both making in the USA
• Key milestones: the 1973 Battle of Versailles, the 2021 inauguration, three LVMH Prize winners
• Written by: Gemma Deeks, Fashion Editor at Coveti

The pioneers

Ann Lowe

An Alabama born couturier who worked for New York society for decades. She designed the wedding dress Jacqueline Bouvier wore to marry John F. Kennedy in 1953, though she was not credited by name at the time. Her gowns are now held in museum collections.

Zelda Wynn Valdes

A New York designer who dressed Ella Fitzgerald and Josephine Baker, and designed the original Playboy Bunny costume in 1960.

Stephen Burrows

One of the American designers at the 1973 Battle of Versailles, the show that put American ready to wear on the world stage. He is known for lettuce edge hems and colour blocked jersey.

Patrick Kelly

A Mississippi born designer who built his label in Paris and in 1988 became the first American admitted to the Chambre Syndicale du Prêt-à-Porter, the body that runs Paris Fashion Week. His buttons and bows are instantly recognisable.

Dapper Dan

The Harlem tailor whose 1980s boutique remixed luxury logos for hip hop. Gucci later partnered with him on an atelier in Harlem.

The designers changing luxury

Virgil Abloh

Founder of Off-White and artistic director of Louis Vuitton menswear from 2018 until his death in 2021.

Olivier Rousteing

Creative director of Balmain since 2011, appointed at 25.

Grace Wales Bonner

A London designer whose tailoring blends European and Afro Atlantic references. She won the LVMH Prize in 2016.

Thebe Magugu

A Johannesburg designer who won the LVMH Prize in 2019, the first African designer to do so.

Kerby Jean-Raymond

Founder of Pyer Moss and winner of the CFDA and Vogue Fashion Fund in 2018.

Telfar Clemens

Founder of Telfar, whose Shopping Bag became one of the most wanted bags of the decade. He won the CFDA and Vogue Fashion Fund in 2017.

Christopher John Rogers

A Louisiana born designer known for saturated colour and volume. He won the CFDA American Emerging Designer award in 2019 and dressed Kamala Harris for the 2021 inauguration.

Two designers you can shop at Coveti

Sergio Hudson

Hudson grew up in Ridgeway, South Carolina, won Bravo’s Styled to Rock in 2013 and launched his label in 2014. Michelle Obama wore his monochrome look to the 2021 inauguration, and he has since dressed Kamala Harris, Beyoncé, Rihanna and Jennifer Lopez. His Fall 2026 collection is a lesson in power tailoring: see Sergio Hudson Fall 2026 and shop the Raspberry Single Breasted Blazer, the pinstripe off the shoulder blazer and the Gold Lame Cocktail Dress. Full background in Who is Sergio Hudson?.

LaQuan Smith

Born in Queens, New York, LaQuan Smith taught himself to sew with his grandmother and debuted his label in 2013. Beyoncé and Rihanna were early supporters, and his body conscious eveningwear is made in New York. Shop the Tailored Flare Pants in Emerald and the Button Down Blouse in Oxblood Sequin, and read LaQuan Smith Fall 2026.

Where the next generation is coming from

New York names to know include Theophilio by Edvin Thompson, the CFDA American Emerging Designer of 2021, and Hanifa by Anifa Mvuemba, whose 2020 collection was shown on 3D models online. In London, Martine Rose and Bianca Saunders lead menswear. In Lagos and Johannesburg, Kenneth Ize and Thebe Magugu have taken African craft to the Paris calendar.

Frequently asked questions

Who was the first Black fashion designer to gain fame?

Elizabeth Keckley, a dressmaker to Mary Todd Lincoln in the 1860s, is often cited; in the twentieth century Ann Lowe was the best known.

Which Black designer made Jacqueline Kennedy’s wedding dress?

Ann Lowe, in 1953.

Who is the most famous Black fashion designer today?

Virgil Abloh, who led Louis Vuitton menswear, and Olivier Rousteing of Balmain are the most widely known.

Which Black designer dressed Michelle Obama for the 2021 inauguration?

Sergio Hudson.

Which Black designers can I shop at Coveti?

Sergio Hudson and LaQuan Smith, both of whom make their collections in the USA.

Which Black designers have won the LVMH Prize?

Grace Wales Bonner in 2016 and Thebe Magugu in 2019.

More Sergio Hudson guides

Every Sergio Hudson page by Coveti fashion editor Gemma Deeks: Who is Sergio Hudson?, Sergio Hudson Fall 2026, Sergio Hudson size guide, how to style Sergio Hudson, the Sergio Hudson SS26 edit and brands like Sergio Hudson. Shop the full edit at Sergio Hudson at Coveti.

Sources and method

Brand facts come from sergiohudson.com (the product pages, read on 27 October 2026) and published interviews and coverage of the label. Prices are the Coveti prices on 27 October 2026, and every piece listed was in stock at Coveti that day. Search demand figures are worldwide monthly averages from Google Ads keyword data (DataForSEO), cross-checked in Ahrefs. Written by Gemma Deeks, Fashion Editor at Coveti.