Black In Fashion: Day 15 Jae Jarrell

Pictured: Jae Jarrell
Via: Black Art Story

     Do you know which Black Designer paved the way for Chicago’s Black Fashion Designers today? Well, allow us to introduce you to the legendary designer Jae Jarrell, born Elaine Annette Johnson in the Glenville Neighborhood of Cleveland Ohio in 1935. Jarrell was inspired at a young age to become a designer by her late grandfather, a tailor, and her uncle who owned a haberdashery shop. During the 1950s’ she later moved to Chicago to pursue an artistic career path and discovered that her quest for fashion knowledge would come with breaking down racial barriers for future black artists/designers in the city of Chicago.

     Jae’s iconic footprint in Chicago begins at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, in the 1950s when institutions like these did not widely accept Black Americans or their work of art. As a result, shortly after, she met up with other black creatives (her husband Wadsworth Jarrell included whom she met earlier at the artist institute) to form the artist collective, AfriCOBRA (Coalition of Black Revolutionary Artists). AfriCOBRA gave a creative license to black voices in contemporary and visual art during and post the civil rights movement. As 1 of the 5 founders, Jae created Afro-centric- visual art pieces that functioned as clothing. Jarrell’s wearable art is still widely recognized as amongst the best of all time. Black Fashion Week salutes and honors Jae Jarrell for creating and fighting for the stamp of approval for both the inclusion of Black visual artists and their wearable art in the city of Chicago and across the nation.

Pictured: Jae Jarell and her wearable art at The Brooklyn Museum
Via: Wikipedia

Pictured: Jae Jarell’s urban wall suit
Via: Brooklyn Museum

Pictured: Jae Jarell’s vest
Via: Kavi Gupta Gallery