Kerby Jean-Raymond made history with Pyer Moss’s first Haute Couture. The collection made Kerby the first Black American designer to be invited by the Chambre Syndicale to present during Paris Haute Couture. While the initial show got rained out the first time around, the designer had a better idea and postponed the show to Saturday, July 10. 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 Party chairwoman, took the stage first to deliver a powerful speech before the show started. While a live performance took place in the center 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.
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.
