Patrick Kelly
|
|
Patrick Kelly (September 24, 1954 - January 1990) was an African-American fashion designer based in Paris. Born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, Kelly learned about fashion from his female relatives, who often embellished plain, store-bought clothes with buttons and ribbons. In Paris, Kelly had a brief but very productive designing career from 1985 until his death in 1990. He was the first American to join the French ready-to-wear organization Le Chambre Syndicale du Pret-a-Porter. Kelly's trademark was the use of oversized, colorful buttons and ribbons -- a nod to his childhood fashion inspiration. He also ridiculed racial stereotypes in his designs.
The cause of Kelly's death was initially announced as bone marrow disease and a brain tumor, but later acknowledged as AIDS.
In April 2004, the Brooklyn Museum of Art mounted Patrick Kelly: A Retrospective. It will stay until September 24, 2004. The exhibition is the first-ever devoted to Kelly. [1] (http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/visit/special_exhibitions)
External link
- A newspaper article on Patrick Kelly's life and career: "Patrick Kelly's Radical Cheek: In New York, a Designer's Guise and Dolls " (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3561-2004May30.html)