Pyer Moss Couture No. 1: A Lesson in Black Innovation and History
On Saturday, July 10th, 2021, fashion insiders from across the globe congregated on the historic Madam C.J. Walker estate in Irvington, New York, for Take 2 of the Pyer Moss Couture 1 show. Take 1 was unfortunately marred by rain, causing the anticipation to further build as the world awaited for Kerby Jean-Raymond, creative director of the brand, to unveil his first couture collection.
Before the show had even started, history already was made. Jean-Raymond is the first Black African American designer to present at Paris Couture Week. Jean-Raymond and his label were invited to be guest members of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, an institution that rarely offers space for people like Jean-Raymond. Haute couture is a very respected practice within the fashion industry, and only the greatest of the great can say that they have produced true haute couture.
The requirements are rigorous, and just like champagne, unless it has been officially stamped, it's not the real thing. To carry the label of haute couture and be an official member of the Chambre Syndicale, designers have to show a collection of at least 25 original designs twice yearly at Paris Couture Week. Designers also have to employ an atelier with 20 full-time staff members. This is already a huge accomplishment for Jean-Raymond to not only occupy space in a world run by very antiquated rules but to stand on a platform that can spread his message far and wide—a message that people will have to pay attention to.
Jean-Raymond did not take this platform lightly, and decided to share with the audience, and subsequently the industry, a lesson in Black beauty and innovation. Every detail was powerful and stacked with meaning. Jean-Raymond was willing and ready to bend the stoic rules of haute couture for the sake of his message.
Off the bat, Jean-Raymond showed in New York, his home state, rather than in Paris, France; an already a bold move for an haute couture debut. The location was the first pillar of Black excellence that the collection rested upon. Madam C.J. Walker was the daughter of former slaves and the first female self-made millionaire in America. The estate, Villa Lewaro, now stands as a historic symbol in American history, and as proof that Black innovation has always been a part of the U.S.
Before the show started, the audience heard from former Black Panther chairwoman, Elaine Brown, who opened the presentation with a fiery speech reflecting on the history of the freedom movement—fitting, as this year marks the 55th anniversary of the Black Panther Party. The layers of historical references that Jean-Raymond was piling onto his show are evidence of the level of detail that went into this collection. The whole venue was filled with sounds by 22gz, a local New York rapper who hails from Flatbush, the same neighborhood that Jean-Raymond grew up in. The air was filled with an energy that the front row could easily feel. And then the show started.
As the models began to make their way down the runway, costume-like garments emerged, each wilder than the one before. A traffic light turned into a cocktail dress, a beautiful yellow gown hid behind an air conditioner frame, the refrigerator with accompanying letter magnets arranged to spell “But Who Invented Black Trauma?"
The collection, entitled WAT U IZ, is a Jean-Raymond’s-styled history lesson on a much-forgotten topic: Black innovation. Jean-Raymond sent 25 looks down the runway; each pertaining to an invention credited to a black entrepreneur. The fire hydrant, curtain rod, heated rollers, Super Soaker, horseshoe, and the list goes on. Beautiful gowns were being completely dominated by the innovations, and inventors, that Jean-Raymond was paying homage to.
Even though the collection made history for obvious reasons, that didn’t stop the internet from trying to rip it to shreds. Understandably, taken out of context the looks can seem campy and almost gimmicky. Jean-Raymond’s talent is not questioned by the industry. His ability to make beautiful gowns and collections is very respected. The front row was slightly taken aback when they saw this level of camp at a Pyer Moss show, even though white designers get all the praise for this same level of caricaturism e.g., Jeremy Scott and his Moschino McDonald’s collection. But these criticisms are rooted in a lack of knowledge and a desperate cling to tradition, which the fashion industry runs on.
For the most part, certain industry insiders completely missed the message that Jean-Raymond was trying to send out. In a position where you are expected to deliver something specific, he decided to go against it the grain and make a statement. He honored all of the other Black innovators before him and the importance of his role as the first Black African American to show during Paris Couture Week will not be disregarded—despite divided opinions.
Finding the references for each look was rather easy, and the dialogue following the show centered around the history that these innovations represented. And that is the biggest impact that Jean-Raymond and his WAT U IZ collection will have. People are now learning about the history of Black innovation in America—a history that is not taught in schools. A wider audience now knows that their favorite everyday luxuries, were invented by Black scientists and entrepreneurs, something that might have never happened at this level had Jean-Raymond only shown pretty dresses.
Peanut butter, the cellphone, the typewriter; ideas both big and small but still crucial to the progression of society. On a platform that is meant only to talk about topics of vanity, Jean-Raymond is showing Black Americans the impact that they have had on our current society, an impact that is brushed under the rug for the sake of not giving credit. By bluntly inserting these items into an haute couture show, and physically covering the dresses with said items, Jean-Raymond gave the audience no choice, but to listen and learn. There was no room for misinterpretation. The collection had a very clear message that came with it: We are Black, and this is what we have accomplished.
The sky is the limit for Jean-Raymond and his label. As always, he has succeeded in getting a community to talk about subjects that are usually never spoken of in-depth. With this being his debut haute couture collection, who knows what Jean-Raymond will think of next and what we will see in the future for Pyer Moss. Now that Jean-Raymond has paid homage, how will he now push Black innovation forward in an industry that doesn’t want to budge? Only Jean-Raymond knows.