What are you wearing? Perhaps you’ve got purple pants. Maybe you’ve got mittens. Whatever you’re wearing, someone designed the clothes. You might not know the name of that fashion designer. For years, few people knew Ann Lowe’s name. Lowe spent her life designing clothes. And she became one of America’s first famous Black fashion designers.
Ann Lowe was born in Clayton, Alabama, in 1898. Her mother and grandmother taught her to sew. By age 5, Lowe was sewing her own dresses. She used extra fabric from her mother’s designs to create flowers. Lowe later used flowers in her fashions.
In 1917, Lowe moved to New York to study fashion. At that time, the school was . That meant Black students could not attend class with white students. Lowe was the only Black student in the school. So, she was the only student in her class! Her work stood out.
Lowe later moved to Florida and opened her own shop. She helped design formal , such as ball gowns. People loved her detail. One person said Lowe created “the most beautiful dress I have ever seen.” Another added: “The back of the dress is just as beautiful as the front!”
In 1953, Jacqueline Bouvier married John F. Kennedy. (Kennedy later became the U.S. president.) Lowe designed the wedding dress. She also created the dresses for the bridesmaids. At the time, Lowe did not get credit for her work. Now people know who created the designs.
Lowe designed dresses for many famous people. One was Olivia de Havilland. She was a top actress. Lowe worked with big fashion companies too. Those include Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. She also opened a store in New York City.
The Winterthur Museum honored Ann Lowe. It hosted a huge show featuring her fashions. Elizabeth Way was one of the . She said Lowe influenced fashion. And Way called Lowe an “important missing piece of American fashion history.”
Ann Lowe died in 1981. But she changed how people thought about fashion designers. Lowe was a for fashion. The world will never forget her name.
Updated February 8, 2024, 5:01 P.M. (ET)
By Brittney C. Jones
