MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee has had a connection to high fashion and top designers around the world for decades.
The Ebony Fashion Fair was a traveling show that would visit up to 30 cities per year and Milwaukee was one of them.
The Ebony Fashion Fair fashion show started in 1958 by Eunice Johnson, co-founder of Johnson Publishing Company.
The garments from the shows have become iconic and Mount Mary University has acquired several of them.
With her own money, Johnson bought millions of dollars of couture garments.
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She knew there was a black middle class that was often overlooked when it came to high fashion and they would heighten the image of couture.
The university opened its archive to our Steph Brown and in today’s edition of Steph Connects, she takes us inside.
Mount Mary really understands the importance of this history.
It speaks to a fearless woman who took on an elitist fashion industry to change the perception of who wears couture and how it’s presented.
Steph will keep the connection going with Mount Mary University as they have several other archives in their collection with designers whose stories are just as inspiring.
