Patrick Kelly

From Free net encyclopedia

Patrick Kelly (September 24, 1954 - January 1, 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.

Illness

Kelly was initially diagnosed with bone marrow disease and a brain tumor, but later his condition was later acknowledged as AIDS. Subsequently, Warnaco dropped their sponsorship, and Kelly was forced to cancel his October show. Less than six months later, he was dead.

Exhibitions

In April 2004, the Brooklyn Museum of Art mounted Patrick Kelly: A Retrospective, which stayed until September 24, 2004. The exhibition was the first-ever devoted to Kelly.[1]

External links

• A newspaper article on Patrick Kelly's life and career: "Patrick Kelly's Radical Cheek: In New York, a Designer's Guise and Dolls "
• Patrick Kelly Online Memorial at http://memoriam.org/