Pyer Moss Teaches Black History but Makes It Fashion at Paris Couture Week
This past weekend, Kerby Jean-Raymond, founder and creator of high-end fashion label Pyer Moss unveiled his first haute couture collection as he honored Black inventors at Paris Couture Week. The Black history-inspired collection featured the early inventions of today such as the telephone, peanut butter, hair rollers, the traffic light, and more.
Founder and creator of Pyer Moss, Kerby Jean-Raymond schooled his audience about Black history and innovation through colorful, funky designs at Paris Couture Week last weekend. The Fall/Winter 2021/22 collection was showcased at the Westchester mansion of the historic hair care tycoon Madame CJ Walker.
The innovative collection titled WAT U IZ consisted of eye-catching styles that had the models stunning the runway in a bevy of bold shapes and eclectic masterpieces.
In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Jean-Raymond said:
“The concept is layered, there’s no central theme. The general concept is that these are inventions by Black people and I wanted to re-introduce them to black people and reverse any erasure that may exist.”
With such a strong backstory, it’s no surprise as to why the flamboyant creations served such unapologetically Black masterpieces. In addition to the collection of 25 looks, the couture presentation also paid homage to Black wealth. Jean-Raymond proclaimed to Vanity fair:
“I want people to experience Black wealth is not a dirty thing, it is one of several means to an end. This house, inventions, creativity, ingenuity, all of those things are pathways to that sort of economic independence. I’ve said a lot of things at my shows. I’ve talked about mental health, multiple prong approaches to liberation, and this is just one of them.”
It appears Jean-Raymond is hitting milestone after milestone since not only is this his very first haute couture collection, but he has also officially made history as the first Black designer to present at Paris Couture Week. It was only genius to implement Black history into his designs as he boldly made his presence known.
Another milestone was hit as Aoki Lee Simmons follows the footsteps of her mother, Kimora Lee Simmons, and made her first strut debut at the haute couture presentation. The Harvard student embodied a human chessboard in a mocha-colored, checkered ensemble paired with black and white checkered boots.
The WUT U IZ collection will soon be part of an exhibit inside Villa Lewaro, Walker’s historic mansion built in 1918. The collection will also be making its way to this year’s New York Fashion Week. For the gagging fashionistas who would love to see and learn more, visit Pyer Moss’ official site and Twitter account.
