Patrick Kelly photographs

1980-1992

Taken from the biographical note for the Patrick Kelly archive, updated by Barrye Brown (March 2020):

Born in Vicksburg, Mississippi in 1954, Patrick Kelly's interest in fashion design began in his childhood. He took courses in art history, fashion, and Black history at both Jackson State University and Parsons School of Design in New York. In 1979 he travelled to Paris for the first time, where he sold his handmade dresses on the streets.

Early in his career in Paris, Kelly worked for major designers like Paco Rabanne and Hubert de Givenchy. In 1985 he showed his first collection, and also began his business partnership with Björn Amelan. His celebrity clients, such as Bette Davis, Madonna, and Princess Diana, brought his fashions into the spotlight. In 1987 Kelly closed a $5 million deal with the American apparel company Warnaco, Inc., which backed and distributed his women's ready-to-wear line.

In 1988, Kelly was voted into the Chambre Syndicale du Prêt à Porter des Couturiers et des Créateurs de Mode, the prestigious French organization of fashion designers. He was the first American to be honored in this way. At the time Kelly was voted a member, there were only forty-four members, thirty-four of whom were French. He was therefore the first African American to exhibit fashion at the Louvre, as only members of this select group may do so.  He presented two major fashion collections a year, with a third that included his holiday line. He also organized other requisite showings in the United States and Europe, made personal appearances, judged contests, and visited retail shops.

Besides selling his fashions at major Parisian stores, in the United States Kelly's apparel was carried by Saks Fifth Avenue and Marshall Fields, among others. His designs were sold in nineteen countries worldwide. Always seeking additional outlets and opportunities to expand his market, by 1988 Kelly was working with Vogue Patterns to enable women to make their own clothing based upon his styles. He designed for the Victoire Boutique in Paris and as well as for Italian clothing manufacturer Benetton. Many of Kelly's fashions showed his grandmother's influence of bows and buttons (enlarged for his designs); these trademarks became staples of French fashion by June 1989. Kelly had plans for a line of sunglasses and jewelry, and was preparing a cookbook with his mother's, grandmother's, and his own recipes. In addition, having amassed a collection of six thousand Black dolls, he planned to open a doll shop.

Kelly's last runway show was Spring/Summer 1989, held in March of that year. By the time of the Autumn/Winter 1990 show held in the fall of 1989, he was too ill to participate fully, and succumbed to AIDS on January 1, 1990 at age 35. Kelly's mother, Letha R. Kelly, granted permission for Kelly's partner, Björn Amelan, to continue working with the business following Kelly's death.