Patrick Joseph Kelly

link titlePatrick 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.

The cause of Kelly's death was initially announced as bone marrow disease and a brain tumor, but later acknowledged as AIDS.

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 link

• 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/