PATRICK KELLY: RUNWAY OF LOVE

An upcoming exhibition celebrates the late fashion designer Patrick Kelly, enriching our understanding of 1980s fashion history. The 80 ensembles on display, made between 1984 and 1990, highlight how Kelly referenced his African American heritage, childhood in Mississippi, and experiences in the club and gay cultural scenes in New York and Paris. As the first American and first Black designer voted into the Chambre Syndicale du Prêt-à-Porter des Couturiers et des Créateurs de Mode, Kelly’s name is still synonymous with struggles for equality in the fashion industry. Most recently, ‘The Kelly Initiative’ (2020), an open letter to the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) from Black fashion professionals, called for inclusivity, transparency and accountability.

October 23, 2021, to April 24, 2022 de Young Museum, San Francisco www.deyoung.famsf.org/exhibitions/patrick-kelly