Pyer Moss Fall 2021 Couture Collection Is an Ode to Black Excellence
Featuring elaborate looks that honor Black innovation.
Pyer Moss‘ Fall 2021 couture collection — a first for creative director Kerby Jean-Raymond — took place on Saturday after being postponed due to inclement weather. The label’s triumphant runway return after a two year hiatus was an ode to historic Black inventions through tongue-in-cheek designs.
The event, which was opened up to the public in a bid to foster inclusivity, took place at the Villa Lewaro in upstate New York, the former home of Madam C. J. Walker who is considered to be America’s first Black woman millionaire. The location of the event was a nod to Black history and success, a running theme throughout the “Wat U Iz” show.
As the first black designer to show at Paris couture week, Jean-Raymond’s highly-anticipated production was an inventive cohesion of art and fashion. The collection was dotted with references to Black ingenuity that have been historically overlooked. One model was covered from head-to-toe in hair rollers, while another was dressed as a giant jar of peanut butter. Everything from traffic lights to super soakers were represented as a celebration of black innovation.
“These are inventions by Black people and I wanted to reintroduce them to Black people, reverse the erasure that may exist—and to troll a little bit, too,” Jean-Raymond said after the show, according to Vogue.
Other noteworthy outfits included a dress fashioned after a bottle cap, which was created by Black inventor Amos E. Long in 1898, along with an elaborate lavender headpiece styled to look like a chandelier, invented by Black creator Lewis Latimer.
You can catch the full livestream of the show below.
In other news, Pyer Moss’ “The Sculpt” sneaker was recently released in a vibrant blue.
