until Sunday January 07 2024

Somerset House
Strand
WC2R 1LA London
United Kingdom

Contact
visitor@somersethouse.org.uk
https://www.somersethouse.org.uk

The exhibition will examine how the cultural, counter-cultural, political and socio-economic backdrop of the 20th and 21st centuries have shaped the identity of Black style and in turn mainstream fashion culture. Extending far beyond the realm of the catwalk, the exhibition spotlights and contextualises the profound impact of Black creativity through music, photography, art and design.

The exhibition will tell the story of Black creativity through four distinct themes, home, tailoring, performance and nightlife, each referencing the spaces which inspired and allowed the culture of Black British fashion and design to develop on its own terms. Rather than approaching fashion as an artform created in isolation, the Black contribution to British fashion culture will be set within a broader socio-political context, placing garments alongside artworks, cultural artefacts, music, memorabilia, videos and installations. The Missing Thread will also spotlight the genius of one of Britian's most influential Black fashion designers, the late Joe Casely-Hayford, presenting the designer’s archive in an exhibition format for the first time in the UK. Finally, a series of original commissions by contemporary Black designers, including Nicholas Daley, Bianca Saunders and Saul Nash, will celebrate the generational lineage of Black creative excellence in British fashion.

Photo: © Eileen Perrier 1 Afro Hair and Beauty 1998