On the staircase of the Met Gala 2025 Gigi Hadid showed off a dazzling Lamé dress covered with crystals, a tribute to Josephine Baker and Zelda Wynn Valdez. If the first does not need too many presentations – celebrated as a black showgirl ante litteram From the debut to the Cabaret Folies Bergère in topless and banan skirt, trendsetter And symbol of the struggle for civil and human rights – the second may not play so familiar. Yet, this African American designer and costume designer who fell in the oblivion not only contributed to the creation of the iconic bunny costume of Playboybut she managed to break the racial barrier in the world of high fashion. As?
Born in 1905, in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, Valdes immediately develops his passion for sewing in the uncle’s shop, parallel to training as a classic pianist, and then working in a luxury boutique moving to White Plains, New York, in the early 1920s. “It wasn’t a pleasant period. But the idea was to see what I could do, “he tells the New York Times In 1994 Passing from the management of the inventory to being The first order And then black tailor of the atelier.
Strengthened by the trust placed in her by customers and reputation built with small fashion shows in black social clubs, in 1948 he opens his Broadway atelier, becoming The first African American to own a shop in the well -known New York road. At the height of racial segregation legalized by Read Jim Crow, Zelda Wynn it was the SAFE-PIPPE of glamor For all black women excluded and publicly humiliated (also) while shopping. Immediately attracts the attention of socialite And the show stars, especially in making clothes for the event of the moment: Marie Ellington’s wedding with Nat King Cole. Among his loyal ones we find Ella Fitzgerald at the forefront, followed by Marian Anderson, Dorothy Dandridge, Josephine Baker, Eartha Kitt, Gladys Knight, Joyce Bryant, Mae West and Marlene Dietrich.
Through its unmistakable Sihouette enveloping made with the most precious fabrics, Valdes in a decade becomes un point of reference in the market Custom. So much so that, when he transfers his activity to Midtown near the prestigious Carnegie Hall, changing the name in Chez Zeldaat his side counts a staff of nine seamstresses and his customers are willing to spend a thousand dollars on a dress couture. In the meantime, he already looks further. And he collaborates with Mary McCleod Bethune-Cookman and Jeaanetta Welch Brown at the foundation of the National Association of Fashion and Accessories Designers (Nafad), a professional organization (also semi-unforgettable) active from the 1950s to the 2000s to support the growing number of black women in the fashion industry, until then put on the door.
Since his fame now precedes her, when Hugh Hefner, the boss of Playboyis about to launch his “Supering Club»He turns to her to pack the waiter uniform. Et voilàthe phantom costume of the Playboy Club Bunnies – narrow bustier in satin, ears leporids, papillon, cuffs and cotton tail -, now archetype of pop culture from Kate Moss to Bridget Jones. Inspired by the iconic rabbit logo with Papillon, the design was introduced in 1960 at the inauguration of the first Playboy Club of Chicago, as well as officially recorded at the Brands and Patents Office of the United States. Although it is said that many people actually put hands on its design, Zelda Wyn Valdez was certainly these, counting that she had come to organize real parades advertised as “Zelda al Playboy».
From the bunny costumes to the Pioneering ballet costumes. In addition to teaching fashion design To the young people of Harlem and to co-have the Herlem Youth Orchestra together with Lester Wilson, starting from the 70s Valdes has been designing the costumes of the Dance Theater of Harlem, the company founded by Arthur Mitchell. Here, once again, he leaves his mark. By removing from the typical pale pink outfits designed to imitate the complexion of the white dancers, it promotes the tincture of socks and shoes to combine them with the different shades of skin. A decidedly subversive move for the time, to Fenty Beauty by Rihanna.
If the 1964 Civil Right Act and the 1965 voting rights act end (at least on paper) to segregation, Employed into the Olympus of high fashion and in the international cultural scene as an African American woman was truly a liberating, forerunner, revolutionary anomaly. Maybe still never paid out enough.
Source: Vanity Fair
I’m Susan Karen, a professional writer and editor at World Stock Market. I specialize in Entertainment news, writing stories that keep readers informed on all the latest developments in the industry. With over five years of experience in creating engaging content and copywriting for various media outlets, I have grown to become an invaluable asset to any team.
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