The 1st African-American haute couturier: Jay Jaxon & the historian who uncovered him

Jay Jaxon was the first African-American haute couturier, having worked in the prestigious luxury houses of Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, and Jean-Louis Scherrer in the 1960s and 70s. Rachel Fenderson uncovered Jaxon's work while researching as a student in Parsons Paris' Fashion Studies program. She has since organized exhibitions at the Queens Public Library and Queens Historical Society about Jaxon's work. In this episode of Transition of Style, we celebrate LGBT History Month in the United States by discussing Jay Jaxon. Let's get a sneak peek at what Jay Jaxon's life in Paris would have been like – not only as an American in Paris, but an African-American non-heterosexual man in Paris. Where was he during the 1973 Battle of Versailles Fashion Show, the iconic fashion spectacle that put American and French designers and models on the map? What would life have been like for a 20- or 30-something year-old non-straight man in Paris? Listen to the episode to find out. Links Transition of Style website Rachel Fenderson website Jay Jaxon's retroactive obituary in the New York Times Your host's website Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices