Behind the seams: the pride, the passion of Black fashion

Behind every label there's a story, and behind every Black designer there's a passion. Barbara Bates designs for upscale clients who want to stand out; Tina and Beyonce Knowles design for everyday women who deserve a taste of elegant couture; Henry Jackson designs for impeccably dressed women with curves; Bramer Stevens creates fashions for those who appreciate refinement; and Tracy Reese designs for very chic ladies who are still in touch with their inner child. There are clothes and then there are masterpieces, venture behind the scenes and seams and experience the wearable works of art that are painstakingly crafted by some to today's top African-American designers who have brought their creative visions to life with sketch patterns, swaths of cloth, needle and thread. It all results in beautifully crafted and sometimes breathtaking designs.

tRACY REESE

As a little girl growing up in Detroit, Tracy Reese would sit at her mother's side and the two of them would create garments on their respective sewing machines. What began as a childhood passion has blossomed into the Tracy Reese label, a world-renowned fashion line with trademark feminine chic style that is worn and celebrated by welt-dressed women all over the world. From the very beginning, Reese's family encouraged her creativity; like generations of Black women, Reese's family loved to "dress up and dress well," she says. Reese attended design classes, constructed garments from scratch and then made the move from Detroit to the design mecca, Manhattan, where she attended the Parson's School of Design. After graduation, Reese worked with designer Perry Ellis, among others. Years later, she brought her vision of "eccentric color combinations, lush fabrics and embellishment, and designs that enhance and celebrate the female form" to life with her namesake label. Two years later she introduced her second line, Plenty by Tracy Reese, with designs that are favored by the modern woman who loves to be a girl. This spring, Reese will unveil Plenty by Tracy Reese HOME, a gorgeous, bohemian-inspired home collection that will include embellished pillows, throws, sheet sets and curtains.

hENRY N. JACKSON

From the very beginning, Henry Jackson knew that he wanted to style real women women with hips and curves--and a discriminating sense of style. "My mother was a woman who was a size 12 on top and a size 14-16 on the bottom, so I've always been a fan of dressing women with real bodies instead of skinny little girls," he says with a laugh. "Women with curves need to be accommodated." At the age of 5, Henry was sketching designs, at 13 he was sewing, and at the tender age of 14, Jackson produced full fashion shows in Boston. After graduating from the Parson's School of Design, Oscar de la Renta, who had been a guest design instructor, quickly hired him. While designing high-end fashions for Valentino in Italy, Jackson had an epiphany. "I knew that if I stayed there, I would be designing in a couture vacuum, and not for most women," he explains. At 21, Jackson returned to New York and developed high-end fashion lines for Henri Bendel, Neiman Marcus and other top specialty stores. But at the height of his momentum, tragedy struck; both his parents were diagnosed with terminal cancer, and Jackson put his career on hold to care for them. "This was the most important time I ever spent with them," he recalls. "Everyone thought that [going on hiatus] was career suicide in terms of momentum, and my peers had progressed well beyond my reach at that time." Today, Jackson is back on the scene at the Gallery of Wearable Art, a unique boutique on Manhattan's Upper East Side. He incorporates natural fibers such as silk, wool and cotton into his designs, and he also develops unique fabric textures, such as blending strands of gold into a tailored wool suit. "My designs can be described as timeless sophistication," says the designer, who has the impeccably dressed Cicely Tyson as a client. "As a Black designer, my mission is to create exciting, innovative styles that consistently meet a high standard of workmanship ... and express the diversity of my clientele in style, fit and affordability."

BARBARA BATES

Even in the dead of winter, there's a heat wave in Chicago, thanks to the hot, haute couture styles of self-taught designer Barbara Bates. "There aren't any fashion rules, not anymore," says Bates, who is celebrating the 20th anniversary of Bates Designs. "Hip-hop has taken high fashion and turned it into street wear. And now the baby-boomers want to stay younger longer, and we will do it while looking classy." In her former life, Bates worked odd jobs and designed her own clothes; her exotic fabrics and distinctive leather trim won the compliments of many. Consequently, Bates Designs was born. Bates' tailored fashions--best known for butter-soft leather, top stitching and unique piping--are fierce and fluid, ranging from edgy, urban street wear, to soft, sophisticated after-5 wear. Bates Designs is billed as the urban alternative to traditional couture with styles that never conform to what fashion industry insiders dictate will be the next hot look. And her loyal clients--including Michael Jordan, Oprah Winfrey, Mary J. Bilge and Will Smith--are enamored by her vision.