Courtesy of Historic New England
On July 10th, fashion designer Kerby Jean-Raymond held the very first couture show for his brand,
Pyer Moss, making for a historic moment in his career. Naturally, it only made sense that an equally historic location was enlisted to serve as the backdrop of the collection’s unveiling. The designer chose Villa Lewaro, the Irvington, New York, home of Madam C.J. Walker, America’s first self-made millionaire, first Black millionaire, and first female millionaire.
Jean-Raymond used the show notes to pay tribute to Madam C.J. Walker and to emphasize the importance of Black success, stating that her “wealth was more than money” and that “Black prosperity begins in the mind, in the spirit and in each other.” The designer added that Madam C.J. Walker “knew that no dollar amount could ever satisfy the price tag of freedom—that green sheets of paper and copper coins could never mend souls, heal hearts or undo the evil we’ve endured."