Menelik Puryear
Greg Lauren’s line has always been rooted in American identity, but for his latest collection he wanted to approach that theme with more specificity.
“I started to have a lot of conversations about fashion, about the work, and creating a more equitable company,” said Lauren. “And I wanted to change the way I approach things. I wanted to take a look at the history and roots of things.”
Lauren looked at the history of quilts. He’s worked with them before, but started to dig deeper and came across Gee’s Bend, a community of craftswomen in the rural area of Boykin, Alabama, who have a history of quilting that dates back to slavery. The women of Gee’s Bend sewed together scraps of discarded fabrics to make quilts as a means to stay warm, but little did they know they were creating art. It’s a heritage that’s stayed within the community. Lauren reached out to Souls Grown Deep, a foundation that promotes the work of Black artists in the South, to connect he and his team with the quilters, and Nest, an organization that supports responsible partnerships with artisans, to make sure he was working with them in an equitable and fair way.
From there Lauren met with 14 quilters, all women, to present the idea of doing a collaboration and figure out their unmet needs. They created a revenue stream and ensured that each of the quilters would get individual recognition for their work—every garment features the quilter’s handwritten signature along with a bio stitched into the lining. Lauren sent a swatchbook of used fabric scraps and the quilters put together 270 panels that Lauren would then turn into garments. This resulted in around 100 garments including robes, vests, a wrap dress, bomber jackets, and parkas that were made from three to five different quilted panels.
“One of the scariest Zoom meetings was to show these pieces to the quilters to see what they think,” said Lauren. “The quilters loved the pieces.”
The quilters included Cassandra Hall, Doris Mosely, Katie Pettway, Lue McCloud, Mary Margaret Pettway, Kristin Pettway, Minnie Pettway, Priscilla Hudson, Stella Pettway, Claudia Charley, Emma Pettway, Pleasant Scott, Sharon Williams, and Tinnie Pettway. And their work is on display at Bergdorf Goodman’s Men’s Store in New York City now through November 8th. Lauren said he wanted an installation that combined an atelier, art studio, and honored the quilters’ work. There are headphones on hand so visitors can hear the quilters talk about their process.
“Their work is front and center right off of Fifth Avenue,” said Lauren. “This is a collaboration that centers and celebrates the artwork of the women of Gee’s Bend. You can’t see anything else.”
Lauren supplemented the collection with a lookbook styled by Yashua Simmons and photographed by Menelik Puryear, a Los Angeles fashion show that took place earlier this month and opened with a performance from Jacob Jonas The Company, a dance company based in Los Angeles. He also tapped Jonathan Michael Square, assistant professor of Black Visual Culture at Parsons School of Design, to write an essay exploring the significance of the Gee’s Bend quilters and their craftsmanship, which represents African American ingenuity even in the midst of great hardship.
Lauren said he plans on working with the quilters in the future, and continuing to consciously create.
“It’s such an incredible time and it’s more important than ever for designers to create responsibly and consciously,” said Lauren. “I believe that as a designer we lead with creativity and innovation and ask yourself, or challenge yourself, to do that in a responsible and conscious way. That consciousness informs the most incredible creative discoveries.”
