Photo: Perfect 5hot / Shutterstock
History in the making.
By Alice Kelly — Written on Jan 20, 2021
As Kamala Harris becomes the first female, first Black, and first South Asian Vice President of the United States of America, she’s giving a platform to young Black designers in her outfit choice.
This is a historical day for POC in many capacities.
While Kamala Harris makes history politically, young Black creatives are getting the recognition they deserve.
Who is Kamala Harris wearing on Inauguration Day?
While taking the oath of office, Kamala Harris is wearing designs by Sergio Hudson and Christopher John Rogers, marking another barrier-breaking moment in Harris’s career.
As Kamala Harris is sworn into office Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor — the first Latina member of the Court — using a Bible once owned by the late Thurgood Marshall, the first Black Supreme Court justice, the significance of this outfit will not be lost.
For many people of color, Harris’s entire career has been a symbol of hope and triumph and this Inauguration Day will be no different.
In eve prior to the Inauguration, Kamala Harris gathered on the National Mall in Washington DC with Joe Biden for a Covid Memorial honoring more than 400,000 American lives lost to the pandemic so far.
She wore a coat by Haitian-American designer Pyer Moss as an ode to her own Caribbean roots but it is the work of Christopher John Rogers and Sergio Hudson, two other rising Black designers, that will be in the spotlight today.
The purple outfit is an ode to her own Presidential campaign colors at that of Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman to run for Presidential office in the US.
The color purple also has Biblical significance in Proverbs 31:
"She is clothed in fine linen and purple... She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness"
The scriptural reference is the story of a woman who is the leader of her community and the caretaker of her "household".
Who is Christopher John Rogers?
Christopher John Rodgers was born and raised in Baton Rogue, Louisiana. The designer is just 26 years old but has already made a name for himself in fashion with his eponymous label.
He previously worked as an associate designer at Diane von Furstenberg.
He is known best known for his iridescent suits that are feminine in style yet powerful in cut.
Loved by popstars from SZA to Lizzo, this won’t be the first time Rogers’ designs are shown on a famous woman of color.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama wore a suit of his on her book tour for Becoming, and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also donned his designs on a Vanity Fair cover.
Who is Sergio Hudson?
Sergio Hudson is a 29-year-old designer from South Carolina, who launched his career in fashion after winning a reality TV show.
After winning Styled To Rock he joined Rihanna’s design team before creating his own brand. Since then his creations have been worn by Beyoncé, Demi Lovato, Janelle Monáe, and Kendall Jenner.
But it wasn’t until Michelle Obama commissioned custom designs from Hudson that his label really began to take off.
Kamala Harris is expected to pair the designs of these young Black creatives with her signature pearls, an ode to her Alpha Kappa Alpha sisterhood.
She has worn a set of pearls for important events from her Howard University graduation to the day she was sworn to the US Senate by then-Vice President Joe Biden.
Alice Kelly is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York. She is a generalist with an interest in lifestyle, entertainment, and trending topics.