The exhibition "JAY JAXON FASHION DESIGNER, Le Couturier, Costumer |
40 YEARS OF FASHION DESIGN BRILLIANCE" CELEBRATES THE LIFE OF JAY
JAXON The exhibition "JAY JAXON: FASHION DESIGNER, LE COUTURIER,
COSTUMER | 40 YEARS OF FASHION DESIGN BRILLIANCE" CELEBRATES THE LIFE
OF JAY JAXON AND HIS HISTORICAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE FASHION INDUSTRY.
This exhibition will run from AUGUST 1 - AUGUST 31, 2019 at the Queens
Public Library (Central Location) 89-11 Merrick Blvd, Jamaica, New
York, 11432.
On AUGUST 10TH, FROM 11- 4PM, there will be a special celebratory
event honoring the life and work of Queens native Jay Jaxon. This
event will include a Public Viewing, Curator Exhibition Guided Tour,
Lecture & Panel, and Refreshments.
Location: 89-11 Merrick Blvd, Jamaica, New York, 11432
Date: Saturday, August 10th, 2019
Event Time: 11-4pm
Cost: Free
JAY JAXON BRIEF EXHIBITION BIOGRAPHY
Jay Jason Jaxon was born on August 30, 1941, in Queens, New York.
Jaxon would grow up to become a fashion designer, making historical
imprints on the concrete streets of New York City, as well as the
cobblestoned roads of Paris, and on the Hollywood walk of fame in Los
Angeles. The foundation of this exhibition celebrates the life of Jay
Jaxon as an American Fashion Designer, an Haute Couture Designer, and
Costume Designer. Further, it restores the history of Jaxon by
displaying artifacts and objects from his personal design archive as
well as primary sources from the research of fashion scholar and
curator Rachel Fenderson.
The objective of this historical restoration is to highlight Jaxon’s
inroads in the fashion industry posthumously, as they are briefly
mentioned academically, or none at all. In true entrepreneurial spirit
during the late 1960s through the 2000s, Jaxon created and
reestablished his own brand in New York, Paris, and in California.
Luxury department stores Henri Bendel, Bonwit Teller, and Lord &
Taylor picked up the eponymous Jay Jaxon brand and sold pieces from
the collection. The capital gained from these sales facilitated Jaxon
in garnering enough money to pursue fashion abroad. Jay Jaxon has been
recognized by the American, French, and other European news
publications in the 1970s, as the first American and African American
to create Haute Couture for Paris, France.
Jaxon’s contribution to the industry as a creator is significant to
Black History, Fashion History, American History, and French History.
Jaxon left his creative mark on Sammy Davis, Jr., Alvin Ailey, Dionne
Warwick, Thelma Houston, Luther Vandross, Liza Minnelli, John Kloss,
Donald Brooks, Jean-Louis Scherrer, Yves Saint Laurent, Christian
Dior, Pierre Cardin, and more. Upon Jaxon’s return to New York City
he produced his own divisional collections showcased at the Plaza
Hotel as well as for other brands presented at the Four Seasons.
Throughout, Jaxon’s career he created costumes for celebrities and
entertainers, for television and film, and for plays and music videos.
The reintroduction of Jay Jaxon not only transforms the fashion
narrative of the past century, it helps to enrich the histories of the
present and future through diverse representation. This exhibition at
the Queens Public Library illustrates the importance of Jay Jaxon as a
designer and how his presence in the fashion industry made it possible
for more to follow, through the doors he left open.
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11/08/2019 Last update