Stephen Burrows

Stephen Burrows was one of the first African-American fashion designers to achieve international acclaim. Best known for his vibrant use of color, his matte jersey designs have become synonymous with the youthful nonchalance of the 1970s. “He stretches a rainbow over the body,” remarked Geraldine Stultz. “It’s never a hodgepodge.” Influenced by music and dance, Burrows produced clothes that were soft, comfortable, and chic. The winner of five prestigious Coty awards, Burrows’ clients have included Cher, Diana Ross, Lauren Bacall, Liza Minnelli, Jerry Hall, Lauren Hutton, and Barbara Streisand. His consistent design sensibility has made him a strong presence in fashion for over 30 years.

Born in Newark, New Jersey, Stephen Burrows graduated from The Fashion Institute of Technology in 1966. Shortly thereafter, Burrows debuted his first collection of clothes at the O Boutique, strategically located across the street from the popular restaurant and nightclub, Max’s Kansas City. In 1970, he met Stultz, who was then the president of Henri Bendel. Stultz helped Burrows launch his career by offering him his own boutique within Bendel’s, to be named “Stephen Burrows World.” Immediately upon his debut at Bendel’s, Burrows was catapulted into the limelight. He was celebrated for his remarkable use of color, his eye-catching color block technique, and his sexy separates that typified the assertive woman of the 1970s.

“I just wanted to do the complete opposite of what they taught me,” Burrows once recalled. Indeed, his designs rejected many of the tenets once considered as basic to clothing design. For example, in place of button closures, Burrows’ designs employed snaps and lacing. He left his machine-stitched seams exposed and used brightly colored, zigzag stitching to draw attention to this element rather than conceal it. Instead of hemming his skirts, Burrows would stitch the edges of his garments so they wouldn’t unravel, lending an unfinished appearance to his designs and resulting in a rippled “lettuce effect” that became his signature.