Hazel Rodney Blackman facts for kids

Hazel Rodney Blackman (1921–2014) was a talented fashion designer, quilter, and painter from Jamaica. She became famous for bringing beautiful African fabrics into American fashion in the 1960s and 1970s. Her unique style helped introduce new looks to the fashion world.

Early Life and Learning

Hazel Hyscinth Rodney was born in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1921. Her parents were George and Alphasenia Rodney. She was the third of eleven children. Hazel grew up in the Cross Roads neighborhood of Kingston.

In her neighborhood, she often saw Marcus Garvey. He was a leader who worked for the rights of Black people. His group, the Universal Negro Improvement Association, had its main office nearby. Hazel's grandfather even owned shares in Garvey's shipping company, the Black Star Line. This connection would later inspire some of her art. Hazel said her mother was a very good sewer.

In 1940, Hazel moved from Jamaica to New York City. She went to the Traphagen School of Fashion in Manhattan. After she graduated in 1946, she worked as a seamstress. A seamstress makes and mends clothes. She also made custom dresses for people. By 1965, she became an assistant designer. While working, she kept taking classes. She learned about making jewelry, painting on fabrics, and making gloves.

Fashion Career Highlights

Hazel Blackman started showing her designs early on. In 1952, she had a show called “Hazel’s Adventures in Cotton.” It featured designs made from burlap.

In the 1960s, Hazel joined the Congress of Racial Equality. This group worked for civil rights.

African Fabrics and The Tree House

In the 1960s, Hazel’s business partner, Lionel Phillips, visited Africa. He brought back many fabric samples. Hazel started using these fabrics for fun. In 1964, her clothes were shown at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. People loved her designs!

Because of the high demand, Hazel and Lionel opened a store in 1965. It was called The Tree House. It was on East 147th Street in Manhattan. The store was an "instant hit." Hazel famously said, “Let other designers go to Paris for inspiration, I’ll take Africa.”

In 1965, a newspaper called her "probably the only American fashion designer" specializing in African batik. Batik is a way of dyeing fabric using wax. Hazel and Lionel imported fabrics from many African countries. These included kanga and kitenge from Tanzania. They also used cobra skin from Morocco and Akwete cloth from Nigeria.

Working with Denim and Expanding

In the late 1960s, a group called the Denim Council noticed Hazel’s unique designs. They asked her to create new styles using denim. She also designed for the National Cotton Council. She combined imported African fabrics with denim. This mix became her special style.

Hazel made many different types of clothes. She designed jumpsuits, bell-bottom pants, skirts, dresses, and jackets. All were made in her unique hybrid style.

Her stores sold her own designs. They also sold African-made clothing that Lionel imported from Liberia. Hazel also sold her clothes to other stores. These were in New York City, Washington, D.C, St. Louis, Kansas City, Portland, and San Francisco. In 1969, she opened a second Tree House store in Harlem. But after some robberies, she decided to close it.

Hazel once said that her fashions were later copied by others. She also noted that she never thought a fashion business could be built on a djellaba. A djellaba is a loose robe worn in North Africa.

Fashion Shows and Famous Clients

In 1967, Hazel was the only non-white designer at a big fashion show. It was a preview of what would become New York Fashion Week.

In 1968, her designs were shown at the Harlem Cultural Festival. In 1969, her clothes were part of a traveling fashion show. This show highlighted African American designers.

Hazel Blackman had famous clients. Singer Nina Simone loved her evening gowns. Marjorie Harding, the wife of New York City’s first Black fire chief, also wore her designs. Hazel’s work was featured in popular magazines. These included Vogue, Glamour, Ebony, and The New Yorker. She was also part of New York City Mayor John Lindsay’s Cultural Development Committee.

In 1970, Hazel visited San Francisco. She helped start two fashion and design groups there. In the 1970s, she also taught at community centers.

Hazel once said, “African fabrics defy the laws of design.” She found them challenging but fascinating. She also shared that she always struggled with money for her business. But she still enjoyed what she did.

Quilting Career

Hazel Blackman started quilting after a trip to Alabama in the 1960s. She was designing for a quilting group there. This experience inspired her to try quilting herself. Years later, she helped start the New York chapter of the Women of Color Quilters Network.

In 2005, Hazel said, “to make a dynamic quilt is like a dance.” She made several "story quilts." These quilts told stories. One quilt, “The Black Star Liner,” showed a ship from Marcus Garvey’s company. Another quilt, “Unity of the Mind,” shows Garvey and Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie. This quilt is now in a museum in Kingston, Jamaica.

Poetry and Writing

One of Hazel Blackman's quilts is on the cover of a book called Patchwork: Poetry & Prose and Papers & Pictures Anthology (1999). The book also includes some of her original poems. Hazel also wrote a book about her life. It was called My Romance with Paint and Fabrics, but it was never published.

Later Life and Death

Hazel Blackman moved back to Jamaica after living in New York and Florida for many years. She passed away at age 93. She is buried in Dovecot Memorial Park in Kingston, Jamaica.