Stephen Burrows (designer) facts for kids

Stephen Burrows (born September 15, 1943) is a famous American fashion designer. He is from New York City. Stephen went to the Fashion Institute of Technology. After school, he started working in New York City's fashion area, called the Garment Center.

He also worked closely with the fancy department store Henri Bendel. Stephen Burrows is known for being one of the first African-American fashion designers to sell his clothes all over the world. Many famous people wore his designs. His clothes were bright and often had special "lettuce hem" curly edges. They were a big part of the fun disco-dancing scene in New York City during the 1970s.

Early Life and Learning

Stephen Burrows was born in Newark, New Jersey on September 15, 1943. His mother was Octavia Pennington, and his father was Gerald Burrows. Stephen was raised by his mother and his grandmother, Beatrice Pennington Banks Simmons.

He loved his grandmother's zigzag sewing machine. He learned to sew when he was very young. When he was eight years old, he made his first piece of clothing for a friend's doll.

As a teenager, Stephen took dance lessons. He really loved the mambo dance. On Sundays, he would go to Manhattan to dance at the Palladium night club. He started drawing dresses he wanted for his dance partners.

After graduating from Newark Arts High School, he first went to the Philadelphia Museum College of Art. He planned to become an art teacher. But during a tour, he saw dress forms, which are like mannequins for making clothes. This inspired him to change his path.

He then moved to New York City and joined the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). There, he met Betty Davis, who became his friend and an early inspiration. Stephen found his studies a bit frustrating. FIT teachers taught strict rules for draping fabric. But Stephen liked to cut fabric freely and stretch edges in his own way. Even so, he graduated in 1966.

Fashion Career Highlights

Stephen Burrows top & skirt, Fall/ Winter 1971. Adnan Ege Kutay Collection

Stephen Burrows started his career working for a company that made blouses. Slowly, small shops began to sell his designs. In 1968, he started working with artist Andy Warhol and his friends at a place called Max's Kansas City. He also sold his clothes at his own shop, O Boutique, on Park Avenue South.

His workshop was in the basement of the O Boutique. His team included friends like leather designer Bobby Breslau and fabric designer Hector Torres. Women who wore his clothes looked like they had busy, creative days and fun nights filled with disco music.

The O Boutique closed in 1970. Stephen then teamed up with Roz Rubenstein. They created a collection of ready-to-wear clothes. These were sold to the fancy department store Bonwit Teller.

Stephen's classmates from FIT wanted to sell their designs at the famous Henri Bendel store. When Stephen met Geraldine Stutz, who owned Bendel's, she loved the coat he was wearing. She liked it so much that she gave him his own special shop inside Henri Bendel in 1970. This was on West 57th Street. Fashion model Pat Cleveland helped him by trying on his designs at Bendel's studio.

In 1971, Stephen designed the outfits for The Supremes' concert in Central Park. He also helped style the three singers. In 1973, Stephen launched his first collection of sleepwear and lingerie. It was called "Stevies." It was sold at Henri Bendel's, Bonwit Teller, Lord & Taylor, and Bloomingdales. It was also sold in other cities like Chicago and San Francisco.

Stephen Burrows was one of five American fashion designers chosen for a special fashion show. It was called "divertissement à Vèrsailles." This show happened on November 28, 1973. It is now famous as The Battle of Versailles Fashion Show. Stephen was the youngest American designer to show his collection there.

In 1975, Jaclyn Smith from the TV show Charlie's Angels appeared in a commercial for Stephen's perfume, Stephen B. Three years later, another "Angel," Farrah Fawcett, wore his gold chainmail dress to the Academy Awards. In 1981, Brooke Shields, who was 15, was on the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine wearing his design. Other famous women who loved his clothes included Barbra Streisand, Cher, The Supremes, Bette Midler, and Jerry Hall.

In May 2006, the Council of Fashion Designers of America gave Stephen Burrows a special award. Around the same time, he was invited to return to Paris. He showed his Spring/Summer 2007 Collection in the Carousel de Louvre.

Besides "Stephen Burrows World," he also created other clothing lines. "S by Burrows" was for a project with Home Shopping Europe (HSN) in Munich, Germany. "Everyday Girl" was inspired by Anna Cleveland, the daughter of his muse and model Pat Cleveland. "SB73" was a knit clothing line. It was based on his famous colorful designs from the 1970s.

First Lady Michelle Obama wore a Stephen Burrows Jersey pantsuit to an event in Washington, D.C.. Vogue Magazine wrote that it was a wonderful way to recognize Burrows. They called him one of the great African-American designers.

Awards and Recognition

Stephen Burrows has received many awards for his amazing work in fashion:

• Coty Award, American Fashion Critics award ("Winnie"), 1973
• Coty Award, American Fashion Critics special award (lingerie), 1974
• Coty Award, American Fashion Critics award ("Winnie"), 1977
• Council of American Fashion Critics award, 1975
• Knitted Textile Association Crystal Ball award, 1975
• Bronze plaque on the Fashion Walk of Fame, 2002
• Council of Fashion Designers of America Board of Directors' Special Tribute Award, 2006
• Key to the City of Newark, New Jersey, 2016

Exhibitions and Tributes

Stephen Burrows' fashion designs have been shown in special exhibitions. These shows look back at his work over the years.

• "1940–1970's Cut and Style" at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology
• "The 1970s" at The Tribute Gallery in New York
• "Back to Black: Art, Cinema, and the Racial Imaginary" at Whitechapel Gallery in London in June 2005

In 2013, the Museum of the City of New York held a big exhibition about his work. It was called "Stephen Burrows: When Fashion Danced." They also published a book about the exhibition.