Ann Lowe, born in 1898 in rural Clayton Alabama, to Jack and Janey Lowe, is still a fundamental figure in fashion, despite being largely overlooked during her lifetime. Lowe was the first African American to attain notoriety as a fashion designer, and her work was celebrated by the upper class for five decades, from the 1920s to the 1960s. Her journey from the small town of Clayton to dressing high society, including First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, demonstrates her exceptional talent and perseverance. 

Lowe grew up in a household of seamstresses, which fueled her passion for design. Her mother, Janey, and grandmother, Georgia, were skilled seamstresses who had a shop in Montgomery, frequented by the first families of Montgomery and the city’s elite. Lowe’s interest in fashion evolved as she watched her mother and grandmother work. After her mother died in 1914, Lowe, at just sixteen, took over the family business. This experience helped develop her skills and she began designing custom dresses for high-profile clientele. But Lowe’s ambition extended far beyond Alabama. 

In 1917, Lowe and her son moved to New York City, where she enrolled in the Segregated S.T. Taylor Design School. Despite racial restrictions at the time, Lowe excelled in her studies, and her work was frequently displayed for her colleagues, who recognized her artistry. She completed the program in half the time required and graduated in 1919. Afterward, Lowe and her son relocated to Tampa, Florida, where she launched her first dress salon. She immediately gained a reputation for immaculate craftsmanship and one-of-a-kind creations, while catering to high society. Her customer were members of the local elite, and her business thrived. By 1928, Lowe had saved $20,000 , a large sum at the time, which she used to return to New York City to further her career.

In 1946, Lowe designed the gown Olivia de Havilland wore to accept her Academy Award for Best Actress for “To Each His Own”. However, the credit for this magnificent gown was attributed to Sonia Rosenberg, a Russian-American designer, underlining the systemic lack of recognition that Black artists often faced. This moment illustrated the erasure of Lowe’s contributions to historical fashion moments. 

As she was not getting credit for her work. Lowe and her son opened a second salon, Ann Lowe’s Gowns, in New York City on Lexington Avenue in 1950. Her one-of-a-kind designs made from the finest fabrics were an immediate success, attracting many wealthy, high-society customers. Some of the design elements she was recognized for, included fine handwork, distinctive florals, and the trapunto quilting technique. Her signature designs eventually earned her recognition. In 1964, the Saturday Evening Post described Lowe as “Society’s best-kept secret”, and in 1966, Ebony Magazine referred to her as “The Dean of American Designers”.

Throughout her career, Lowe was selective about her clients, describing herself as “an awful snob” and saying, “I love my clothes, and I’m particular about who wears them. I do not cater for Mary and Sue. I sew for the families of the Social Register”. She designed for several generations of families, including the Auchincloss, Rockefeller, Whitney, Lodge, Du Pont, Post, Bouvier, and Biddle. She also dressed renowned Black clients, such as, Pianist Elizabeth Mance and Negro Actors Guild Member Idella Kohke. 

Janet Lee Auchincloss hired Lowe in 1947 to design debutante gowns for her daughters, Jacqueline and Caroline Lee Bouvier. In 1953, Auchincloss returned to Lowe to design one of her most famous gowns, Jacqueline Bouvier’s wedding gown for her September wedding to then Senator John F. Kennedy. The gown, fashioned for fifty yards of ivory silk taffeta, was elaborate and majestic, with interlaced tucking bands on the bodice and circular motifs flowing down the full skirt. Just ten days to the wedding, Lowe’s studio flooded, ruining the original gown. Undaunted, she and her team worked tirelessly to recreate the gown. She never told the family about the incident, and she was responsible for any additional expenses. Despite its feature in the New York Times, Lowe did not receive public credit for the gown until after the assasination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. 

Despite her success, Lowe often struggled financially. Wealthy customers frequently convinced her to lower her prices, leaving her unable to profit after paying her employees. Lowe admitted to being almost broke at the height of her career. She was named Couturier of the year in 1961, but her salon was closed in 1962 due to unpaid taxes. That same year, glaucoma claimed her right eye. During her recovery, an unidentified benefactor cleared off her debts, allowing her to return to work. But in 1963, she declared bankruptcy and had to undergo cataract surgery to save her remaining eyesight. 

In 1968, Lowe established Ann Lowe Originals on Madison Avenue, but her financial problems persisted. She retired in 1972, leaving behind an artistic legacy that was only fully recognized after her death. 

Lowe spent the last five years of her life living in Queens with her daughter Ruth. She died on February 25, 1981, at the age of 82, following a lengthy illness. On March 3, her funeral took place at St Mark’s United Methodist Church.

Her legacy endures. The Metropolitan Museum of Art houses a collection of five of her designs in its Costume Institute. Three of her works are on display at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington DC. Her contributions to fashion were also recognized in exhibitions, including one of Black Fashion at the Fashion Institute of Technology in 2016 and displayed at the Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library from September 2023 to January 2024. Deborah Blumenthal’s Children’s book Fancy Party Gowns: The narrative of Ann Cole Lowe as well as Piper Huguley’s historical fiction novel! By Her Own Designs, have immortalized her narrative in Literature. Notably, her work garnered acclaim from fashion luminaries such as Christian Dior and Edith Head. 

Her work continues to inspire both modern designers and historians, serving as a reminder that true art transcends its time. Ann Lowe was more than just a seamstress, she was an artist, a pioneer, and the unseen architect behind some of the most iconic moments in American fashion. Today her legacy is revered as one of elegance, courage, and perseverance- a legacy that dressed a Nation while rewriting its history.