Elizabeth Keckley: Buying Freedom With Fashion

Elizabeth Keckley: a name not splashed across fashion archives, yet perhaps the only one deserving of a fashion legend title.

Ahh the 2010s: an era in fashion history marked by the rise of fashion blogs, the accessibility of fashion archives, and a naive mix of high-end and street style. This was a time when the throwaway culture hadn't yet peaked, and fashion felt like an endless horizon of possibilities.

As a teen, with a perm khm, I was captivated by this digital revolution. My gateway to the fashion world was through the luminous screens displaying Vogue's latest editions into the realms of Chanel, Dior, and Valentino. Each click was a step into a world of elegance and sophistication, a world where I thought the story of fashion began and ended.

This dazzling array of haute couture, so readiy accessible in the 2010s, obscured a story of grit, grace, and emancipation – the story of Elizabeth Keckley. But why? A black woman buying her freedom with her fashion business sense is legendary.

Follow the money Nina. It’s always about money isn’t it? Chanel’s brand for example has a purse to sell and Keckley was a woman really good at her job, loved fashion and broke every rule possible in fashion business, but because there is no product to sell right now we hear about her impact only during black history month, if we are blessed by the alghorithm...

Keckley's narrative, steeped in resilience and skill, deserves a spotlight as bright as any given to the fashion houses that to this date dominates our screens. So let’s give her the glory she deserves.

Elizabeth Keckley was born into slavery, her journey to becoming a sought-after dressmaker and personal stylist for Mary Todd Lincoln unfolds as a narrative brimming with persistence, skill, and the transformative power of fashion.

Keckley's fashion expertise was her gateway to freedom. In an extraordinary act of resilience, she secured her emancipation by persuading her clientele to invest in her exceptional talent. In a nutshell; she got bunch of people to pay for her freedom and then she returned the money to pay them back by selling the clothes she made.

When I learned about Keckley's story, it dawned on me how fashion, particularly dressmaking, served as a tool for women to gain independence and strength. It brought women together in moments of adversity – for a very long time fashion was one of very few avenues where a woman was allowed to have a voice and make money.

Keckley's tenure with Mrs. Lincoln, which began post-emancipation, was particularly notable. Each dress she crafted for the First Lady was a testament to her ability to blend sophistication with functionality. Her creations were as much political statements as they were fashion statements, reflecting the evolving role of women in society.

So, today I raise my sequenced clutch to Elizabeth Keckley, a true fashion legend.