Lowe, Ann (1898-1981), was an African American fashion designer . She created elegant, one-of-a-kind ball gowns and wedding dresses for members of high society from the 1920’s to the early 1970’s. Lowe is most noted for designing and making the wedding dress for Jacqueline Bouvier’s marriage in 1953 to then-United States Senator John F. Kennedy . Lowe was one of the first African Americans to become an established high-fashion designer.
Ann Cole Lowe was born in 1898 in Clayton, Alabama. She learned to sew from her mother and grandmother, who were custom dressmakers for high-society women. When Lowe’s mother died, Lowe, who was a teenager at the time, took over the family business.
About 1915, Lowe took a position as seamstress to a private client in Tampa , Florida. Soon afterward, she enrolled at the S.T. Taylor Design School in New York City, New York. The school was segregated, so Lowe—the only African American student in the school—was seated alone in a classroom to complete the program. Lowe graduated in 1919. She then returned to Tampa and opened her first dress shop. The shop, which served upper-class women, became a great success. In 1928, Lowe returned to New York City and opened a loft shop. She became known for her fine handwork, beautiful fabric flowers, and original designs.
Beginning in the late 1940’s, Lowe’s work often was featured in such fashion magazines as Vogue and sold through such upscale retailers as Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. However, she often received no public recognition for her work. Lowe opened another shop, Ann Lowe’s Gowns, in 1950. In 1953, she was chosen to design future First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s wedding dress and the dresses for her bridesmaids. Kennedy’s wedding dress was described in detail in newspapers of the day, but there was no mention of the African American designer. The gown became one of the most photographed dresses in the world.
At the height of her career in the 1950’s and 1960’s, Lowe was nearly penniless. She worked for rich and famous clients and used the finest fabrics in creating her garments, but she often was underpaid for the creations. In the early 1960’s, she lost her dress shop because of unpaid taxes. The taxes were paid later by an anonymous donor who, Lowe believed, might have been Jacqueline Kennedy. Lowe opened another shop, Ann Lowe Originals, in New York City in the mid-1960’s. However, because of failing eyesight and health, she was retired by 1972. Lowe died on Feb. 25, 1981. Today, some of her designs are on display in several major museum collections, including the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City; the National Museum of African American History & Culture in Washington, D.C.; and the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, Massachusetts.
