NEW YORK – With model legends Beverly Johnson, Veronica Webb and Gisele Zelauy on his runway, Sergio Hudson took New York Fashion Week into a vibrant and extravagant Sunday safari inspired in part by the blues, yellows and oranges favored by the Ndebele of southern Africa.
But attitude was just as important as color for Hudson’s latest collection, some of which went on sale immediately.
“If Whitley Gilbert from ‘Different World’ or Cher Horowitz and Dionne from ‘Clueless’ went on safari, what would they wear? It’s really fun, really cheeky, and clothes that girls can really wear and women can really wear,” she told The Associated Press.
There were ruffled-hem minidresses, skimpy shorts sets, and luscious pantsuits in bright greens, purples, sunset orange, and sunny yellow. She played with a safari-friendly brown animal print, wearing it for a variety of looks, from a lighter-than-air coat worn with a simple brown dress to a sleeveless flare for evening.
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And when Hudson talked about girls and women, he meant it.
Webb, the first black model to land a long-term contract with a major cosmetics company (Revlon in 1992), walked in a jewel-toned purple miniskirt and zip-up jacket with large front pockets worthy of a safari. Zelauy, the Brazilian icon of the ’80s and ’90s known for her emotional modeling style, showed off one of Hudson’s bodycon dresses in bright green. Johnson, the first African-American model to appear on the cover of American Vogue in 1974, donned a sexy, soft pink, evening-length dress with a wide ruffled hem.
“I just believe in inclusion,” Hudson said. “Like, it’s not just about 25 or 22 years old or some of these girls. These girls don’t buy my clothes. Women over 30 buy my clothes. So why not look down the catwalk and see, okay, this woman is wearing what you could be wearing? It just makes sense to me. Women do not stop being beautiful, sexy, intelligent. They’re even smarter at that age, so why not?”
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And some of the women in Hudson care about sun protection. She gave away huge wide-brimmed hats to top off mini-outfits in sunset colors.
Hudson has been an outspoken critic of the lack of racial diversity in the industry he loves.
“I think it is changing. I am very proud of the fashion industry because doors have been opening and people are becoming more open to conversation,” she said. “There was no room for us and I feel like they opened the door. We are designers like everyone else.”
Hudson’s career began in 2013, when Rihanna chose her black dress in Bravo’s “Styled to Rock” fashion contest. She launched her eponymous ready-to-wear brand the following year. Since then, she’s dressed everyone from former first lady Michelle Obama (those tailored burgundy pants and belt at the 2021 inauguration) to Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez.
“There are some people I’m dying to dress, but there’s one event I really want and that’s the Academy Awards,” the 36-year-old South Carolina native said in a soft accent. “I’m not ashamed of wanting to be that designer that everyone wants to wear. I’m trying to create a legacy so people can look and say, ‘Okay, this black guy did this. Now I can do it. I had no one who looked like me that I could look at.”
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