Willie Otey Kay
African-American dressmaker · Designers · Lived 1894 to 1992 · aged 98
Willie Virginia Otey Kay was an African-American dressmaker. She was known for making wedding dresses and debutante gowns for almost sixty years, becoming one of the most sought-after designers for women's formalwear in North Carolina.
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About this person
Kay began her dressmaking business during the Jim Crow Era, catering to both black and white clientele. She dressed young women being presented to society at the all-white North Carolina Debutante Ball and the all-black Alpha Kappa Alpha Debutante Ball, often attending the balls as a guest. In 1935, McCall's did a story on Kay and her work. In 1951, one of Kay's debutante gowns was featured on the cover of Life. Her work was also featured in The News & Observer and, in 2016, the North Carolina Museum of History presented an exhibit on her life. Kay was the mother of civil rights activist June Kay Campbell and the grandmother of politicians Ralph Campbell Jr. and Bill Campbell.
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