Fashion and costume designer Zelda Wynn Valdes may be the most famous American designer you’ve never heard of, yet you’ve most certainly seen her work. Starting in her uncle's New York tailoring shop, she went on to be the first African American designer to open a shop on Broadway, "Chez Zelda” in 1948. The following year she would help found the National Association of Fashion and Accessory Designers, an organization which aimed to bring black professionals to the national fashion stages (seeing as similar industry groups of the time excluded people of color). With a skill for accentuating the female figure with curve-clinging designs, she attracted star performers including Dorothy Dandridge, Ella Fitzgerald, Marlene Dietrich, Mae West, and Eartha Kitt. Her form fitting creations caught the eye of Hugh Hefner who commissioned her to create the iconic Playboy Bunny hostess outfit for his clubs in 1961. From 1970 to her death in 2001 she worked as the costume designer for Dance Theater of Harlem. “I just had a God-given talent for making people beautiful,” Zelda said during a 1994 interview with The New York Times. As part of Black History Month we're spotlighting a few lesser known names that have contributed to American fashion. Photos: Performer #JoyceBryant in a Wynn Valdes design, Zelda Wynn Valdes (upper right), unidentified #Payboy Club Bunny and patron (lower right). #blackhistory #fashionhistory #vintagefashion #vintagestyle #dapperday Please "step out in style" with us at our next event! DAPPERDAY.com