Walking with the Muses, an extraordinary event commemorating Pat Cleveland, one of the first black super models during the sixties and seventies.
Starting on her own at a very young age, Cleveland began by making her own clothes. She soon found herself walking down the runway as a model in New York City for Ebony. She quickly caught the attention of a number of key influencers in the fashion industry and had the opportunity to work with Diana Vreeland, Andy Warhol, Richard Avedon and Salvador Dali. Cleveland was one of the first models that was ever used as a prototype for mannequins by sculptor Adel Rootstein.
Relocating to Paris, Cleveland participated in the Battle of Versaille Fashion Show, a show that pitted five French designers (Emanuel Ungaro, Pierre Cardin, Hubert de Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Dior) against five American designers (Oscar de la Renta, Stephen Burrows, Anne Klein, Halston and Bill Blass). This event was pivotal for American fashion as well as Cleveland’s career. Throughout her career she had the pleasure of modeling for designers such as Christian Dior, Thierry Mugler, Yves Saint Laurent, and Diane von Furstenberg.
The event, which celebrated the release of Cleveland’s new memoir, Walking with the Muses, was spectacular. She put on an extraordinary performance honoring actress and performer, Josephine Baker, in a recreated Studio 54. In her memoir, Walking with the Muses, Pat recounts all of the amazing international adventures she’s had over the years, the struggles, accomplishments and successes.
She truly is an inspiring individual that I’ve had the pleasure of working with. It was an absolute blessing to have shared this spectacular event.
Check out my shots of Cleveland’s event, Walking with the Muses.
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