Black Fashion Designers Matter
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Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Graduate Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 2017 Black fashion designers matter: A qualitative study exploring the experiences of Black female fashion design entrepreneurs Samii Lashanta Kennedy Benson Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd Part of the African American Studies Commons, American Material Culture Commons, Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations Commons, and the Fashion Design Commons Recommended Citation Kennedy Benson, Samii Lashanta, "Black fashion designers matter: A qualitative study exploring the experiences of Black female fashion design entrepreneurs" (2017). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 16154. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd/16154 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Black fashion designers matter: A qualitative study exploring the experiences of Black female fashion design entrepreneurs by Samii Kennedy Benson A dissertation submitted to the graduate faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Major: Apparel, Merchandising and Design Program of Study Committee: Eulanda A. Sanders, Major Professor Wen Chang Tera R. Jordan Ellen C. McKinney Linda S. Niehm The student author, whose presentation of the scholarship herein was approved by the program of study committee, is solely responsible for the content of this dissertation. The Graduate College will ensure this dissertation is globally accessible and will not permit alterations after the degree is conferred. Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 2017 ii DEDICATION In honour of my most fashionable ancestor, my grandmother, Willie Mae Sims Benson (January 25, 1927 – December 22, 2016) iii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... ix LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................x ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................... xi ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................... xiii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................... 1 Background .............................................................................................................1 Purpose ....................................................................................................................5 Significance..............................................................................................................5 Research Questions ..................................................................................................7 Objectives ................................................................................................................8 Assumptions .............................................................................................................8 Scope and Limitations..............................................................................................9 Definitions of Terms ...............................................................................................9 CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF LITERATURE ................................................................ 12 The History of Black Seamstresses, Dressmakers and Female Fashion Design Entrepreneurs ..................................................................12 Plantation Seamstresses and Freedwomen.................................................14 Notable Black Dressmakers in United States History ...............................18 Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley (1818-1907) ......................................................18 Fannie Criss (1866 -1942) .........................................................................23 Ann Cole Lowe (1898-1981) .....................................................................25 Zelda Wynn Valdes (1905-2001)...............................................................28 Entrepreneurship ....................................................................................................30 Women Entrepreneurs ...............................................................................30 Black Women as Entrepreneurs .................................................................31 Personal Characteristics, Background, and Experiences ...........................32 Motivational Factors ..................................................................................33 Challenges and Barriers .............................................................................35 Success and Sustainability Factors ............................................................36 Resources and Programs ............................................................................37 Fashion Design Entrepreneurs ...................................................................37 Potential Theoretical Perspectives .........................................................................39 Black Feminist Thought .............................................................................39 Intersectionality .........................................................................................40 The Integrative Perspective ........................................................................41 Social Stratification and Entrepreneurship Framework .............................41 Cultural Theory of Entrepreneurship .........................................................42 Disadvantage Theory .................................................................................43 iv Protected Market Theory ...........................................................................43 Summary of Review of Literature .........................................................................44 CHAPTER 3: METHODS ............................................................................................. 45 Research Approach ................................................................................................45 Participants .............................................................................................................45 Data Collection ......................................................................................................46 Data Analysis .........................................................................................................50 Trustworthiness...................................................................................................... 53 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS ............................................................................................... .57 Demographic Profile of Participants............................................................... .......57 Business Profile of Participants .............................................................................61 Social and Environmental Factors .........................................................................65 Family Influence ..............................................................................................66 Lineage of Fashionistas..............................................................................67 Well-Dressed Women ........................................................................67 Legacy of Modistes ............................................................................68 Passing Down of Skills .......................................................................68 Entrepreneurial Tradition ...........................................................................70 Parental Influence ......................................................................................71 Influence on Dress ..............................................................................71 Influence on Character .......................................................................72 Motherhood ................................................................................................73 Circle of Support ..............................................................................................75 Emotional Support .....................................................................................75 Instrumental Support ..................................................................................75 Informational Support ................................................................................77 Appraisal Support ......................................................................................77 School Environments .......................................................................................78 Fashion or Home Economics Class ...........................................................78 Influential Instructors .................................................................................79 Community Influence ......................................................................................80 Disadvantaged Neighborhoods ..................................................................80 Emerging Cities