Vogue Investigation: Fashion Week's Forgotten Black Pioneer Ophelia DeVore

A Vogue investigation reveals that Ophelia DeVore, widely recognized as America's first Black model, staged innovative runway shows in Bryant Park, New York City, as early as 1969—24 years before the formal tents of New York Fashion Week arrived. DeVore, who founded the Grace Del Marco modeling agency and charm school, used multicultural models in these open-air shows, which were hailed as "fashion extravaganzas" by The Amsterdam News, New York's Black newspaper of record. The Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture acknowledges this history on a placard for one of DeVore's dresses, but the claim is vague, and the museum could not provide details. DeVore's contributions are largely absent from her New York Times obituaries, Emory University's summary of her life, and the CFDA's website. The investigation highlights systemic erasure of Black achievement, drawing parallels to the decades-long neglect of the 1969 "Black Woodstock" concert. DeVore's shows featured garments from major manufacturers, including Oleg Cassini, and included an international show with TWA. Despite her pioneering work, DeVore's legacy remains underrecognized, with Emory University having digitized only one image from her archive in 13 years. DeVore died in 2014 at age 92, and her charm school and agency served 40,000 hopefuls over seven decades.