The designer Arthur McGee. Image: courtesy of Arthur McGee Archive
Hindman, the leading fine art auction house has announced the property sale from of the late American designer Arthur McGee’s personal collection of designs. Born in Detroit, Michigan, McGee learned the art of dressmaking from his mother. He later moved to New York City to perfect his craft at the Traphagen School of Design, and later the Fashion Institute of Technology. He then went on, at the age of 24, to become the first African American to ever run the design room of an established Seventh Avenue apparel company.
After working as a head designer for numerous clothing lines, McGee opened up his own shop on St. Mark’s Place in New York City. His mission was to help open doors for the African American community. Over the years he became a mentor to young designers and was known as “The Grandfather of Fashion Designers of Color.” His mentees include a Who’s of Who of Black designers such as Willi Smith, Stephen Burrows, Scott Barrie, Jeffrey Bank, and B. Michael.
Throughout his career, he also outfitted some of the biggest names in Black entertainment, including Stevie Wonder, Cicely Tyson, Dexter Gordon, Arthur Mitchell, Geoffrey Holder, Charlayne Hunter-Gault, and Phyllis Hyman. His legacy still lives on to this day.
45 garments and ensembles will be up for auction on March 14th, 2023 at 10am on hindmanauctions.com. Don’t miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
