Kevan Hall (born 1957, Detroit, Michigan) is an American fashion designer best known for his celebrity red carpet dresses and his role as the design and creative director of Halston (1997–2000). In 2001, he launched his eponymous brand, Kevan Hall Signature that includes couture evening wear, women's

pret-a-porter Ready-to-wear (RTW)also called ''prêt-à-porter'', or off-the-rack or off-the-peg in casual useis the term for garments sold in finished condition in standardized sizes, as distinct from made-to-measure or bespoke clothing tailored to a partic ...

suits, accessories, and luxury home goods. His collections have been worn by

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, and more. In 2018, Hall co-founded the non-profit organization Black Design Collective, alongside costume designer Ruth E. Carter.

Early life and education

Kevan Hall was born in 1975 in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, the youngest of three children. His brother is actor and film director,

Vondie Curtis-Hall Vondie Curtis-Hall (born September 30, 1950) is an American actor, film director, and television director. As an actor, he is known for his role as Dr. Dennis Hancock on the CBS medical drama '' Chicago Hope'' created by David E. Kelley and as ...

. By the age of seven, Hall knew that he wanted to be a Fashion Designer. He attended the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) in Los Angeles, where he met his wife, Deborah.

Career

Hall started his fashion career as an assistant to L.A. sportswear designer Harriet Selwyn. In 1983, he founded Kevan Hall Couture, selling to luxury retailers including

Neiman Marcus Neiman Marcus is an American department store chain founded in 1907 in Dallas, Texas by Herbert Marcus, his sister Carrie Marcus Neiman, and her husband Abraham Lincoln Neiman. It has been owned by Saks Global, a Corporate spin-off, spin-o ...

, Saks,

Lord & Taylor Lord & Taylor was an American department store chain founded in 1826 by Samuel Lord. It had 86 full-line stores in the Northeastern United States at its peak in the 2000s, and 38 locations at the time of its liquidation in 2021. The Lord & Tay ...

, Bonwit Teller, Bullocks Wilshire and

Bergdorf Goodman Bergdorf Goodman Inc. is an American luxury department store based in New York City, founded in 1899 by Herman Bergdorf. , it operates a women's store and a men's store across the street from each other on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. ...

. In 1997, Kevan Hall was asked to provide the creative talent to reinvigorate Halston, the dormant label famous for dressing

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, among other notable names. Kevan joined Halston as the Design and Creative Director from Fall 1998 - Spring 2000. In 2002, he launched his own signature ready to wear line, Kevan Hall Collection. ''Fashion Week Online'' highlighted Hall’s Fall/Winter 2022 collection: ''Trading Post'', stating, “his use of regional fabrics, accented with blackened gold and copper metallics, reimagines a glorious era of seafaring trade and opulent beauty.” Kevan's designs have been worn by many Hollywood stars and fashion icons including

Salma Hayek Salma Valgarma Hayek Pinault ( , ; ; born September 2, 1966) is a Mexican and American actress and film producer. She began her career in Mexico with starring roles in the telenovela ''Teresa (1989 TV series), Teresa'' (1989–1991) as well a ...

Katherine Heigl Katherine Heigl ( ; born November 24, 1978) is an American actress and model. She portrayed Izzie Stevens, Dr. Izzie Stevens on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'' from 2005 to 2010, a role that b ...

, and

. Kevan Hall and his designs have been featured on numerous television shows. Hall was featured on '' Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane'' as he dressed

Kimora Lee Simmons Kimora Lee Simmons (née Perkins; May 4, 1975) is an American businesswoman, fashion designer, television personality and former fashion model. As a teenager, she was signed with Chanel, where she became a model. Simmons has walked the runway ...

for ''Vogue''’s

Met Gala The Met Gala, formally called the Costume Institute Benefit, is the annual haute couture fundraising festival held for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in Manhattan. The Met Gala was and still is popularly rega ...

in New York. '' America’s Next Top Model'' featured Hall’s Spring 2009 collection as a runway challenge as he looked on as a guest judge. Adrienne Maloof from '' Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'' featured Hall's collection in a fashion show to introduce her new shoe line. Hall has made guest appearances on national television shows such as ''

Inside Edition ''Inside Edition'' is an American tabloid television program that is distributed in Broadcast syndication, first-run syndication by CBS Media Ventures. Having premiered on January 9, 1989, it is the longest-running syndicated-newsmagazine progr ...

'', ''

Extreme Makeover ''Extreme Makeover'' is an American reality television series that premiered on ABC on December 11, 2002. Created by Howard Schultz, the show depicts ordinary men and women undergoing "extreme makeovers" involving plastic surgery, exercise r ...

'', The Better Half, and E!'s ''

Fashion Police ''Fashion Police'' is an American television series that premiered on September 10, 2010, on E!. It was originally hosted by Joan Rivers and featured panelists George Kotsiopoulos, Giuliana Rancic, and Kelly Osbourne commenting on celebrity f ...

'' to discuss current fashion trends on and off the red carpet. In 2024, Kevan Hall opened a pop-up boutique in Cannes, France during the 77th Annual

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

. His Spring 2024 Collection, titled Côte d'Azur after the

French Riviera The French Riviera, known in French as the (; , ; ), is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is considered to be the coastal area of the Alpes-Maritimes department, extending fr ...

, was inspired by French artist Sonia Delaunay.

Honors

Kevan has been recognized throughout his career for his craftmanship and contribution to fashion. After graduating from FIDM, he received the Peacock Award for Outstanding Fashion Design. In 1989, the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...

named him the Great American Designer, and in 2005, '' Life & Style'' Magazine named him Stylemaker of the Year. In 2002, he was named the 47th Annual Gold Coast Fashion Award's Designer of the Year.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Kevan American fashion designers High fashion brands American businesspeople in fashion Year of birth missing (living people) Living people African-American fashion designers 21st-century African-American people American designers Haute couture Fashion exhibitions Creative directors