02/03/2026
🧥 Patrick Kelly defied the odds to become an inspirational fashion designer whose influence is still felt today.
As a child, he routinely lost the buttons on his shirts. Unable to match them exactly, his grandmother, Ethel Rainey, would replace them with mismatched buttons and affix other random ones on his shirts. His mother, Letha, later taught him how to draw, and his aunt, Bertha, taught him how to sew—and so began his love of whimsical fashion.
Patrick Kelly moved to Paris and took the fashion world by storm, pulling inspiration from the women in his family, fashion in Black churches, his culture, and the racist iconography of the South. Kelly is an example of immense talent lost too soon to and .
Sonia Rykiel, a fellow designer who helped Kelly establish himself in the Paris fashion scene, made this touching panel to ensure his life will never be forgotten. She wrote this to our team about her memory of him:
I didn't know him very well, but whenever he appeared somewhere, he commanded all the attention. / He was cheerful, and he loved to play. / He was a colorful man who put buttons and flowers everywhere. / He had a flair for decorating. / He was kind. Every time I met him, he gave me a little black doll. / I liked him very much.
🗣️ Say Patrick Kelly's name and learn more about his story: https://www.aidsmemorial.org/post/patrick-kelly
