Keep Your Eyes Peeled on American Designer Sergio Hudson

On a crisp fall afternoon earlier this month, Neiman Marcus Michigan Avenue in Chicago hosted an intimate gathering for a very special guest: Sergio Hudson and the exclusive launch of his luxurious American sportswear collection at the store. Hudson is the buzzy designer behind former first lady Michelle Obama’s famous 2021 Inauguration look —  you surely remember the gorgeous burgundy pants, large belt and coat that made fashion history. He also created our first female vice president Kamala Harris evening inauguration look — a stunning sequined dress paired with a sharp coat.  And it was precisely that moment in fashion history that led the designer to this exclusive launch at Neiman Marcus Michigan Avenue. When I met with him for our chat at the launch, Hudson was reeling.

“There are certain pieces that Neiman Marcus Michigan Avenue saw that other people didn’t see,” he said. “And I feel like it’s going to be such a treat for the Chicago customer to be able to get a piece that no one else can get. I am really excited about this.”

Wearing a black Givenchy hoodie, black pants and killer combat boots, Hudson is warm, approachable and genuinely in love with fashion. His infatuation with glamour, style and the industry is palpable. He talks passionately  about Gianni Versace, Gianfranco Ferre and the impact Italian fashion houses had on him growing up. Originally from South Carolina, Hudson attended design school at Atlanta’s Bauder College which eventually led him to Bravo’s reality show Styled Rock, which he won. In the past five years, he has been building a name for himself in Los Angeles by creating clothes that are chic, polished, and sexy, and his use of color and texture is superb. But inasmuch as he’s dressed big celebrities like JLo, Tracee Ellis Ross and Beyoncé, it took dressing political royalty for people to really start paying attention.

Let’s talk about how the Inauguration changed your brand, changed you as a designer and where do you want to go from here?

The Inauguration was on January 20, 2021. My business from January 19 until January 21 is night and day. Things changed literally overnight. Trying to get people to call you back and they never did. And then on January 21 everyone was calling us. I just think it took a moment for people to see me as a designer. When they saw Michelle Obama in my clothes, they got it. And once people get it, that this is something new and different but it is something everybody can wear, I think that was the moment.

Your most recent moment in fashion was dressing Keke Palmer for the Met Gala in that stunning sequined dress we just saw. Do you have a dream woman you want to dress?

I don’ t really have a woman anymore, it’s more of an event. I want to dress someone for the Academy Awards. That’s my next mission.

How did a boy from the South grow up to dress political royalty and so many other incredible women?

I grew up obsessed with fashion and well-dressed women. Fantasy was always a part of my household, my mom is a creative, I am creative and I always dreamed big and she encouraged me to dream big. So I knew I would be dressing these people one day. And I always worked toward this dream and I keep working and I keep pushing. And sometimes the universe opens up and allows you to have what you’ve dreamed about. So, that’s pretty much how we got here. And you know, it was persistence for sure and really believing in my point of view.

What is the most important lesson you have learned so far?

You have to love what you do, especially in fashion. If you don’t love it, you’ll give up. If it’s an option to give up you shouldn’t even try to do it.

What is your advise to young designers who want to follow your footsteps?

Do your research. Know history of fashion, know trends, know what people like to buy, know how people like to dress. Don’t just go out there and say ‘I’m gonna design whatever I want to design.’ Figure out who you are trying to reach and then move from there.

You mentioned earlier that you want to revive American fashion. Are you closer to that?

I feel like we are. Me and a few other New York designers, Brandon Maxwell, Laquan Smith, Joseph Altuzarra, Prabal Gurung, we started this past Fashion Week with a big campaign to bring people back to New York. And it is a journey. We all have this great vision of bringing fashion back to New York and that’s what we are trying to do.

Sergio Hudson’s collection is available exclusively at the Fine Apparel department on the second floor of Neiman Marcus Michigan Avenue, 737 N. Michigan Ave, Chicago.