Ola Hudson
Ola Hudson (née Oliver; 12 October 1946 – 5 June 2009) was an American-born English fashion designer and costumier. She designed costumes for several famous musicians, including the Pointer Sisters,[1] Diana Ross,[2] Janet Jackson,[3] David Bowie, John Lennon and Ringo Starr. She is the mother of Saul Hudson, known professionally as Slash of Guns N' Roses.[4] Her designs are in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Biography[]
Hudson was born Ola Oliver in Los Angeles, California, on 12 October 1946.[5][3] As a young adult, she studied at the Lester Horton School of Modern Dance.[5] She also studied with dancers Bella Lewitzsky and Linda Gold.[5] She then went to study at the Institute of Dance in Paris, at Le Loft in Switzerland and the Max Rivers School in London.[5]
In London, she met and married .[5] In 1965, she gave birth to Saul Hudson (Slash from Guns N' Roses) in England.[2] Her marriage to Anthony was troubled and she moved to Los Angeles, working out of Hollywood.[5] In 1972, she gave birth to Albion.[5] Her family met back up with her in Los Angeles around 1975.[2][5] When Hudson worked with David Bowie in the mid-1970s, the relationship started out professional, but later they became lovers for a time.[6][7]
Hudson died on 5 June 2009, of cancer.[3]
Career[]
Hudson's design company was named Ola Hudson Enterprises, Incorporated.[8] Hudson also created special collections for Arpeja,[9] Henri Bendel, Right Bank Clothing and Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills, Maxfield Blu of Los Angeles.[10] Hudson's fashion design was somewhat minimal. She said, "It's getting right down to basics".[11] She was also known for her retro design work, featuring details from the 1940s, that the Pointer Sisters wore.[12] Hudson's designs were featured at a 1974 show, Los Angeles Space-Age Designs: Past-Present-Future.[13] Hudson also designed clothing for dancer Linda Gold.[14]
Hudson designed clothing for The Man Who Fell to Earth and for Station to Station.[6] She also created the black pants and waistcoat for David Bowie's Thin White Duke look in 1976.[15] Some of the items she designed for Bowie are part of the permanent collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art.[3]
References[]
- ^ "L.A. Designers Put On a Talent Show". The Los Angeles Times. 14 July 1974. p. 152. Retrieved 8 February 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "The Gunnas". The Age. 1993. p. 36. Retrieved 8 February 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Oliver-Hudson, Ola J." The Los Angeles Times. 14 June 2009. p. 94. Retrieved 8 February 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Tomei, Renato (2017). Advertising Culture and Translation: From Colonial to Global. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 174. ISBN 9781443874861.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Obercam, Sky (February 2014). "The Colorful Canvas Files: Costume Designer & Artistic Diva, Ola Hudson". Clutch Magazine. Archived from the original on 20 September 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Egan, Sean (2015). Bowie on Bowie: Interviews and Encounters with David Bowie. Chicago Review Press. p. 375. ISBN 9781613730010.
- ^ Goodwyn, Tom (28 August 2012). "Slash: 'I caught my mum naked with David Bowie'". NME. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
- ^ Krier, Beth Ann (22 August 1971). "Dress-up Time, Hillbilly Variety". The Los Angeles Times. p. 521. Retrieved 8 February 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Varro, Barbara (7 August 1974). "Long on Controversy". Press and Sun-Bulletin. p. 28. Retrieved 8 February 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Uwumarogie, Victoria (24 February 2017). "Women Of Black History: 5 Things To Know About Costume Designer And Artist Ola Hudson". MadameNoire. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
- ^ "Reach to the Future". The Los Angeles Times. 2 March 1969. p. 567. Retrieved 8 February 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Design". The Los Angeles Times. 7 June 1974. p. 106. Retrieved 8 February 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Los Angeles Space-Age Designs". The Los Angeles Times. 10 June 1974. p. 136. Retrieved 8 February 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Baumsten, Shelley (11 June 1985). "Formation of Self Explored by Linda Gold". The Los Angeles Times. p. 84. Retrieved 8 February 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Buruma, Ian (23 May 2013). "The Invention of David Bowie". The New York Review of Books. ISSN 0028-7504. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
External links[]
- 1946 births
- 2009 deaths
- African-American fashion designers
- American fashion designers
- American costume designers
- American expatriates in England
- Deaths from cancer
- People from Los Angeles