Alumni Stories

Kevan Hall

King of the Red Carpet

Fashion Design Alumnus Kevan Hall is a Hollywood Favorite

His stunning gowns grace the Red Carpet at the Oscars and Golden Globes and fans of his couture collection feel like the most glamorous women in the world. FIDM Alumnus Kevan Hall is one of fashion’s shining stars. At the tender age of seven, Hall knew he wanted to be a Fashion Designer. He would spend hours watching television from his Detroit home, where he dreamed of creating glamorous gowns for stars like Diana Ross. After attending Cass Technical High School, where he studied Fashion Design, he won first place as the FIDM “Designer of Tomorrow.” Then Hall headed west to FIDM.

The scholarship brought him to the Los Angeles campus, where he studied Fashion Design and received the Peacock Award for Outstanding Fashion Design. “The History of Fashion was my f vorite class,” Hall reports. “I love to look back to the past for inspiration and the process has become an important part of developing my collections.” While studying at FIDM, Hall visited Europe where he toured the houses of Pierre Cardin, Christian Dior and Givenchy, which further sparked his interest in luxury and haute couture.

While at FIDM, Hall met his future wife and partner, Deborah, and the duo went into business together with Kevan Hall Couture in 1982. They sold the upscale line to retailers like Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, and I. Magnin and held trunk shows in Los Angeles and San Francisco, where fans clamored for Hall’s luxe designs. By 1988, fashion retailers and the media nominated Hall as one of California’s Top Designers. The NAACP honored him as a “Great American Designer” one year later, and in 1992 he was honored by the Center of Performing Arts in Southern California with a 10-year fashion retrospective. He also branched out into the film industry, acting as a costume consultant on films like Gridlock and Eve’s Bayou.

As if all of those accolades weren’t enough, Hall was tapped to head up the legendary house of Halston in 1998. He moved to New York, visiting his family only on weekends, while keeping exhausting hours on Seventh Avenue. He attracted celebrity clients like Charlize Theron, Salma Hayek and Sharon Stone. Reviving the dormant brand to its former glory, Hall became an international superstar, but was ready to move back to the L.A. area and strike out on his own again after a couple of years in the Big Apple.

In 2002, he officially launched Kevan Hall Collection, a luxurious label worn by stars like Debra Messing, Renee Zellweger, Felicity Huffman, Megan Mullaly, and Vivica A. Fox. “It’s always exciting to see my clothes on the Red Carpet,” Hall says. “These beautiful actresses can select any design in the world and I am honored when they choose one of my designs.” With a fashion philosophy that combines impeccable tailoring and sensuously draped streamlined silhouettes, Kevan Hall’s polished creations are often described as “drop dead gorgeous” by the media.

“I enjoy the process of design from concept to execution,” explains the designer, who is a father of two and designs out of an elegant Los Angeles showroom and atelier. “But the most gratifying part is seeing a design come to life on a beautiful woman.” As for the future, Hall wants to “build my company KevanHallDesigns.com into a lifestyle brand including beauty and home products.”

Please visit KevanHallDesigns.com for more information.