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The Arts Intel Report

A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler

Cross Colours: Black Fashion in the 20th Century

Sept 27, 2019 – Aug 23, 2020
600 State Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90037, United States

Cross Colours, the L.A.-based urban apparel brand, was founded in 1989 amid the social turmoil that culminated in the 1992 riots. Its mandate: To counter negative portrayals of black youth. Its product: “Clothing Without Prejudice”—brightly colored, unapologetic. Thirty years later, the first exhibition of its kind celebrates the brand, its history, its reception in the popular culture, and its continuing social justice messaging. —J.V.

Cross Colours promotional material featuring company founders Carl Jones and TJ Walker, ca. 1991. Photo by Michael Segal. Courtesy the Cross Colours Archive