Sean John, black bolero, shirt, and trousers ensemble, wool, angora, rabbit fur, cotton blend, silk, vinyl, and silver metal, fall 2008, USA, gift of Sean John Sean John, black bolero, shirt, and trousers ensemble, wool, angora, rabbit fur, cotton blend, silk, vinyl, and silver metal, fall 2008, USA, gift of Sean John

Hip hop music mogul Sean Combs and fashion executive Jeff Tweedy established Sean John as an aspirational sportswear line in 1998. The brand was uniquely tapped into the mainstream fashion industry with Vogue editors André Leon Talley and Anna Wintour as supporters. In 2004, Combs also became the first Black designer to win a Designer of the Year Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). He reflected: “Being an African American designer was very heavy on my heart…People tried to put us in a little box. . . . The CFDA award changed the perception.”