Ola Hudson

Ola Hudson (née Oliver; October 12, 1946 – June 5, 2009) was an African American 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 October 12, 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 album cover designer Anthony Hudson.[5] In 1965, she gave birth to Saul Hudson (Slash from Guns N' Roses) in her husband's native United Kingdom.[2]

In 1972, she gave birth to Albion, their second son.[5] Her marriage to Anthony was troubled and she returned to Los Angeles around 1974, working out of Hollywood as a clothes designer.[5] She had left her family in England but they met back up with her in Los Angeles around a year later in 1975, however she and Anthony continued to have periods of separation throughout their marriage.[2][5]

In the mid-1970s, Hudson designed clothes for David Bowie. They eventually became lovers for a time.[6][7] "He was the first guy that came along after my mom and dad divorced," Slash recalled, "so I can't think I was all that interested or happy… Now that I'm older, I can take his music to heart… The guy's a genius. And I worked with him a couple of times."[8]

Hudson died on June 5, 2009, of lung cancer.[3]

Career

Hudson's design company was named Ola Hudson Enterprises, Incorporated.[9] Hudson also created special collections for Arpeja,[10] Henri Bendel, Right Bank Clothing and Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills, Maxfield Blu of Los Angeles.[11] Hudson's fashion design was somewhat minimal. She said, "It's getting right down to basics".[12] She was also known for her retro design work, featuring details from the 1940s, that the Pointer Sisters wore.[13] Hudson's designs were featured at a 1974 show, Los Angeles Space-Age Designs: Past-Present-Future.[14] Hudson also designed clothing for dancer Linda Gold.[15]

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.[16] Some of the items she designed for Bowie are part of the permanent collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art.[3]

References
  1. "L.A. Designers Put On a Talent Show". The Los Angeles Times. July 14, 1974. p. 152. Retrieved February 8, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "The Gunnas". The Age. 1993. p. 36. Retrieved February 8, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Oliver-Hudson, Ola J." The Los Angeles Times. June 14, 2009. p. 94. Retrieved February 8, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. Tomei, Renato (2017). Advertising Culture and Translation: From Colonial to Global. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 174. ISBN 9781443874861.
  5. Obercam, Sky (February 2014). "The Colorful Canvas Files: Costume Designer & Artistic Diva, Ola Hudson". Clutch Magazine. Archived from the original on September 20, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  6. Egan, Sean (2015). Bowie on Bowie: Interviews and Encounters with David Bowie. Chicago Review Press. p. 375. ISBN 9781613730010.
  7. Goodwyn, Tom (August 28, 2012). "Slash: 'I caught my mum naked with David Bowie'". NME. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  8. Q: 72. March 1994. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. Krier, Beth Ann (August 22, 1971). "Dress-up Time, Hillbilly Variety". The Los Angeles Times. p. 521. Retrieved February 8, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. Varro, Barbara (August 7, 1974). "Long on Controversy". Press and Sun-Bulletin. p. 28. Retrieved February 8, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. Uwumarogie, Victoria (February 24, 2017). "Women Of Black History: 5 Things To Know About Costume Designer And Artist Ola Hudson". MadameNoire. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  12. "Reach to the Future". The Los Angeles Times. March 2, 1969. p. 567. Retrieved February 8, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Design". The Los Angeles Times. June 7, 1974. p. 106. Retrieved February 8, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. "Los Angeles Space-Age Designs". The Los Angeles Times. June 10, 1974. p. 136. Retrieved February 8, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. Baumsten, Shelley (June 11, 1985). "Formation of Self Explored by Linda Gold". The Los Angeles Times. p. 84. Retrieved February 8, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. Buruma, Ian (May 23, 2013). "The Invention of David Bowie". The New York Review of Books. ISSN 0028-7504. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
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