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Ola Hudson

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Ola Hudson
Born
Ola J. Oliver

(1946-10-12)October 12, 1946
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
DiedJune 5, 2009(2009-06-05) (aged 62)
Occupations
  • Fashion designer
  • costumier
SpouseAnthony Hudson
Children2, including Saul

Ola J. Hudson (née Oliver; October 12, 1946 – June 5, 2009) was a Black 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

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Of African American heritage, Hudson was born Ola J. 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, based in Hollywood as a clothes designer.[5] She had left her family in England but they met back up with her in the US 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 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

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Hudson's design company was named Ola Hudson Enterprises, Incorporated.[9] She 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] Her designs were featured at a 1974 show, Los Angeles Space-Age Designs: Past-Present-Future.[14] She also designed clothing for dancer Linda Gold.[15]

Hudson designed clothing for the film The Man Who Fell to Earth and for David Bowie's Station to Station (both 1976).[6] She also created the black pants and waistcoat for Bowie's Thin White Duke look, also 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

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  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. ^ a b c "The Gunnas". The Age. 1993. p. 36. Retrieved February 8, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b c d "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. ^ 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 September 20, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  6. ^ a b 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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