Willie Otey Kay

Willie Virginia Otey Kay (March 17, 1894 – September 25, 1992) was an African-American dressmaker. She was known for making wedding dresses and debutante gowns for almost sixty years, becoming one of the most sought-after designers for women's formalwear in North Carolina. Kay began her dressmaking business during the Jim Crow Era, catering to both black and white clientele. She dressed young women being presented to society at the all-white North Carolina Debutante Ball and the all-black Alpha Kappa Alpha Debutante Ball, often attending the balls as a guest. In 1935, McCall's did a story on Kay and her work. In 1951, one of Kay's debutante gowns was featured on the cover of Life. Her work was also featured in The News & Observer and, in 2016, the North Carolina Museum of History presented an exhibit on her life. Kay was the mother of civil rights activist June Kay Campbell and the grandmother of politicians Ralph Campbell Jr. and Bill Campbell. In 2016, the North Carolina Museum of History opened an exhibit on Kay titled Made Especially for You by Willie Kay. Her work has also been exhibited at St. Augustine's University and the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center. Early life Kay was born Willie Virginia Otey on March 17, 1894, in Raleigh to Henry Gaston Otey and Josephine Alston Otey. She was the eldest of eight children and grew up in the family home on Cabarrus Street, near downtown Raleigh's African-American Business District. Her father was a prominent African-American businessman who owned an upscale barbershop inside the Yarborough House Hotel on Fayetteville Street. Her father's clients were white, and often political and business leaders in the state's capitol. Due to this, Kay grew up in a social and political environment. Kay was first taught how to sew by her grandmother and mother, who were both seamstresses. She majored in home economics at Shaw University, graduating in 1912. While a student at Shaw, Kay won first prize in the school's dressmaking competition.