Fannie Criss (Payne) – Fashion Designer
October 15, 1867 – February 2, 1942
Fannie Criss was born in Madison, Cumberland County, Virginia, in 1866, to a formerly enslaved couple – Samuel and Adeline Criss. She was the seventh child in the family, but the first to be born free. In the 1870 census, her father was listed as a farmer, while her mother ‘kept house.’ Neither could read. At some point in her early life, Criss learned to sew, and moved to Richmond’s Jackson Ward prior to 1895. She became one of the most celebrated designers in Richmond, Virginia, and later in New York City, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Criss specialized in handmade, custom-fitted gowns and dresses for elite clients, including prominent white families in Richmond and wealthy Black women, Broadway stars, and Hollywood actresses like Gloria Swanson.
She gained recognition for her exquisite craftsmanship, using luxury fabrics and the latest fashion trends, often acquired during trips to New York City. Criss adopted the professional title “modiste”, affirming her status as a creative professional during a time of racial segregation and limited opportunities for Black entrepreneurs. Her work was so esteemed that The Voice of the Negro magazine called her “the finest dressmaker in Richmond, regardless of color” in 1904.
Criss was a neighbor and close friend of Madam C.J. Walker and designed dresses for Walker’s daughter, A’Lelia Bundles, and Maggie L. Walker, the first Black woman bank president. After facing increasing racial barriers in Richmond, she relocated to Harlem, New York, around 1918, where she thrived during the Harlem Renaissance.
Her legacy endures through surviving garments displayed at the Valentine Museum in Richmond and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 2022, actress Regina King curated a display of Criss’s gowns at the Met Gala as part of the In America: An Anthology of Fashion exhibition, highlighting her significance in American fashion history.
