Ola Hudson

Ola Hudson (née Oliver, (1946-10-12)October 12, 1946 – June 5, 2009(2009-06-05) (aged 62)) was an American-born English 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, besides being the mother of Saul Hudson a.k.a Slash from Guns N' Roses.[4] Her designs are in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).

Biography

Hudson was born in Los Angeles, California as Ola Oliver 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 Anthony Hudson.[5] In 1965, she gave birth to Saul Hudson (Slash from Guns N' Roses) in England.[2] Her marriage to Anthony was troubled and she moved to Los Angeles, working out of Hollywood.[5] In 1972, she gave birth to Albion.[5] Her family met back up with her in Los Angeles around 1975.[2][5] When Hudson worked with David Bowie in the mid-1970s, the relationship started out professional, but later they became lovers for a time.[6][7]

Hudson died on June 5, 2009, after a battle with cancer.[3]

Career

Hudson's design company was named Ola Hudson Enterprises, Incorporated.[8] Hudson also created special collections for Arpeja,[9] Henri Bendel, Right Bank Clothing and Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills, Maxfield Blu of Los Angeles.[10] Hudson's fashion design was somewhat minimal. She said, "It's getting right down to basics."[11] She was also known for her retro design work, featuring details from the 1940s, that the Pointer Sisters wore.[12] Hudson's designs were featured at a 1974 show, Los Angeles Space-Age Designs: Past-Present-Future.[13] Hudson also designed clothing for dancer Linda Gold.[14]

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.[15] Some of the items she designed for Bowie are on permanent collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).[3]

References
  1. "L.A. Designers Put On a Talent Show". The Los Angeles Times. 1974-07-14. p. 152. Retrieved 2018-02-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "The Gunnas". The Age. 1993. p. 36. Retrieved 2018-02-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Oliver-Hudson, Ola J." The Los Angeles Times. 2009-06-14. p. 94. Retrieved 2018-02-08 – 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 2015-09-20. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  6. Egan, Sean (2015). Bowie on Bowie: Interviews and Encounters with David Bowie. Chicago Review Press. p. 375. ISBN 9781613730010.
  7. Goodwyn, Tom (2012-08-28). "Slash: 'I caught my mum naked with David Bowie'". NME. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  8. Krier, Beth Ann (1971-08-22). "Dress-up Time, Hillbilly Variety". The Los Angeles Times. p. 521. Retrieved 2018-02-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. Varro, Barbara (1974-08-07). "Long on Controversy". Press and Sun-Bulletin. p. 28. Retrieved 2018-02-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. Uwumarogie, Victoria (2017-02-24). "Women Of Black History: 5 Things To Know About Costume Designer And Artist Ola Hudson". MadameNoire. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  11. "Reach to the Future". The Los Angeles Times. 1969-03-02. p. 567. Retrieved 2018-02-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "Design". The Los Angeles Times. 1974-06-07. p. 106. Retrieved 2018-02-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Los Angeles Space-Age Designs". The Los Angeles Times. 1974-06-10. p. 136. Retrieved 2018-02-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. Baumsten, Shelley (1985-06-11). "Formation of Self Explored by Linda Gold". The Los Angeles Times. p. 84. Retrieved 2018-02-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. Buruma, Ian (2013-05-23). "The Invention of David Bowie". The New York Review of Books. ISSN 0028-7504. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
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