Black fashion icon Eunice Johnson passed away of renal failure in her Chicago Home Sunday night (Jan.4) at the age of 93. Eunice Johnson, the widow of Ebony magazine founder John Johnson and mind behind the Ebony Fashion Fair.
Johnson had been the director and producer of the Ebony Fashion Fair since 1961. The traveling high fashion charity event that showcases black designers and models is staged in nearly 200 cities each year.
Along with her husband, Johnson developed a popular makeup and skin-care line — Fashion Fair Cosmetics — specifically for women of color. The products are sold in many high-end department stores.
She was a secretary-treasurer of Johnson Publishing, which produces JET and Ebony, two of the longest-running black-oriented magazines in the country.
“Mrs. Johnson has always been a woman ahead of her time,” the publisher said. “Mrs. Johnson made a tremendous impact on the fashion industry, showcasing the best in style on African-American models of various shapes, sizes and skin tones.”
Johnson, an Alabama native, is credited with naming Ebony magazine.
John Johnson died of heart failure in 2005 in Chicago. He founded both magazines after World War II.
In a statement, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley called Johnson “a wonderful mother, faithful wife and business partner and an extraordinary Chicagoan who gave liberally of her time and finances both locally and abroad.”
Information from Yahoo News contributed to this report.
