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Jay Jaxon was born in Queens, New York, in 1941. Later in life his girlfriend at the time, a seamstress, introduced him to the fashion world. That introduction lead to a history-making career for the young designer.

He eventually arrived in Paris, where he worked for Jean-Louis Scherrer, Christian Dior, and Yves Saint Laurent. While working for YSL, Jaxon was able to train under their head designer.  He later became the first black couturier and the first American couturier when he took over the house of Jean-Louis Scherrer at the age of 24 in 1965. He designed costumes for movies, dance performances, and singers’ tours. In addition, he worked on television shows such as Ally McBeal, American Dreams, Sabrina: The Teenage Witch, and more. Jaxon died from complications with prostate cancer in 2006, at the age of 65.