Lorna Holder – Fashion Designer, Producer, Writer & Curator
LORNA HOLDER has worked in the arts and culture sector for over 45 years. In 1975, she became the first Black student to earn a BA Hons in fashion and textiles at Trent Polytechnic Nottingham, now Nottingham Trent University. She later worked in London, New York, and the Middle East. Lorna was the head of young fashion at Davies & Field, one of the biggest garment manufacturers in Britain, during the 1970s and 1980s. From 1986 to 1996, she started the lifestyle shop, Lapaz in Camden, and Notting Hill Gate.
In 2002, Lorna was the Executive Producer for the first Black Film and Television Awards held at Grosvenor House, Park Lane. Between 2004- 2015, Lorna successfully delivered six Heritage Lottery Fund projects. She wrote, produced stage plays, and documentaries, and curated high-profile attended exhibitions in collaboration with the V&A, The British Museum, Museum of London, London Metropolitan Archives, Rich Mix, and Theatre Royal Nottingham. In 2018 Lorna authored and published the book Style in My DNA, documenting 70 years of British Caribbean fashion. Her business archives are at the London Metropolitan Archives.