Eunice Johnson, Founder of Ebony Fashion Fair, Dies at 93

Eunice Johnson, widow of EBONY magazine founder, John H. Johnson, has died at the age of 93.

Born in Selma, Alabama, on April 4, 1916, Johnson received her bachelor’s degree in sociology with a minor in art, from Talladega College in Alabama. She earned a master’s degree in Social Work from Loyola University in Chicago. In addition, she received Honorary Doctorate degrees from Talladega College in 1988 and Shaw University in 1990.

Mrs. Johnson, is listed on the Johnson Publishing website as Secretary-Treasurer of Johnson Publishing and Producer/Director, EBONY Fashion Fair.  It was Mrs. Johnson who came up with the name EBONY for the magazine.

The Ebony Fashion Fair fashion show has been in operation since 1961 and staged in nearly 200 cities.

Mrs. Johnson served as producer and director of the Ebony Fashion Fair from 1961 until 2009 when its fall tour was canceled. The show appeared in more than 200 cities across the United States, the Caribbean, and England.

“Under her direction, 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 Publishing said in a statement published on EbonyJet.com.

Mrs. Johnson was also the driving force behind the creation of Fashion Fair Cosmetics in 1973, one of the first makeup lines for black women.

Mrs. Johnson was an active member of the Women's Board of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Chicago Women's Division of the United Negro College Fund.

Mrs. Johnson is survived by her daughter, Linda Johnson Rice, the current CEO of Johnson Publishing.