Clothing for Hagar is inspired by an enslaved African woman named Hagar, who, in the mid to late 1700s, labored on a South Carolina indigo plantation called Mempkin. The plantation belonged to Henry Laurens, a wealthy landowner, slave trader, and public figure who represented South Carolina in the Continental Congress and became its president in 1777. In his writings, Laurens recognized Hagar for her expert knowledge and care of indigo.
These garments allow us to imagine and honor Hagar—one of thousands of people without voice whose expertise and labor allowed indigo to be grown, processed, and used around the world. Kendra Johnson of Clemson University researched fabrics and clothing styles of enslaved people of the mid to late 1700s and sketched a series of designs. Erin Rodgers, also at Clemson, created a pattern and sewed the clothing. Finally, the ensemble was sent to Karen Hall, an indigo specialist, to be dyed.
Many factors were considered in the design of Clothing for Hagar. Her apparel needed to reflect her status as a field worker but also her elevated standing with Henry Laurens. The collaborators also wanted the clothing to reclaim and project her agency—the areas in which we imagine she had the ability to make choices about her appearance—choices that reflected her relationship to indigo and her pride in her specialized knowledge.