The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association basketball tournament has lost a loyal fan. On Tuesday, Abraham “Mr. CIAA” Mitchell, 95, died.
The fashion designer was known for wearing flamboyant, bright suits. In a 2016 QCity Metro interview, he credited his mother, a seamstress, with inspiring him to “start designing myself for CIAA, something different each time I come.
Mitchell was a fashion setter and a staple at the annual basketball tournament for the nation’s oldest historically Black athletic conference.
Mitchell attended the CIAA Tournament for nearly 50 years, and in 2020, he explained his wardrobe strategy to USA Today.
“If I have enough time, I’ll make four changes,” Mitchell said. “(Sometimes) I’ll come back with five or six changes a night.”
After his death, several HBCU Instagram pages posted photos of “Mr. CIAA,” who was inducted into the CIAA Hall of Fame in 2016, with heartfelt captions.
“Our deepest condolences to the CIAA world on the passing of Mr. Abraham Mitchell, also known as “Mr. CIAA,” HOLLA’! Cheer & Dance Magazine wrote in part.
Upon being inducted into the CIAA Hall of Fame, Mitchell said he was “surprised, shocked and honored,” the Richmond Free Press reported then.
“So far, as long as I’ve been coming, I’ve never seen anybody wear what I wore,” Mitchell told QCity Metro.
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