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TOP 7 FASHION DESIGNER OF NYC
STYLE
TOP 7 FASHION DESIGNERS OF NYC
TORY BURCH
One of the wealthiest fashion designers based in New York and listed as the 88th most powerful women in the world by Forbes in 2020 is Tory Burch. Her namesake began in 2004, when the designer launched her brand during fashion week, opening a boutique in the Nolita district of New York. Success was immediate. Influenced by her parents who Tory admits both had impeccable taste and style. Her fashion style is preppy-bohemian luxe.By 2013 the company had expanded to include 83 stores all over the world. She is credited for turning the t-shirt in a fashionable item. Tory Burch clothing redefined American luxury with a global point of view.
RALPH LAUREN
Born October 14th, 1939, in New York, New York, Ralph Rueben Lifshitz who later changed his name to Ralph Lauren developed his brand around the image of an elite American lifestyle. He grew up in the Bronx and began taking business classes after high school at night while working in sales during the day. He was inspired to begin his own line of neckwear, while working at a tie company. So, in 1967 he went into business for himself, marketing his unique line of ties under the name Polo. His brand evoked the look of English aristocracy adopted by the sporty American East Coast elite. He debuted what would be become his signature piece in 1972: the polo, a mesh sport shirt available in endless colors featuring his trademark emblem the polo player. Ralph Lauren built one of the world’s most successful fashion empires.
DONNA KAREN
Donna Karan has left a lasting impact on the world of clothing, and is one of the most influential fashion designers in the world. Born in 1948 in Forest Hills, NY. Her mother a model and her father a tailor, both of whom may have influenced Donna’s career path. Donna Karan attended the Parsons School of Design and began work after graduation at Anne Klein. She quickly becoming head of the Anne Klein design-team, where she remained until 1984. It is then she ventured off to create and launch the Donna Karan label. Initially offering seven pieces centered around the bodysuit which could be mixed and matched. She created a fully integrated wardrobe with her first collection in 1985. In 1988, Karen was nicknamed The Queen of Seventh Avenue. She insisted she would design clothes like jersey dresses that she would wear herself. She is known for bringing uptown New York chic into the mainstream. In 2004, she was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
CHRISTOPHER JOHN ROGERS
Although born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana the young designer is now based in Brooklyn, New York. He attended the Savannah College of Art and Design and credits instagram for kickstarting his career. He was recently awarded the Vogue Fashion Fund Award in 2019. This is lead by Anna Wintour and acts as a fast lane for helping emerging designer. Rogers launched the CJR brand with his SCAD senior thesis collection and a close group of friends from the Class of 2016. The collection received major press after Cardi B wore the Eddie fox, mink, and ostrich intarsia fur coat to the BET Hip Hop Awards. Since then, his clothes have been worn by celebrities including Michelle Obama, Lizzo and Rihanna. He has received coverage in all the major fashion magazine such as Vogue, Elle, and WWD. And he has been honored as one of Forbes 30 Under 30 Designers and Artists who are creating and designing the future of fashion and the arts.
MARC JACOB
Designer Marc Jacobs is a powerhouse in the fashion world. Born in 1963, in New York City. Growing up with his well-traveled, well-educated grandmother on the Upper West Side of Manhattan had a huge influence on him. His fashion journey began at the Parsons School of Design. Here he stood out among his classmates by winning both the Perry Ellis Gold Thimble Award and Design Student of the Year at graduation in 1984.
Working at Perry Ellis, he became the youngest designer ever to win the Council of Fashion Designers of America Perry Ellis Award for New Fashion Talent. He took over as the women’s-wear designer for Perry Ellis, where he won the prestigious CFDA prize for Womenswear Designer of the Year. In 1993 Jacobs struck out on his own. He had the financial backing from his former bosses, and started his own company with business partner Robert Duffy. The Marc Jacobs label soon proved a success. Renowned for his stylistic interpretations of trends in popular culture, he is credited with launching the grunge look of the 1990s.
MICHAEL KORS
Born in Long Island in 1959, Michael Kors has been interested in fashion design since the age of five. When he redesigned his mother’s wedding dress for her second marriage. He started selling his designs when he was only 14 years old out of his parents basement. After high school he attended the Fashion Institute of Technology, however he dropped out after two semesters. While working at the French boutique Lothar’s located across the street from Bergdorf Goodmans, where he started as a salesperson and soon went on to become both the designer and visual display head for the store. Dawn Mello, the fashion director at Bergdorf’s, discovered Kors. She asked if he would show his collection to the Bergdorf Goodman’s buyers and in 1981, Kors launched his Michael Kors women’s label at Bergdorf Goodman. Kors style often reflects the jet-set lifestyle which is depicted in his ad campaigns.
TOMMY HILFIGER
Fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger built his brand around using his signature red, white and blue tag. Born on March 24, 1951, in Elmira, New York, he is the second of nine children in a working class Irish-American family. He began buying jeans in New York City as a teenager that he remade and sold for a profit in Elmira. He opened his first store at the age of 18 called The People’s Pace. Selling hippie supplies like bell bottoms, records and incense, it became wildly successful at first. He soon had a chain of stores until a downturn in the economy when things went south. At 25 he went bankrupt and said it was the best lesson of his life. He soon came up with the idea for “preppy with a twist” and Tommy Hilfiger the brand was born. He created a fashion revolution reframing an industry by introducing the all American preppy concept. In 1985, he built a fashion empire that bears his name, and has been a pioneer in the industry ever since.
