Famous Fashion Designer’s Brands

Fashion design is the art of design and aesthetics (deals with the nature of art, beauty and taste) or creative designs and beauty to clothing and accessories. Designs in fashion is commonly influenced by cultural and social latitudes, and place and cultures. Fashion designers design clothes and accessories which are functional and aesthetically done, and work in a number of ways in designing clothing and accessories and create designs under their signature work, just like a handwritten signature, a signature work characterized the work and identifying its creator.  Fashion designer’s goal is to consider who is likely to wear a garment in an elegant ways, or choose from a wide range of material’s combinations, wide range of colors, patterns and styles. Some clothes are made specifically for an individual, similar in the case of Haute couture or high fashion houses or fashion designers that can create exclusive and often trend-setting fashions or bedspoke tailoring, (a British English word which means a clothing item made to a buyer’s specification or personalized or tailored  clothing including footwear, jewellery and other apparel). Most clothing nowadays, is designed for the mass market (a term describing the largest group of consumers), especially casual and every-day wear.

1)   Hugo Boss

Hugo Ferdinand Boss born on July 8,1885 and died August 9, 1948, was the founder of the clothing company Hugo Boss or Hugo Boss AG, a German luxury fashion and style house headquartered in Metzingen, Germany. To produce Hugo Boss branded products he has agreements with various companies for licensing. In 1908, Hugo Boss, became the heir of a lingerie shop owned by his parents in Metzingen and in that same year, Boss married Anna Katharina Freysinger with whom he had a daughter. Hugo Boss enlisted in the army in 1914, and served during the World War as the rank of  corporal. In 1931, Hugo Boss joined the Nazi Party, two years before Hitler came to power. The French and Polish prisoners of war were forced to labor and in 1999, the US lawyers acting on behalf of Holocaust survivors began to file legal proceedings against the company of Hugo Boss over the use of slave labor during the war. Hugo Boss was fined for his support of Nazism and was not allowed to vote after the World War II. Hugo Boss died of a tooth abscess on August 9, 1948, but his business survived. Due to the economic climate of Germany at the time, Boss was forced into bankruptcy. In 1931, Boss reached an agreement with his creditors, leaving him with six sewing machines to start his business again. In 1950s, Eugen Holy, Boss’ son in law took over the ownership and run the company, after Boss was banned in running the business. The company started supplying work uniforms in the 1950s, the company received its first order for men’s suits, and by the end of the year, there were expansion to 150 employees. Eugen retired in 1969, leaving the company to his sons Jochen and Uwe, who began international development. The first Boss branded suits were produced in 1970, with the brand becoming a registered trademark in 1977. Followed by the start of the long association of the company with motorsport, sponsoring driver Nikki Lauda of Formula1, and later the McLaren Racing team. The CARRERA sunglasses and sports eyewear, is a trademark belonging to Safilo Group S.p.A. designer and producer of sunglasses, founded in Austria in 1956, it now operates from Padova, Italy. Polaroid Eyewear was a part of the StyleMark group and sold in November 2011 to the Safilo Group.

2)   Adolf “Adi” Dassler

Adolf “Adi” Dassler, born November 3, 1900 in Herzogenaurach, Kingdom of Bravaria, German Empire. Adi Dassler is the founder of Adidas German sportswear company. Adi Dassler, who was trained as a shoemaker, started to produce his own sports shoes in his mother’s laundry after his return from World War I. Adi’s father, Christoph, who worked in a shoe factory, and the Zehlein brothers, who produced the handmade spikes for track shoes in their blacksmith’s shop, helped Dassler in starting his own business. His older brother Rudolf Dassler joined the business on July 1, 1924, which became the Dassler Brother’s Shoe Factory (Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik). Dassler equipped many athletes during the 1928 Olympics, leading to the international expansion of the company. Dassler equipped also Jesse Owens of the USA with his shoes during the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics, where Jesse Owens won 4 gold medals in the year he wore Adi’s shoes. In 1930s, with the rise of Adolf Hitler, both Dassler brothers joined the Nazi Party, with Rudolf reputation as being ardent National Socialist. Rudolf was drafted, and later captured, while Adi stayed behind producing boots for the Wehrmacht and then broke away from the Nazi Party. The war increased the bitterness and the differences between the brothers and their wives. Upon Rudolf‘s capture by American troops, was suspected of being a member of the SS, information supposedly supplied by none other than Adi, his brother. The rift between the brothers Rudolf and Adi, widened and by 1948, Rudolf left the company and founded Puma, on the other side of town across the Aurach River, while Adolf “Adi” Dassler renamed the company as Adidas after his own nickname, (Adi Dassler). Horst Dassler, the son of Adi Dassler, founded Arena in 1973, a producer of swimming equipment. Horst and his wife Käthe took over the management of Adidas company after Adolf Dassler’s death on September 6, 1978. In 1987, Horst Dassler died nine years later. In 1989, Adidas was transformed into a private limited company, but remained family property until its Initial public offering (IPO) in 1995.

In 1983, the Adicolor concept was launched by Adidas where trainers sneakers or Athletic shoe were sold with the tools that they could be customized by purchaser. The adicolor sneaker was an all-white training shoe was specifically created for the adicolor concept. Adidas re-launched Adicolor in 2005, as a replica of the original. Trainers include characters on them such as, Trimmy, Betty Boop, Mr Happy,  Tron, Miss Piggy, Kermit the Frog and Muhammad Ali. Since 1969, the Superstar is a basketball shoe manufactured by athletic goods Adidas company.

Horst Dassler

Horst Dassler (born 1936– died 1987) was the son of Adidas‘ founder Adolf “Adi” Dassler. Horst Dassler started Adidas France in Landersheim, France, competing against his father’s Adidas Germany and his uncle Rudolf’s Puma. Horst Dassler also founded famous brand of swimwear Arena, was also responsible, along with British entrepreneur and specialist consultant Patrick Nally, for the founding of  an exclusive group that uses the money from sports marketing to control international sport, known as The Club.  Horst Dassler is also  known as the father of sport sponsorship, with  “João” de Havelange, the 7th President of FIFA, Horst he the potential of harnessing the world wide popularity of football to the interests of big business. Horst Dassler set about acquiring sponsorship along with Patrick Nally from blue chip companies such as Coca-Cola. On April 9, 1987, Horst Dassler died at the age of 51, from complications due to cancer.

Rudolf Dassler

Rudolf Dassler (born March 26, 1898 in Herzogenaurach, Germany – died October 27, 1974) is a German, and the older brother of Adidas‘ founder Adolf “Adi” Dassler, while Rudolf founded the sportswear company Puma. The Dassler brothers were partners in a shoe company that Adi started, Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik (Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory). In 1924, Rudolf “Rudi” Dassler, joined Adi’s company, however the brothers became rivals following World War II and started their own companies in 1948. Rudolf Initially called his new company Ruda (Rudolf Dassler), but was later changed to its present name of Puma the word for cougar in German as well as other languages, such as Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese, Polish, Slovene and Swedish. Puma become the worldwide known company and still  remains today under Rudi Dassler’s son direction, Armin Dassler. Rudolf “Rudi”Dassler died on October 27, 1974 of lung cancer at the age of 76, his sons Armin and Gerd took over the company’s management  Puma SE (officially branded as PUMA), a major German multinational company producing athletic and casual footwear, as well as sportswear, headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany.

3)  Nike, Inc.

Nike, Inc. is an American multinational corporation that involves in the design, development, manufacturing and international marketing and selling of footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories and services. The Nike Inc. company is based near Beaverton, Oregon, in the Portland metropolitan area, and is one of two Fortune 500 companies based in Oregon. Nike, Inc. is one of the largest suppliers of athletic shoes and apparel in the world. The Nike, Inc. company was founded on January 25, 1964, as Blue Ribbon Sports, founded by Bill Bowerman and partnered by Phil Knight, and officially became Nike, Inc. on May 30, 1971. The company got its name from Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. Nike products markets under its own brand, as well as Nike Golf, Nike Pro, Nike+iPod Sports Kit is an activity tracker device which measures and records the distance and pace of a walk or run, Air Jordan,Nike Skateboarding, also known as Nike SB, and subsidiaries including Hurley International owned by Nike, Inc. since 2002, and Converse  has been a sister company of Nike, Inc. since 2003. Nike also owned Bauer Hockey or Bauer Performance Sports Ltd. renamed Nike Bauer between 2005–2008, is one of the leading manufacturers of ice hockey equipment, fitness and recreational skates, and apparel, and was owned previously by Cole Haan, a fashion label that was founded in 1928 in Chicago, Illinois, and Umbro is a British sportswear and football equipment supplier based in Manchester, Greater Manchester.The swoosh is the athletic shoe and clothing logo of the manufacturer Nike and trademarks of Just Do It logo, one of the most recognized brand logos in the world.

“Bill” Bowerman

William Jay “Bill” Bowerman (born February 19, 1911 – died December 24, 1999) was an American track and field coach and co-founder of Nike, Inc. On June 22, 1936, Bill Bowerman married Barbara Young. On June 22, 1938, Jon, their first son was born, second son was born on November 17, 1942, William “Jay” Bowerman, Jr. and on May 20, 1946 their third son was born, Tom. After the war, Bill Bowerman returned to his track coach position at Medford High School. Then Bowerman’s family moved to Eugene, Oregon, where he became the head track coach on July 1, 1948 at the University of Oregon. Bill Bowerman entered into a handshake agreement with Phil Knight, in 1964 who had been a miler under him in the 1950s, to start a distribution company for an athletic footwear called Blue Ribbon Sports, which later named as Nike, Inc. Phil Knight managed the business of the partnership end, while Bowerman work on experimenting with athletic footwear design improvements. Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight started initially by importing the Onitsuka Tiger running shoes from Japan to sell in the States. Bill Bowerman died on December 24, 1999, in his sleep at his home in Fossil, Oregon at the age of 88 on 1999 Christmas Eve.

“Phil” Knight

Philip Hampson “Phil” Knight (born February 24, 1938) is an American business magnate, philanthropist and co-founder of Nike, Inc. and a native of Oregon. Phil Knight previously served as the chief executive officer (CEO) of Nike. Forbes named Phil Knight the world’s 56th richest person and the America’s 24th richest, with an estimated net worth of US$18.4 billion in 2013. Phil Knight as a native of Oregon, he ran track under coach Bill Bowerman at the University of Oregon, with whom he would later be a co-founder of Nike, Inc. Phil Knight set out on a trip around the world after graduation, and in November 1962, he made a stop over in Kobe, Japan, where he discovered the Tiger-brand running shoes, manufactured by Onitsuka Co. in Kobe. Knight was very much impressed with the quality and low cost, he made a cold call on Mr. Onitsuka, who agreed to meet with him. Knight had secured Tiger distribution rights after the meeting, for the western United States. However, the first Tiger samples would take more than a year to be shipped to Phil Knight, so during those time he worked as an accountant in Portland. Soon Phil Knight received the Tiger brand shoe samples, he mailed two pairs to Bill Bowerman at the University of Oregon and hope for influential endorsement and to gain a sale, and he was surprise, Bill Bowerman, did not only ordered the Tiger shoes but he also offered Knight to become a partner and provide some new ideas design for better running shoes. On January 25, 1964, Bowerman and Knight shook hands on a partnership, the birth date of Blue Ribbon Sports, and was later named to Nike. Phil Knight’s son, Travis Knight is an American animator, film executive and former rapper, the son of Penelope “Penny” Parks-Knight and Phil Knight, the founder and chairman of Nike, Inc. In 2002, Phil Knight purchased Will Vinton (Animation) Studios, where son Travis Knight (born 1973 in Hillsboro, Oregon) worked as an animator, and later changed the name to LAIKA, and Travis was named board of directors later that year and in March 2009, Travis became President and CEO of LAIKA, replacing Nike former-employee Dale Wahl.

4)   Perry Ellis

Perry Edwin Ellis (born March 3, 1940 in Portsmouth, Virginia, the only child of Edwin Ellis and Winifred Rountree-Ellis.  His father, Edwin owned a coal amd oil company that gives the family lived in a comfortable middle-class life. Ellis was an American fashion designer who founded Perry Ellis clothing brand sportswear house, in the mid-1970s. Perry Ellis, with The Vera Companies, his parent company, founded his own fashion house in 1978 known as, Perry Ellis International. Perry Ellis started out in department store, such as Miller & Rhoads, retailing in the area of Richmond, Virginia, to learn experience in the fashion industry as a buyer and merchandiser. Ellis was also co-founder of A Sunny Day, Richmond retail shop and later joined John Meyer of Norwich, the sportswear company in New York. Ellis was approached in the mid-1970s by his then employer, The Vera Companies, famous for their polyester double-knit pantsuits, to design a fashion collection for them.In November 1976, Perry Ellis presented his first women’s sportswear line, called Portfolio. Ellis added shoes, accessories, furs and perfumes bearing his name as as his signature’s work. Perry Ellis America was created in cooperation with Levi Strauss in 1984. Perry Ellis began a relationship with attorney Laughlin Barker since 1981, and appointed Barker as the Perry Ellis International’s President of the licensing division later that year. Ellis and Barker remained together until Barker died of lung cancer on January 2, 1986, at the couple’s home in Manhattan. Ellis and his long-time friend television producer and writer Barbara Gallagher conceived a child together via artificial insemination in February 1984. On November 1984, the couple’s daughter, Tyler Alexandra Gallagher Ellis, was born. Perry Ellis purchased a home for Gallagher and their daughter in Brentwood, Los Angeles, and visit them frequently. His daughter, Tyler released her first line of handbags using the name Tyler Alexandra in 2011. When Ellis appeared at the end of his Fall fashion show in October 1985, rumors began to spread that he had contracted AIDS, due to lost of weight and looked much older. During this time, Laughlin Barker, Ellis’ partner was undergoing chemotherapy for an AIDS-related cancer called Kaposi’s sarcoma which later spread and affected his lungs. After Baker’s death, Ellis’ health rapidly declined. Ellis had contracted viral encephalitis in May 1986, which caused paralysis on one side of his face. On May 8, Ellis appeared at his Fall fashion show in New York, despite his appearance, he attempted to walk at the end of the show, for his final bow, but was so weak, and had to be supported by two assistants, soon after, Ellis was hospitalized and slipped into a coma, and died of viral encephalitis on May 30, 1986. Perry Ellis merged with Salant Corporation, in June 2003, manufacturer of the brand’s clothes, for about $80 million and the combined company offers about 25 brands and acquired various textile companies such as Original Penguin and Ping Collection golf brand and many others. Manhattan Industries, the parent of The Vera Companies (owner of Perry Ellis), was sold to Salant, a licensee of Perry Ellis in 1986. From then, Perry Ellis was acquired in 1999 by Supreme Inc., a Miami-based textile concern, which the Supreme was then renamed Perry Ellis International.

Original Penguin (also known simply as Penguin) is an American clothing line, which began in the 1950s and 60s, the brand specializes in clothing, footwear, and eyewear. Original Penguin is sold in North America, South America, and Europe. The brand was introduced in 1955 by a Minneapolis-based underwear and military garment manufacturer known as Munsingwear, when it launched the Original Penguin golf shirt  in the United States.

 5)   René Lacoste

Jean René Lacoste (born July 2, 1904 – October 12, 1996) was a French businessman and tennis player and his fans nicknamed him the Crocodile, because of his guts on the court and known as the founder and creator of Lacoste tennis shirt in the world which he introduced in 1929. René Lacoste was one of French tennis stars, The Four Musketeers, with French champion tennis player Jean Robert Borotra (August 13, 1898 – July 17, 1994), Jacques “Toto” Brugnon (May 11, 1895 – March 20, 1978), and Henri Jean Cochet (December 14, 1901 – April 1, 1987), French tennis stars dominating the game in the 1920s until early 1930s. Lacoste was the World No. 1 player in 1926 to 1927, won seven Grand Slam singles titles in the French, American, and British championships but was not able to play in their championships to Australia. Lacoste founded La Société Chemise Lacoste with Andre Gillier in 1933. In 1929, Lacoste married famous golf champion Simone  de la Chaume (November 24, 1908 – September 4, 2001) and had three sons and a daughter together. Bernard Lacoste (born in Paris on June 22, 1931 – died March 21, 2006 also in Paris) was a French fashion designer and businessman. Bernard Lacoste, took the position as head of the internationally known Lacoste company in 1964, However, due to poor health, Bernard Lacoste gave over the direction of the Lacoste company to his brother Michel Lacoste in September 2005. Bernard Lacoste died six months later, on March 21, 2006, after a long illness at the age of 74. Catherine Lacoste (born June 27, 1945 in Paris, France)  was a champion golfer daughter of Rene Lacoste and Simone de la Chaume, and she sits on the board of Lacoste,the major fashion company founded by her father.  The company had a gross revenue of billions of US dollars.

Lacoste is a French clothing company founded in 1933 that sells high-end clothing, footwear, perfume, leather goods, watches, eyewear and the famous Lacoste shirts. Lacoste has introduced a home line of sheeting and towels recently. The company’s famous trademark logo is its green crocodile. Lacoste company had a long standing dispute over the crocodile logo and clothing lines with Crocodile company. The Crocodile logo uses a crocodile that faces left while Lacoste logo uses green crocodile that faces right. The two company fought for the rights of the  logo in China, but eventually reached an agreement and settled the dispute with Crocodile agreeing to change its logo to have a more vertical tail and more scales for its logo. Crocodile Garments is a textile and garments company in Hong Kong, founded by the late Dr. Chan Shun in 1952.

6)   Lim Por-yen

Lim Por-yen born in 1914 – died on February 18, 2005 was a Hong Kong industrialist, founded the Lai Sun Group and his family was the biggest shareholder of Asia Television (ATV). In 1987, Lim Por-yen successfully diversified into real estate, when he set up another company, the Lai Sun Development. Lai Sun acquired the Crocodile Garments business also in that same year. Lim Por-yen was implicated in the largest bribery scandal in Taiwan during that time, and was found guilty of bribery charges and money laundering trough the land deals in 1999, and was sentenced for 38 months imprisonment, but his prison sentence was reduced by one year. Lim made an appeal of this conviction, but was still under consideration until the time of his death. Lim Por-yen was married four times, and had seven children. Lim is legally and officially married to his first wife, Lai Yuen-fong. U Po-chu,  is his second wife, is a 50-year veteran of the garment industry, and is a non-executive director of Lai Sun Garment. Lim’s third wife is Gu Shui-ying, and his fourth wife is Choy Yim-yu.  Lim’s eldest son, Lam Kin-ming, is Lim’s eldest son, who works for Lai Sun’s Crocodile Garments. His second son, Peter Lam, by his second wife, U Po-chu, is the head of Media Asia Group and the Lai Sun Group. When Peter Lam acquired Furama Hotel Enterprises their relations were under considerable strain without consulting him. Pearl Lam, Lim Por-yen’s daughter, from whom Lim was estranged, due to debts incurred from a property investment according to reports. Pearl Lam runs an art gallery and reports that her parents disapproved of her art career, forcing her to study accounting, financial management, and law. Lam Kin-hong is Lim Por-yen’s adopted son, who is responsible for mainland property investments in Hong Kong listed Lai Fung Holdings.  On February 18, 2005, Lim died from a lung infection at the age of 90.

7)   Izod

Izod is a clothing company that produces casual dress clothing and men and women’s sportswear, footwear, and accessories. Izod is part of the Phillips-Van Heusen Company, based at 200 Madison Ave., New York City. Vincent De Paul Draddy, an American businessman employed by David Crystal Co., needed an influential name to associate with his quality merchandise for menswear in the late 1930s. While on vacation in London, England with his family, Draddy encountered Jack Izod’s tailoring boutique, which Izod (himself a well-respected tailor) produced bespoke shirts and created the  Windsor tie-knot for King George V, but was ready to retire, and accepted Vincent Draddy’s offer to purchase the rights to his distinctive name. It was in 1938, when the A.J. Izod of London clothing company was introduced to the United States. From 1952 until 1993, the Izod of London would become most notable for its pairing with the Lacoste shirt company. Vincent Draddy began to license the Lacoste shirt to add prestige to the Izod line, but Draddy could not find a market for the then $8.00 expensive retail price. The shirts became popular in department stores, after Vincent Draddy began giving away the shirts to his famous influential friends such as, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Bing Crosby, John F. Kennedy, and Daniel Platt. The Izod of London became a brand known simply as Izod Lacoste, while the shirts were created equally Izod and Lacoste, and was abbreviated and popularized as Izod shirts (which led to the ongoing misunderstanding that the famous Crocodile is the trademark of Izod). David Crystal, the owner of Izod and Haymaker, bought 50% of the rights to market Lacoste in America in 1953, which this two brands, the Izod and Haymaker were already established there. In the late 1970s to 1980s, the Lacoste brand hit its peak popularity when the preppy look (or Ivy League is a style of men’s clothes, popular during the late 1950s and said to have originated on college campuses in the United States) became mainstream, with many nationwide department stores featuring separate shops of Izod/Lacoste, with jackets, sweaters and a wide variety of other apparel. However in the late 1980s, the preppy trend cooled down which the brand became overexposed. In the mid-1990s the marketing license was ended after his Izod/Lacoste company became too financially burdened, and sold the 50% share of Lacoste in 1993, to Sportloisirs S.A. (who originally marketed the shirt in France). The Izod was sold to Van Heusen, the shirtmaker, when the company declined slowly.

8)   Phillips-Van Heusen  (PVH Corp.)

The Phillips-Van Heusen (PVH) history, can be traced back in part to Dramin Jones, a Prussian immigrant who founded D. Jones & Sons, in the 1880s, which became the largest shirt maker in the United States. After the death of Dramin Jones in 1903,  Jones merged with Phillips, and later Isaac Phillips met John Van Heusen, and resulted both line of Van Heusen shirts became popular and renamed the corporation in the 1950s to Phillips-Van Heusen. In 1919, the Phillips-Jones Corporation received a patent for a self-folding collar, which was released to the public in 1921 and became a big success. In 1929, the first collar attached shirt was introduced, and in 1936, the Bass Weejun was introduced. In 1982, the Geoffrey Beene shirts were launched. Phillips-Van Heusen acquired G.H. Bass in 1987. The Phillips-Van Heusen corporation acquired the Izod brand in 1995, followed by the Arrow brand in 2000, and in 2002, the Calvin Klein company was acquired. In January 2007, after acquiring Superba, Inc., Phillips-Van Heusen( PVH) now owns licenses for necktie brands such as Arrow,DKNY, Tommy Hilfiger, Nautica, Peery Ellis, Ted Baker, Michael Kors, JOE Joseph Abboud, Original Penguin and Jones New York. In 2008, the corporation began making men’s clothing under the Timberland brand name, followed in 2009 with women’s clothing, under a licensing agreement. Phillips-Van Heusen acquired Tommy Hilfiger for $3 billion on March 15, 2010.

9)   Tommy Hilfiger

Tommy Hilfiger born Thomas Jacob Hilfiger (born March 24, 1951)born in Elmira, New York, an American fashion designer and founder of the lifestyle brand Tommy Hilfiger Cor[oration. He is the second child of nine children of a jeweler and a nurse, was raised Catholic and he is of German-Swiss and Irish descent. In 1969, as a high school student he started his career as fashion designer and he opened a small chain of stores called People’s Place with just $150. Hilfiger’s dream was to bring fashion from New York and London to upstate New York. A businessman, Mohan Murjani, became interested with Hilfiger’s work, who was looking to launch a line of men’s clothing and believed that Hilfiger’s background in entrepreneurial gave him the unique ability to a new way of approach in men’s fashion. Tommy Hilfiger introduced his first signature collection in 1985 with Murjani’s support by modernizing button-down shirts, chinos, and other clothing classics with updated fits and details. In 2006, Tommy Hilfiger sold his company, due to large declining sales, for $1.6 billion, or $16.80 a share, to UK-based private investment company and venture capital firm Apax Partners. The Phillips-Van Heusen owner of Calvin Klein, bought the Tommy Hilfiger Corporation for $3 billion in March 2010. Tommy Hilfiger has four children with his ex-wife, Susie, a daughter, Alexandria “Ally” Hilfiger, a rapper named Richard “Ricky Hil” and is signed to Warner Bros. Records, Elizabeth, and Kathleen. On December 12, 2008, Tommy Hilfiger married his second wife Deniz Carolina Erbuğ, better known as Dee Ocleppo former wife of Italian retired professional tennis player in 1980s, Gianni Ocleppo. The New York Post reported on February 25, 2009, that Dee  Ocleppo was three months pregnant and gave birth to a son on that same year. Daniel Grieder is the current CEO of Tommy Hilfiger.

10)   Calvin Klein

Calvin Richard Klein (born November 19, 1942) is an American fashion designer who launched the company  in 1968 named Calvin Klein Inc. which later produced  and gave names to a range of perfumes, watches, and jewelry. Calvin Klein, raised in Bronx, New York, along with several fashion designers who were raised in the Jewish community were Robert Denning and Ralph Lauren. Klein became a protégé of banker, socialite and editor at several American publications Baron de Gunzburg (December 12, 1904 –February 20, 1981), aka Baron Nicolas de Gunzburg, whose introductions became the toast of the New York elite fashion scene even before he had his first mainstream success with the launch of his first Calvin Klein’s jeans line, was immediately recognized for his talent after his first major showing at New York Fashion Week. Klein was noted for his clean lines and was hailed as the new Yves Saint-Laurent. Klein married Jayne Centre Klein, in 1965, with whom he has a daughter, Marci Klein (born 1967) American television producer, who currently works as Talent Producer for NBC’s Saturday Night Live. In 1974, Klein and Centre Klein filed for divorce. Calvin Klein married Fashion Institute graduate Kelly Rector, in 1986, who worked for Calvin Klein Inc. at the time, and later became a well-known socialite photographer. Klein and Rector divorced in 2006.     The Calvin Klein Inc., company is based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City and is owned by Phillips-Van Heusen currently.

Arrow

The Arrow Collar Man manufactured by Cluett Peabody & Company of Troy, New York, was the name given to the various male models who appeared in advertisements for shirts and detachable shirt collars. From 1905 until 1931, the original campaign ran though the company and continued referring men in its ads and consumers as Arrow men. Joseph Christian Leyendecker (March 23, 1874 – July 25, 1951) was one of the American superior illustrators of the early 20th century, known for his poster, book and advertising illustrations, the trade character known as The Arrow Collar Man, and his numerous covers for The Saturday Evening Post. Joseph Leyendecker never married, and was living during his adult life with another man, Charles Beach, the original model of the popular Arrow Collar Man, who is assumed to have been his lover. Joseph Leyendecker had let go all of the household staff at his New Rochelle estate, attempting himself and partner Charles Beach to maintain the extensive estate themselves before his death. After a few months later, Leyendecker died with his burial location unknown, and  left a tidy estate equally split between his sister and Beach. Leyendecker is buried alongside parents and brother Frank at Woodlawn Cemetery in Bronx, New York.

11)  Yves Saint Laurent

Yves Saint Laurent born Yves Henri Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent, was a French fashion designer, regarded as one of the greatest names in fashion history, born on August 1, 1936  in Oran, French Algeria, to father, Charles and Lucienne Andrée Mathieu-Saint-Laurent, grew up in a Mediterranean villa with his two younger sisters, Michèle and Brigitte. Yves Saint Laurent was known for using non-European cultural references and non-white models, and also credited with having introduced the tuxedo suit for women. Saint Laurent submitted three sketches to a young fashion designer’s contest in 1953, organized by the International Wool Secretariat winning the first place. Saint Laurent joined again International Wool Secretariat that same year, and beat his friends Spanish fashion designer,Fernando Sánchez ( August 9, 1935 – June 28, 2006) and young German student Karl Lagerfeld. Saint Laurent brought a number of sketches to de Brunhoff after he won,who recognized close similarities to sketches he had been shown that morning by Christian Dior, de Brunhoff sent Saint Laurent to Dior, who hired him immediately. Christian Dior, met with Saint Laurent’s mother in August 1957, to tell her that he chose Saint Laurent to succeed him as fashion designer. Saint Laurent and his mother were surprised when Christian Dior died in October 23, 1957, heart attack at age 52, at a health spa in northern Italy. Saint Laurent became the head designer at age 21, of the House of Christian Dior S.A. in 1957. Saint Laurent found to draft for military to serve in the French Army in 1960s, during the Algerian War of Independence. However, Saint Laurent served in the military for 20 days before the hazing stressed by fellow soldiers caused him to be admitted at a military hospital, and also received news that he had been fired by Christian Dior, and this was an additional anger, and he ended up in Val-de-Grâce Military hospital.  Saint Laurent traced himself both history of his mental problems and his drug addictions while in hospital. On November 1960, he was released from the hospital, and sued Dior for breach of contract and won. After a period of regaining of health, he and his partner, Pierre Bergé industrialist co-founder of Yves Saint Laurent Couture House, and started their own fashion house with funds from Atlanta millionaire J. Mack Robinson. In 1976, Saint Laurent and Bergé split romantically, but remained as business partners. A few days before Saint Laurent and Bergé was joined in a same-sex civil union known as civil solidarity pact or in France, Pacte civil de solidarité (PACS) according to New York Times, Saint Laurent was diagnosed with brain cancer, Bergé and the doctor decided mutually, that it would be better for Saint Laurent, not know of his terminal illness. On June 1, 2008, Saint Laurent died of brain cancer at age 71, at his residence in Paris. Saint Laurent was survived by his mother and sisters, Saint Laurent’s father had died in 1988. Saint Laurent was given a Catholic funeral at St Roch Catholic Church in Paris, and was cremated and his ashes were scattered in Marrakech, Morocco, in his residence botanical garden, the Majorelle Garden, which he owned since 1980s with Bergé and visited often to find inspiration and refuge. In 2009, Forbes rated Saint Laurent the top-earning dead celebrity.

Pierre Bergé

Pierre Bergé, born November 14, 1930, is a French industrialist and patron, and the co-founder of Yves Saint Laurent Couture House and onetime life partner and business partner of the late fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent. In 1958, partners Bergé and Yves Saint Laurent met and later became romantically involved and together founded and launched Yves Saint Laurent Couture House in 1961. In 1976, the couple split amicably but remained friends and business partners. Bergé acted as CEO of Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture until it declined in 2002. Bergé was known as the Dean of Yves Saint Laurent because of his protective and investment of good reputation and legacy of the Saint Laurent Couture. Bergé became president of the Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent Foundation, after the Couture house closed.

12)   Christian Dior

Christian Dior was a French fashion designer, known as the founder of Christian Dior brand, one of the top fashion houses in the world, but now owned by (LVMH Moët Hennessy • Louis Vuitton S.A., better known as LVMH). Christian Dior was born on January 21, 1905, in Granville, a seaside town on the coast of Normandy, France, the second of the five children of Maurice Dior, a wealthy fertilizer manufacturer owned a family company, Dior Frères, and his wife, the former Isabelle Cardamone. Christian Dior’s four siblings were, Raymond Dior (father of Marie Françoise Suzanne Dior (born April 7, 1932 – died January 20, 1993), Jacqueline, Bernard, and Ginette (aka Catherine). His family dreams of Christian become a diplomat, but he was artistic and wished to be involved in art. Christian Dior was gay, but not openly. After the death of Christian Dior’s mother and brother, three years later, also a financial disaster in the family’s fertilizer business, during the Great Depression, his father lost control over their company Dior Frères, the gallery had to be closed. Dior founded his fashion house, on December 8, 1946, backed by cotton-fabric magnate, Marcel Boussac. On February 12, 1947, the first line of Dior’s collection was presented with its original name Corolle (literally the botanical term corolla or circlet of flower petals in English), but the phrase New Look was coined for it by Carmel Snow, the editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar. Christian Dior died on October 23, 1957, while on holiday in Montecatini, Italy. His death had various causes reports, some reports say that he died of a heart attack after choking on a fish bone, while the Time’s obituary reported Dior, died of a heart attack after playing a game of cards. However, the Paris socialite Alexis, Baron de Rédé, one of Christian Dior’s acquaintances, wrote in his memoirs that contemporary rumor was that Dior’s heart attack had been caused by a strenuous sexual encounter. The exact circumstances of Dior’s death remain undisclosed as of 2013.

13)   Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton was a French businessman and the founder of the Louis Vuitton leather goods brand now owned by LVMH. Louis Vuitton had been appointed as trunk-maker to Empress Eugénie de Montijo, wife of Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte before making leather goods business. Louis Vuitton was born on August 4, 1821, in Anchay, France, from a working class family. His father, Xavier Vuitton, was a farmer, and his mother, Corinne Gaillard, was a milliner who died when he was only 10 years old, and his father remarried later. Louis Vuitton grew up as a stubborn and headstrong child, antagonized by his stepmother and bored by the provincial life in Anchay, and decided to run away and went to Paris at the age of 14. He traveled alone for more than two years, taking odd jobs to feed himself along the way and find shelter, as he walked the 292-mile trek from his native Anchay to Paris. In 1837, Louis Vuitton arrived in Paris, at the age of 16. The Empress of France, Eugenie de Montijo, a Spanish countess and the wife of Napoleon III, hired Vuitton as her personal box-maker and packer and charged him with packing the most beautiful clothes in an exquisite way. Vuitton married Clemence-Emilie Parriaux, in 1854, who was only 17-years-old, after he left the shop shortly, he was apprenticing at and opened his own box-making and packing workshop in Paris.  In 1858, four years later, Louis Vuitton introduced his revolutionary stackable rectangular shaped trunks to a market that only had rounded tops, and the demands became big and requiews his expansion into a larger workshop outside of Paris. Vuitton continued to work until his death at the age of 70 on February 27, 1892. His son George Vuitton took over control of the company after his death. Louis Vuitton Malletier, commonly referred to as Louis Vuitton or shortened to LV, is a French fashion house founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton.

On February 13, 2007, Louis Vuitton sent a Cease and desist order to Nadia Plesner, a Danish art student for using an image of a bag that allegedly infringed the intellectual property rights of Louis Vuitton brand. Plesner had created a sarcasm way illustration, Simple Living, representing a malnourished child holding a designer dog and a designer bag, and used it on T-shirts and posters to raise funds for the charity Divest for Darfur. On March 25, the court ruled in favour of LV that the image was a clear infringement of copyright (the use of works protected by copyright law without permission). However, the court in The Hague found in favour of Plesner’s right to freedom of expression in May 2011.

14)   Nina Ricci

Nina Ricci born Maria Adélaide Nielli, born in Turin, Italy, on January 14, 1883 – died on November 30, 1970, is a fashion house founded by Maria “Nina” Ricci and her son Robert in 1932 in Paris, and owned by Puig, the Spanish beauty and fashion group since 1998. L’Air du Temps, which means Air of Time, was Nina Ricci’s most famous perfume, created in France in 1949, that captured the passion and elegance of an emerging generation headed by Maria and Robert Ricci. Robert worked with master perfumer Francis Fabron to create a scent with as much elegance as the clothes of Madame Maria Ricci. The graceful twin-dove crystal bottle was created by Marc Lalique and Robert Ricci. Maria Nielli was nicknamed Nina, moved to Florence, Italy at the age of 5 with her family, and then at the age of 12, the y moved to France. At the age of 13, Nina began to work as an apprentice at a dressmaker’s shop, and continued to pursue her love of fashion until her teenage years. In 1904, Nina married composer and Italian jeweler, Luigi Ricci, and became popular with her name as Maria Ricci. Together the couple had a child named Robert Ricci. Nina joined the house of Raffin as a designer in 1908 and remained there for 20 years, until Nina became partner at the house of Raffin, and then moved on in 1932, and at age 29, she created her own design house named house of Nina Ricci, later helped by her son Robert, who managed the finances and their business, while his mother, Madame Maria Ricci designed gowns. Maria Ricci, worked with her designs and the fabrics directly on the mannequin to be sure to get the right shape once the dress were finished. Nina Ricci’s refined, romantic and elegant designs soon became popular, that Maria introduced to all of her collections. The Lalique family who manufactured designed bottles for the House of Ricci exclusively,until the 1950s. Nina Ricci died at the age of 87, on November 30, 1970, however the date of death was engraved to her Headstone was November 29. Robert Ricci died in 1988 and the company was taken over by Gilles Fuchs, Nina Ricci’s son-in-law.

15)  Coco Chanel

Coco Chanel born Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, born August 19, 1883 – died January 10, 1971, was a French fashion designer and founder of the Chanel brand, and Coco Chanel, is the only fashion designer listed on list of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century on Time magazine. Coco Chanel along with French fashion designer  Paul Poiret (April 20,1879, Paris, France – died April 30, 1944, Paris) was credited with liberating women from the constraints of the corset garment worn to hold and shape the torso and popularized during the post World War 1 period, the acceptance of a standard feminine style sportive, and casual chic clothing. A prolific fashion creator, Chanel’s influence extended beyond couture clothing as a fashion designer, and her aesthetic design was seen in her jewelry, handbags and fragrances collections. Nina Ricci’s signature scent, Chanel No.5, has become an iconic product. Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel aka Coco Chanel, was born to unwed mother, Eugénie “Jeanne” Devolle, a laundrywoman, in the Sisters of Providence, a charity hospital run by nuns in Saumur, France. Coco Chanel was Jeanne Devolle’s second daughter and her father, Albert Chanel, a street vendor that traveling from place to place who peddled work or office clothes and undergarments, living like nomads, traveling from one town to another, while his familywere living in rundown lodgings. Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel was twelve years old, her mother died of bronchitis at age thirty-one in 1895. Coco Chanel learned sewing, even worked as a seamstress. Chanel was also a cabaret singer frequented by cavalry officers after work from sewing. Gabrielle acquired the name Coco, during her time working at the cabaret, may be based on two popular songs with which she was identified, Ko Ko Ri Ko, and Qui qu’a vu Coco, or it was an inderect to the French word cocotte for kept woman, as a cafe entertainer, which she allure that tantalized the military habitués of the cabaret. Chanel met Étienne Balsan at Moulins, the young French ex-cavalry officer and the wealthy textile heir. Chanel became Balsan’s mistress at age twenty-three, replacing as Balsan’s mistress Émilienne d’Alençon as his new favorite. Biographer Justine Picardie, in her 2010 study In the 2010 Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life (Harper Collins) reviewed by biographer Justine Picarde, suggests that André Palasse supposedly Coco Chanel’s nephew, who committed suicide, claimed by Chanel as the only child of her sister Julia-Berthe, was actually Chanel’s son by Balsan. In 1908 Chanel began an affair with English polo player, Captain Arthur Edward “Boy” Capel, one of Balsan’s friends, a wealthy English upper class member, installed Chanel in an apartment in Paris, financed Chanel’s first shops and said Capel’s influenced Chanel by his own sartorial style of the Chanel look. The Chanel No. 5 bottle design had two probable origins, both attributed to Capel’s sophisticated design sensibilities. While living with Balsan, Chanel began designing hats, initially as a diversion that evolved into a commercial enterprise, and later Chanel became a licensed milliner (hat maker) in 1910 and opened Chanel Modes, a boutique at 21 rue Cambon, Paris. On January 9, 1971, after a long drive on that Saturday afternoon, Chanel, feeling tired and ill went to bed early, and died the following day, Sunday, January 10, 1971 at age 87, at her room at the Hotel Ritz where she had resided for more than 30 years. Coco Chanel’s funeral was held at the eglise de la Madeleine, with her coffin covered with white flowers, such as camellias, gardenias, orchids, azaleas and a few red roses. Her grave is located in the Bois-de-Vaux Cemetery, Lausanne, Switzerland.

16)  Coach, Inc.

Coach, Inc. is an American company of luxury leather goods which began in manufacturing small leather goods best known for signature  ladies’ handbags, luggage, briefcases, wallets and other accessories. In 1941, Coach was founded, in a loft on 34th Street, Manhattan, New York City as a partnership known as the Gail Leather Products, which started as a family-owned business, with six leatherworkers manufacturing by hands such as leather wallets and men’s billfolds or slim wallets. Miles Cahn and his wife Lillian joined the company in 1946, who also owned the leather handbag manufacturing business, and were professionals about leatherworks and business. Miles Cahn soon had taken over the business in 1950, and was running the business himself. In 1961, the Cahn couple bought the company through a leveraged buyout. Cahn hired Bonnie Cashin (September 28, 1907 – February 3, 2000), in 1961, considered one of the most significant pioneers of designer ready-to-wear, commonly known a sportswear pioneer, designing handbags for Coach. From 1962 to 1974,  Cashin regenerated the designs of the Coach product. In the 1970s the company changed its name to Coach Products, Inc., then renamed again the company in 1980, to Coach Leatherware Company, Inc. Lewis “Lew” Frankfort joined the company in 1979, as vice president of business development and later became the Chairman and CEO of Coach, Inc. Lew Frankfort was mentored by the then executive vice president, Richard Rose, responsible for making the Coach brand into a household name. Five years later in 1985, The Cahns decided to sell Coach Leatherware in 1985, five years later, after the couple determined they wanted to devote more time to their Coach Farm, a growing goat farm and cheese production business located  in Gallatinville, New York, which they started in 1983. Sara Lee Corporation bought Coach for a reported $30 million, and during that time, Lew Frankfort, was the Coach’s senior vice president, administration and retail and mail order sales, succeeded Miles Cahn as president. During Lew Frankfort’s leadership Coach hired Reed Krakoff, in 1996 whose is credited with Coach’s success from 1996. New York fashion designer and executive creative director of Coach, Inc. Reed Krakoff‘s design transformed Coach from the relatively small company in 1985, into the worldwide known brand that it is today. In 2010, Krakoff launched his own exclusive brand, called  Reed Krakoff, appointed as the head of the brand is Valerie Hermann, from Saint Laurent Couture. Krakoff announced in April 2013, he would be leaving Coach to focus on developing the Reed Krakoff label. Stuart Vevers is the executive creative director as of 2014.

17)  Karl Lagerfeld

Karl Lagerfeld born Karl Otto Lagerfeldt, on September 10, 1933, is a German fashion designer, artist, and photographer based in Paris. Lagerfeld is the head designer and creative director of the Chanel fashion house and Fendi Italian house and his own label fashion house. Lagerfeld is best known for his trademark white hair, black glasses and his high starched collars recognized around the world. After Lagerfeld won the designed compatition under the coats category sponsored by International Wool Secretariat in 1955, Lagerfeld was hired as assistant for French Fashion designer Pierre Balmain (May 18,1914 – June 29, 1982) for the house of Balmain, also known as the designer for the iconic uniform of the Singapore Airlines flight attendant’s, loosely based on the traditional Indonesian kebaya. Lagerfeld moved to Jean Patou in 1958, after three years working at house of Balmain where he designed for five years, two haute couture collections a year. In July 1958, his first collection was shown in a two-hour presentation, but he used an alias as Roland Karl, instead using his real name, Karl Lagerfeld, however, reporters started to refer him as Karl Lagerfelt or Karl Logerfeld in 1962. Lagerfeld owns a Persian cat named Choupette on June 1, 2013, which he stated he would marry, if it were legal and also owns a mansion in Paris. Fendi is an Italian luxury fashion house specializing in leather goods, fragances, eyewear, watches and writing instruments, and best known for the baguette handbags launched in 1925 by Edoardo and Adele Fendi as a fur and leather shop in Via del Plebiscito, Rome. Fendi today is a multinational luxury goods brand owned by LVMH, which Karl Lagerfeld is the creative director. In 1985, Fendi launched its first perfume for women. Fendi started making plans to use drones to show its catwalk fashions in 2014. The house of Fendi line has been expanded to Theorema Uomo and Fendi Uomo (for men) and Celebration, Asja and Fantasia (for women). And in August 2010, the latest fragrance of Fendi was released known Fan di Fendi. Marchon Eyewear licensed the Fendi’s eyewear line and includes prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses in addition to non-prescription sunglasses. Fendi currently licenses the production of watches to Taramax, in which it has a controlling interest featuring Swiss movements.

18)  Prada

Prada S.p.A. is an Italian house of luxury fashion which specialized in ready-to-wear leather and fashion accessories, shoes, luggage, perfumes, watches, and other items. Mario Prada (born in Milan, died in 1958) was the founder of the label Prada original designer of fashion in 1913, a company manufacturing in many high fashion goods for both men and women, including shoes, handbags, luggage and leather goods. Mario Prada and brother Martino Prada, started in 1914 as a shop for leathergoods named Fratelli Prada (English: Prada Brothers) in Milan,Italy, selling leather goods and imported English steamer trunks and handbags. Mario Prada believed that women should not have a role  in business, thus, he prevented female family members from entering into his company. However, Mario’s son showed no interest in the business, and so Luisa Prada, his daughter became his successor and took over the company of house of Prada, and ran it for almost twenty years. In 1970, Luisa Prada’s daughter, Miuccia Prada born Maria Bianchi on May 10, 1949 in Milan, Italy, joined the company,taking over for her mother in 1978. Muccia Prada is an Italian fashion designer and entrepreneur of Prada’s high fashion brand of women’s clothing, Miu Miu and accessories from the Prada fashion house opened in 1993. Muccia Prada is the youngest granddaughter of founder Mario Prada and also has a Ph.D in political science. Muccia Prada is married to Patrizio Bertelli and together have two sons (born 1988 and 1990 respectively).

19)  Hubert de Givenchy

Hubert de Givenchy born Count Hubert James Marcel Taffin de Givenchy (born February 21, 1927) is a French aristocrat and fashion designer, founder of The House of Givenchy in 1952. Givenchy became famous for designing for Audrey Hepburn‘s personal and professional wardrobe, as well as for Jacqueline Kennedy‘s clothing. In 1970, Hubert de Givenchy was named 1970′s International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame. After his father’s death from influenza In 1930, Hubert and his elder brother, Jean-Claude de Givenchy (born 1925-died 2009) became the future designer, who inherited the family’s marquessate and eventually became the president of Parfums Givenchy, after the death of their father, Lucien Taffin de Givenchy from influenza, were raised by their mother, Béatrice Badin-de Givenchy and maternal grandmother, Marguerite Dieterle Badin (1853–1940), the widow of Jules Badin (1843–1919), an artist, owner and director of the historic Gobelins Manufactory and Beauvais tapestry factories. Jules Dieterle, a set designer who also created designs for Beauvais factory was Givenchy’s maternal great-grandfather, also the designer of a set of 13 designs for the Élysée Palace, the official residence of the President of the French Republic. Givenchy’s prêt-à-porter or Ready-to-wear collection was launched in 1954, and later launched a men’s line. The young Givenchy decided he wanted to work in fashion design after he was impressed by the World’s Fair in Paris in 1937, studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. At age 17, Givenchy’s first designs were done in 1945 for fashion designer, Jacques Fath, and in 1946, designed for Robert Piguet and Lucien Lelong, working alongside the still-unknown Pierre Balmain and Christian Dior. Givenchy also worked for Elsa Schiaparelli, an avantgarde designer from 1947 to 1951. The House of Givenchy was split In 1981,the House of Givenchy with the perfume line going to the French Champagne house, Veuve Clicquot, while the fashion branch went to (LVMH Moët Hennessy • Louis Vuitton S.A.) LVMH‘s portfolio of upscale brands. LVMH owns Parfums Givenchy today and in 1993 achieved a total sales worth of $176 million, making it the second largest apparel division of LVMH after  Dior.

20)   Banana Republic

Banana Republic is a clothing and accessories retailer owned by American multinational corporation Gap Inc. founded in 1978 by Mel and Patricia Ziegler, with a safari theme in 1983, Gap purchased the company and gave it a more high in fashion image. The company operates more than 500 Banana Republic stores in the United States Puerto Rico, Canada, for Gap and Banana Republic in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Mel Ziegler and his wife Patricia Ziegler were the founders of Banana Republic and along with  William Rozenweig, they also co-founded the Republic of Tea, in 1992, blends and market organic and exotic teas around the world, but they sold both companies, Banana Republic and Republic of Tea. The Zieglers founded Zoza, another apparel company but this eventually failed. The Republic of Tea is known for packaging loose teas in tall, cylindrical, tea tins and tea bags, and the first companies to offer tea varieties such as red tea (Rooibos meaning red bush), White tea is a lightly oxidized tea grown and harvested primarily in China and Tea seed oil (also known as Tea Oil Camellia or oil-seed Camellia) to American consumers. The Zieglers and Rosenzweig sold the company to Ron Rubin, in 1994, who had previously experience in wine and beverage industry, whom under the Republic of Tea has grown into a nationally recognized brand in specialty tea sales.

21)  Gap

The Gap, Inc., commonly known as Gap Inc. or Gap, is an American multinational clothing and accessories retailer, founded in 1969 by Donald G. Fisher and Doris F. Fisher based in San Francisco, California. The Gap Inc. company operates five primary divisions, the namesake banner, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta. Gap Inc. was surpassed by Spanish-based Inditex Group as the largest apparel retailer in the world, based on the total numbers of international locations, but remained the largest retailer in the United States. The Fisher family remains deeply involved in the company, collectively owning much of its stock. Donald George Fisher (born September 3, 1928 – September 27, 2009) was an American businessman, philanthropist and co-founder of The Gap clothing stores with his wife Doris Feigenbaum-Fisher (born 1932), and together they have three children, Robert J. “Bob” Fisher (born August 26, 1954) an American businessman, and been the Gap Inc. director since 1990, William S. Fisher (born 1958) an American businessman, philanthropist and has  been a director of  Gap Inc. since 2009 and is the founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Manzanita Capital Limited, and John J. Fisher (born June 1, 1961) an American businessman and majority owner of Major League Baseball’s Oakland Athletics. Donald G. Fisher served as Gap Inc. Chairman of the Board until 2004, playing a role in the ouster of then-CEO Millard Drexler in 2002, and remained on the board until he died of cancer on September 27, 2009. Fisher’s wife, Doris and their son, Robert J. Fisher served board of directors for Gap Inc., Robert succeeded his father in 2004 as chairman and also served as CEO on an interim basis following the resignation in 2007 of Paul Pressler, before being succeeded by Glenn K. Murphy permanently.

22)   Ely Reeves Callaway Jr.

Ely Reeves Callaway Jr. was an American Entrepreneur, Textiles Executive, Winemaker and Vintner and Golf Club Manufacturer, and had three successful careers in textiles, wine and in golf. Ely Callaway was born in 1919 in LaGrange, Georgia and moved in New York and later in California. As a young boy, Ely Callaway played golf and was a distant cousin of golf legend Bobby Jones. Ely Callaway joined the Army in 1940  as a reserve officer and earning a commission of a reserve officer through a correspondence course. Callaway has the intent to stay away from the family business of textiles, but Callaway was assigned to the Philadelphia Centralized Procurement Agency, as the Army decided fabrics suited him after learning of their Callaway Mills and his family’s history in textiles. In October 1941, after he fulfilled his one year obligation and decided to re-enlist, and promoted to the major rank and became the youngest major in Philadelphia Quartermaster Depot and married at age 24. Calloway has three children, Reeves, Lisa and Nicholas, were born in the 1940s and 1950s and after Ely Callaway was discharged from the Army, he had various job offers and contacts in the textile industry. Callaway when young was charming and charismatic, he was chosen to launch a new company in New York and became a rising corporate star. Callaway’s one of his greatest success in textile business is the development of polyester blends (Polyethylene terephthalate blended first with wool and then with cotton, also be referred to by the brand name Dacron in Britain, Terylene in Russia and former Soviet Union, lavsan. Texron hired Ely Callaway  in the late 1950s, away from Deering-Milliken, and Textron was then sold to Burlington Industries. In 1960, Ely Callaway became vice president at Burlington, then in 1968, he became president and director. But retired in 1973, when he was passed over for the top spot as chairman of the company. Callaway Winery and Vineyard was purchased by Hiram Walker and Sons for $14 million in 1981, leaving Ely Callaway with a $9 million profit.  Callaway, retired for second time, played a golf often, when he discovered  Palm Spring golf shop area known as Hickory Stick Clubs, then owned by Richard Parente, Dick De La Cruz and Tony Manzoni, who was looking for investors, and Ely Callaway was looking for a third career. Ely Callaway purchased half ownership of Hickory Stick USA for $400,000, in 1982, and soon became Callaway Hickory Stick USA and purchased the company in full, by 1984 and it became Callaway Golf, his third and most successful business venture. Big Bertha Driver is the numerous line of golf clubs named by Callaway Golf, and made Callaway’s company an icon for entrepreneurs and big names in the game of golf. The name Big Bertha was chosen to evoke the famous German Big Bertha howitzer (which means Fat or heavy Bertha heavy weapon a type of artillery piece). Ely Callaway was diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer at age 82 in April 2001. In July 2001, after his cancer diagnosis Callaway died few months after.

23)   Gucci

Guccio Gucci (born March 26, 1881 in Florence – died on January 2, 1953) was an Italian businessman and fashion designer, founder of The House of Gucci, in Florence in 1921 as a small family-owned leather saddlery shop. In the 1920s, Guccio Gucci began selling leather bags to horsemen, and rapidly built a reputation for quality bags, as a young man, hiring the best craftsmen he could find work in his leather shops. Soon Gucci’s one-man business turned into a family business, when his sons Aldo,Vasco, Ugo and Rodolfo joined the Gucci company. From 1953 (after his father’s death) to 1986, Aldo Gucci (born May 26, 1905 – died January 19, 1990) was the chairman of Gucci Shops Inc., was the eldest of five children born to Guccio and Aida Gucci. His three brothers were, Vasco, Rodolfo and Enzo (who died aged nine), and a sister, Grimalda. Aldo also had an adopted brother, Ugo, from his mother’s previous relationship. Aldo Gucci had three sons, Giorgio, Paolo and Roberto (with relationship with Olwen Price), and a daughter, Patricia (with Bruna Palombo), all of his family members worked in the family business until 1987, when the company was sold. Aldo began work full-time at Gucci since age 20, until he opened his first shop in 1938, outside Rome, his native city and soon after took over the management of the company after his father’s death in 1953. Aldo later expanded the House of Gucci in Chicago, Palm Beach and Beverly Hills, expanding to Tokyo, Hong Kong and in cities around the world through a global franchising network. Aldo Gucci was dedicated to the expansion of Gucci for over 30 years, developing the company into a vertically integrated business with its own tanneries, manufacturing and retail premises. Aldo Gucci  was sentenced to one year and one day in prison for tax evasion in 1986 in New York. Aldo Gucci was 81, after 66 years as a family-owned business, Gucci was sold to Investcorp in 1987.  In January 1990, Thursday afternoon Aldo Gucci fell into coma. Aldo Gucci was hospitalized a week ago, before he fell into coma, for treatment of prostate cancer according to ANSA, the Italian news agency. Aldo Gucci, held a 40 percent stake in the company, once supervised Gucci’s operations in the United States. He pleaded guilty in January 1986 for tax evasion of more than $7 million in United States taxes and served a year in jail. Aldo Gucci, died on Friday morning, January 19, 1990 at the age of 84, and he was the last surviving son of the founder of the elite Italian fashion house that bore his family name.

24)   Versace

Gianni Versace born Giovanni Maria Versace, on December 2, 1946 , died July 15, 1997, was an Italian fashion designer and founder of Gianni Versace Sp.A., an international fashion house, manufacturing accessories, perfumes, makeup, clothes and home furnishings. Versace also create and designed costumes for actors performing in theatre and films. Gianni Versace is also a close friend of celebrities such as Eric Clapton,Diana, Princess of Wales, Madonna, Elton John, Cher, Sting and many more. Gianni Versace is openly gay, and living with his partner, Antonio D’Amico (born January 20, 1959), a model and also a fashion designer, and worked as designer for the Versace Sport Line. Currently, D’Amico runs his own fashion designing company. Gianni Versace was shot dead and murdered on July 15, 1997 at the age of 50, outside his Miami Beach home, the former Casa Casuarina known as The Villa By Barton G., by Andrew Cunanan, a spree killer who committed suicide eight days later using the same gun on a boat. Versace’s body was cremated and his ashes was brought home to their family estate near Cernobbio, Italy. Gianni Versace’s will left his partner, D’Amico with 50 million lire monthly pension for life or about €26,000 and the right to reside in any homes in Italy and the United States owned by Gianni Versace. However, in Gianni Versace’s will he left to D’Amico,  since the properties belonged to the Versace company, the homes belonged to Donatella, Santo, and Allegra Versace. D’Amico obtained a fraction of the pension, and a restricted right to live in Gianni’s properties after working out some agreements with their lawyers.  In September 1997, It was announced in September 1997, Santo, Versace’s brother, and Jorge Saud serve as the new CEOs of Gianni Versace S.P.A. Donatella,Versace’s sister, became the new Versace’s head of design.

Santo Versace (born December 16, 1944) is the president and co- Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Gianni Versace SpA., headquartered in Milan, Italy. Santo Versace was born in Reggio Calabria, where he was raised by their parents Antonio and mother, Francesca, a dressmaker, with his younger siblings Gianni and Donatella. An older sister, Tina, died at the age of twelve from a tetanus infection, which was treated improperly. Versace joined his father at the age of six and continued to work after school and summers, until he attended university.  Santo helped care for his younger sister, Donatella when not in school. Santo is married to Cristiana, lived in Milan with their two children, Francesca and Antonio. Santo is also the uncle of his sister Donatella’s two children, Allegra Beck Versace (born 30 June 1986) is an Italian heiress, daughter of designer Doantella Versace and former fashion model Paul Beck and Daniel Versace, his sister’s two children.  After the death of their brother and founder of Versace company, Gianni Versace, his brother Santo Versace, owns 30% percent, while Allegra Versace, daughter of Donatella, inherited 50% of the company stock. Donatella Versace, mother of Allegra, released a statement in March 2007, that her daughter was in treatment for anorexia.

25)  Dolce & Gabbana

Dolce&Gabbana is an Italian luxury industry house of fashion, which was started by Italian designers Domenico Dolce, born August 13, 1958 in Polizzi Generosa, Sicily and Stefano Gabbana, born November 14, 1962 in Milan. By 2005 their turnover was €597 million. In 1980, Dolce and Gabbana first met over the phone, when Gabbana called the fashion house to inquire for an employment, where Dolce was working as the first assistant, in Milan and later worked for the same fashion house, then both established a designer consulting studio in 1982,which became Dolce&Gabbana, and launched their first women’s collection in 1985. And later they launched their leotard line, two years after and they began designing underwear and swimming costumes,Domenico, in 1989. After Gabbana was being hired by the firm, Dolce took Gabana under his department and taught Gabbana how the process of designing and how to sketch new designs works, for a fashion house. Soon after his hiring, Gabbana was forced of mandatory military service for 18 months, but after his return from military services in 1982, Gabbana and Dolce established a designer consulting firm. Dolce&Gabbana had two central lines D&G and Dolce&Gabbana, until 2012, when the lines merged under the label Dolce&Gabbana, (spelled without spaces, unlike the name of the company) specializes in luxury items. It also sells sunglasses and corrective eye wear, purses, and watches. Dolce&Gabbana launched in April 2009, its make-up range, unveiled at Selfridges, London by actress and model Scarlett Johansson. It was announced in February 2010, that American singer Madonna would design a collection of sunglasses titled MDG, set to be released in May of that year.

26)  Bulgari

Bulgari is an Italian jewelry and luxury goods company. The trademark is usually written BVLGARI in the classical Latin alphabet (where V = English U), and is derived from the surname of the company’s Greek founder, Sotirios Voulgaris, in Italian, Sotirio Bulgari, (1857–1932). The Voulgaris name itself contains the root word Greek for Bulgarian, in which the company’s native name in Italian word Bulgari means Bulgarians or people of Bulgaria. Sotirios Voulgaris started as a jeweller in his home village Paramythia, Epirus, Greece, where his first store can still be seen. Voulgaris left for Corfu and then Naples in 1877, and finally moved to Rome, in 1881, where he founded his compaby and opened his second store in 1884 in Via Sistina, and was then replaced by the current flagship store in Via Condotti (officially Via dei Condotti, a busy and fashionable street of Rome, Italy. The shop was opened in 1905 by Bulgari with the help of his two sons, Costantino (1889–1973) and Giorgio (1890–1966). After Giorgio Bulgari‘s death in 1966, his son Gianni Bulgari took over the company in early 1970s  as co-chief executive with his cousin, Marina as chairman and CEO of Bulgari, Gianni initiated the company to have international markets by opening shops in New York, Geneva, Monte Carlo and Paris. Gianni established and launched a new watch business and focused on product designs and designer brands during the late 1970s. Gianni resigned as CEO in 1985 and left the family business in 1987, after selling his one-third shares in the company to his brothers Nicola and Paolo. French luxury group LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA announced on March 6, 2011, that it was acquiring Bulgari SpA in an all-share deal for €4.3 billion ($6.01 billion), higher than LVMH had offered for any other company. The Bulgari family sold their 50.4 per cent controlling shares in exchange for 3 per cent of LVMH, under the deal, becoming the second-biggest family shareholder behind the Arnaults in LVMH. The company’s takeover doubled the size of LVMH’s watches and jewellery unit, which during that time includes the acquisition of Tag Heuer timepieces and De Beers diamond necklaces which on October 4, 2011, the acquisition of Bulgari was delisted from the Borsa Italiana S.p.A., based in Milan and Italy’s main stock of exchange, however in 1997, it was privatized and became part of the London Stock Exchange Group plc since 2007. 

Gianni Bulgari

Gianni Bulgari is Greek-Italian jewelry designer, businessman and socialite and member of the Bulgari family of jewelers, and from 1960s until 1980s, he led the Bulgari company. Gianni Bulgari was the chairman of Fila from 1988 to 1998 after he left their family business and later, in 1989, he established his own luxury watchmaking and jewelry company GB-Enigma. In 1975, Gianni’s abduction made international news, after his captors released him for a ransom of about $2 million. Gianni Bulgari is part of the third generation of the founded Greek Bulgari family. Giorgio Bulgari his father, and his grandfather, Sotirio, was the founder of the Bulgari company. After Giorgio, his father’s death in 1966, Gianni led the company as co-chief executive with his cousin Marina. Gianni was chairman of Fila, from 1988 to 1998, the Italian sportswear company. In 2011, Gianni launched its first fine jewelry collection, in collaboration with the Italian fashion house Ferragamo to create its Futurista, Vara, and Gancino jewelry lines. Gianni Bulgari has one son, Giorgio Armani, who works with him at GB-Enigma. Gianni Bulgari led a playboy lifestyle, and also as a race car driver.

27)   Fila

Fila was founded in 1911 in Italy, also known as one of the world’s largest companies for manufacturing sportswear. Fila Korea, now owned Fila and operates from South Korea since its takeover in 2007, headed by chairman and CEO Yoon-Soo Yoon or Yoon Yoon-su, also known in English as Gene Yoon, born  September 9, 1945, a South Korean business man. Fila has offices and shops in 11 countries worldwide. In 1909, Fila was created and founded by the Fila brothers in Biella, Piedmont, Italy, and started originally by making clothing for the people of the Alps in Italy, now manufacturing sportswear for men, women, kids and athletes. The original Italian shop ownership is the Holding di Partecipazioni sold the company in 2003, to US hedge fund Cerberus Capital Management, during the time the company was under pressure, after the company over-committed itself to expensive athletic endorsements. Cerberus owned Fila through Sports Brands International holding company, which owned and operated all Fila businesses around the world except Fila Korea, which was a separate company operating the brand under license. The global Fila brand and all its international subsidiaries were acquired by Fila Korea from SBI in January 2007, which made it the largest South Korean sportswear company. Currently, Fila Korea holds all of the rights to the use of footwear worldwide and clothing brands of the parent company. The ANTA Sports acquired the rights to use the brand in China, the Full Prospect company in 2009, from Belle International, Fila Korea still owned 15% shares of the joint venture with Full Prospect company. Fila Korea Ltd. acquired on May 2011, the Acushnet Company, global golf equipment maker, becoming the new owner of leading golf brands such as Titleist for $1.23 billion. Titleist is an American brand name golf equipment and apparel products produced by the Acushnet subsidiary, which is based in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, founded by Philip E. Young, in 1932 and is a subsidiary of the Fila company in South Korea.

28)  Salvatore Ferragamo

Salvatore Ferragamo born June 5, 1898 –died August 7, 1960, was an Italian shoe designer, worked with many Hollywood stars in the 1920s, before returning to Italy, and he is the founder of Salavatore Ferragamo S.p.A. making unique handmade footwear. Salvatore Ferragamo is famous for his creation known as the cage heel and the wedge heel. Ferragamo opened a small store based in his parent’s home after studying for a year in shoemaking. Ferragamo emigrated to Boston in the United States in 1914, where one of his brothers worked in a facoty of cowboy boot. Ferragamo went back to Italy in 1927, after spending 13 years in the United States, and live in Florence, Italy. Ferragamo started to produced fashion luxurious shoes to riach and famous wealthiest and most powerful women of the century, such as Maharani of Cooch Behar, Eva Peron, Marilyn Monroe and other influential personalities. Ferragamo was always recognized as a Fashion visionary, and his designs ranged from the strikingly bizarre objet d’art or work of art, to traditional elegant shoes, and served as inspiration to other footwear designers of his time. In 1960, Salvatore Ferragamo died at the age of 62, but his name lives on as an international brand, which has expanded its operations to include luxury shoes, bags, eyewear, silk accessories, watches, perfumes and a ready-to-wear clothing line. Ferragamo’s wife Wanda took over the company after his death, and later their six children Fiamma, Giovanna, Fulvia, Ferruccio, Massimo and Leonardo ran the Ferragamo company. Fiamma Ferragamo, Salvatore’s eldest daughter who died in 1998, inherited her father’s inimitable talent and came up with the Vara pumps in 1978. The Ferragamo’s fashion house, Salvatore Ferragamo Italia S.p.A. established the Ferragamo Foundation in Florence in March 2013. The foundation was formed to cultivate young fashion designers, based on the ideas of Salvatore Ferragamo.

29)  Giorgio Armani

Giorgio Armani born 11 July 1934, is an Italian fashion designer, particularly noted for his menswear, known for his clean, tailored lines, founded the Giorgio Armani S.p.A. company in 1975, and was acclaimed as the most successful designer from Italy by 2001, with an annual turnover of $1.6 billion and a personal fortune of $8.5 billion as of 2013. Armani was born in Piacenza, the northern town in Italy, where he was raised by his parents, Ugo Armani and mother, Maria Raimondi with older brother Sergio and younger sister Rosanna. The Girogio Armani S.p.A. is an international Italian fashion house, designing, manufactures, distributes, and retails haute couture or ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes, watches, jewelry, accessories, eyewear, cosmetics, and home interiors. The Armani brand, markets these products under several sub-labels, such as Giorgio Armani, Armani Collezioni, Emporio Armani, AJ | Armani Jeans, AX | Armani Exchange, Armani Junior, and Armani/Casa. These brand utilizes the association of the Armani name with high-fashion, benefitting from its prestige fashion industry. Football star Cristiano Ronaldo and Hollywood movie star Megan Fox, became the male and female face and body endorser of Emporio Armani in January 2010. Megan Fox was replaced with singer Rihanna and Ronaldo was replaced by tennis athlete Rafael Nadal as the new Armani endorser in 2011. Emporio Armani has teamed up with Reebok (founded by J.W. Foster and Sons in 1895) to create fashion shoes under the label EA7. A|X Armani Exchange launched in 1991 in the U.S., and sell retails fashion and lifestyle products, known for its occasionally provocative ad campaigns. Inspired by street-chic culture and dance music, it is targeted as the more accessible Armani brand. On April 27, 2010, the Armani Hotel opened in Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

Donna Karan

Donna Karan, also known for her alias DK, is an American fashion designer and the creator of the Donna Karan New York and clothing labels DKNY. Donna Karan worked for Anne Klein, after college, and later became the head of the Anne Kelin design team until 1985, when she launched her own fashion house Donna Karan label. Takihyo Corporation of Japan became the new owner when Anne Klein died in 1974 and Donna Karan, together with Louis Dell’ Ollio, her former classmate and friend, became head designer of the house. Donna Karan left Anne Klein in 1984 and, together with her then husband Stephan Weiss and Takihyo Corporation, started her own business “to design modern clothes for modern people”. She showed her first women’s clothing collection in 1985. Karan always insisted that she would only design clothes, like jersey dresses and opaque Lycra tights, that she herself could wear. In 1988, Donna Karan, was named The Queen Of Seventh Avenue, in 1988, and created expensive line of clothing to extend her women’s ‘Donna Karan New York’ line for younger women, known as DKNY. Karan created DKNY Jeans, a denim-inspired collection two years later and in 1992, she launched the DKNY for men, one year after the ‘Signature’ line for men had been presented. In 1997, Donna Karan left her CEO position, but continued to work in the company as the designer and chairwoman for the Donna Karan line. Karan’s designer contributions became lesser in the market after 2002.  In August 2008, Karan relaunched her unfinished fragrances lines production from the 1990s. Donna Karan, born as Donna Ivy Faske, is Jewish, and married to Mark Karan in the early 1970s, they had a daughter and divorced in 1978. She married artist Stephan Weiss, in 1983, who would later become co-CEO of the Donna Karan company. In 2001, Stephan Weiss died of lung cancer.

30)  Marks and Spencer or M&S

Marks and Spencer plc, also known as M&S, known colloquially as Marks and Sparks, Marks’s or, as simple as Marks, is a major British multinational retailer based in Westminster City, London. The M&S founded in 1884, specializes in the clothing and luxury food products selling. Michael Marks (unknown birth year, 1859, 1863 or 1864 – died on December 31, 1907),  a Belarusian Jew from Slonim was one of the co-founders of Marks & Spencer, the retail chain store of clothing, luxury items and goods. Marks was born into a Polish-Jewish family, he was a Polish refugee living in the Russian Empire (now in Belarus), and Thomas Spencer (1852 – 25 July 1905) was co-founder of Marks & Spencer, a major British retailer, a cashier from Yorkshire, was born in Skipton, Yorkshire, married to Agnes Spencer Whitfield in 1892 at St Saviour, Cross Green, Leeds. Michael Marks worked for a company in Leeds, called Barran, upon his arrival in England, which employed refugees. Marks met Isaac Jowitt Dewhirst in 1884, while looking for work, who taught him a little English, and lent him £5 which he used to establish his Penny Bazaar on Kirkgate Market in Leeds. During that time, Tom Spencer was the cashier of  Dewhirst, an excellent book-keeper, whose second wife, Agnes, a lively and intelligent woman helped Michael Marks improve his English. When Michael Marks acquired a permanent stall in Leeds’ coveted market in 1894, he convinced Spencer to become his partner. And since then, Marks and Spencer, are known colloquially as Marks and Sparks or M&S, known for its reputation in the early 20th century on a policy of only selling British-made goods only, however, in 2002, this policy discontinued. The M&S entered into long term contract with British manufacturers, selling clothes and food under the brand of St Michael, introduced in 1928 which honors Michael Marks. The M&S also accepted the return of unwanted items, and refund a full cash to customers, if the receipt was shown, and does not matter how long ago the product was purchased, which during those time, it was unusual. The M&S adopted a 90-day returns policy in 2005 and on April 12, 2009 the refund policy changed once again to 35 days. Nearly all goods were sold under the label of  St Michael in 1950, while the M&S lingerie, clothing for women and girls’ school uniform were branded under the label of St Margaret, until the whole variety of products of general merchandise became St Michael label. When Michael Marks died, his son Simon Marks, 1st Baron Marks of Broughton (July 9, 1888–December 8, 1964), was a British Jewish businessman, took over the M&S company. Simon Marks inherited several penny bazaars in 1907, from his father, Michael Marks established with partner Thomas Spencer, and when Simon Marks died in 1964, after fifty-six years’ service. English businessman and Zionist Israel Moses Sieff, Baron Sieff took over as chairman and John Joseph Salisse became the company Director from 1968 until 1985. In 1974, a cautious international expansion began with the introduction of Asian food, in 1975, the M&S chain of stores opened in continental Europe and four years later it opened in Ireland. When Simon Marks died in December 1964, aged 76, he was succeeded in the barony by his only son Michael.

Levi Strauss

Levi Strauss born in Buttenheim, Germany on February 26, 1829 – died September 26, 1902) was an American businessman of German Jewish descent, founder of the first company in 1853 to manufacturing blue jeans, known the Levi Strauss & Co. in San Francisco, California. Levi Strauss, traveled to the United States at the age of 18, with his mother and two sisters to join his brothers Jonas and Louis, who had begun a wholesale dry goods business named J. Strauss Brother & Co. based in New York City. Fanny (Levi’s sister) and her husband David Stern moved to St. Louis, Missouri, while Levi choose to lived in Louisville and sold the supplies of his brothers in Kentucky. Levi Strauss became a USA citizen in January 1853. Levi opened Levi Strauss & Co., his wholesale business of dry goods and imported fine dry goods such as clothing, bedding, combs, purses, handkerchiefs from his brothers in New York. Levi also peddled canvas for tents to the gold prospectors. Jacob W. Davis born Jacob Youphes (1831–1908) was a tailor being the first person to create working pants in 1871, in Reno, Nevada, with reinforcement copper rivets, a permanent mechanical fastener one of Strauss’s customers and inventor of the first pair of riveted denim pants, went into business with Strauss to produce blue jeans. In 1973, Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis patented the new style of work pants. Levi Strauss died on September 26, 1902 in San Francisco at the age of 73. Levi Strauss never married, so he left the business to his four nephews sons of her sister Fanny and husband David Stern, Jacob, Sigmund, Louis, and Abraham Stern. Levi Strauss was buried in Colma, California.   Levi’s fortune was estimated to be around 6 million dollars, estimated today as of 2014 dollar rate, about $163,546,154.  Levi Strauss & Co. also known as LS&CO or simply Levi’s, is a privately held American clothing company known worldwide for its denim jeans Levi’s brand. Levi Strauss leading apparel industry in trademark infringement cases, filing nearly 100 lawsuits against competitors since 2001 according to New York Times report. The most cases filed, center on the allegedly imitation of Levi’s back pocket double arc stitching pattern under (U.S. trademark #1,139,254), which Levi filed in 1978 for trademark imitation. Levi’s has successfully sued Guess?, Polo Ralph Lauren, Esprit Holdings, Zegna, Zumiez and Lucky Brand Jeans and other companies.

Guess

Guess brand styled as GUESS or Guess?, is an American luxurious clothing line brand, which also markets other accessories other than clothes such as jewelry, watches and perfumes. The GUESS company also owns the line Marciano and G by Guess (under the management of Paul and Maurice).  Paul Marciano, born 1952 in Debdou, Morocco is a Moroccan-born American fashion designer of Jewish descent and co-founder of Guess? Inc. and the mastermind behind the image of Guess? brand. The Marciano brothers (Paul Marciano, Maurice and Georges) founded Guess Jeans in 1981, and they sold a 50% stake in Guess Jeans in 1983 to the Nakash Brothers, Joseph “Joe” Nakash, Abraham “Avi” Nakash, and Raphael “Ralph” Nakash of New York. In 1990, the Nakash brothers settled for $66 million of $106 million contractual arrangement profits and the ownership of the Gasoline brand name, while the Marciano brothers received the Diesel brand. In 1981, the brothers Paul and Maurice Marciano, moved to Los Angeles and opened their first store in luxurious Beverly Hills area, in which at that time, Guess was one of the most popular brands of jeans. The company was one of the first companies to create designer jeans, and later introduced its new line of watches known as Guess, Guess Steel, and the Guess Collection. In 1984, Guess also introduced Baby Guess, a baby line of clothes, which today, is now incorporated with clothing for toddlers and kids known as  GUESS kids. Sales dropped and Guess discontinued their home division by the end of the decade. The company began to take a downturn during the 1990s, after the 1980s Abigail line, just like other companies that start to rise in popularity with their designer’s brand such as Calvin Klein, Diesel, Tommy Hilfiger, and Gap. The sales of the company Guess suffered, and its stock dropped dramatically.

Joseph “Joe” Nakash (born 1942) is an American businessman, real estate investor, and co-founder of designer jeans brand known as Jordache Enterprises, with brothers, Abraham “Avi” Nakash, and Raphael “Ralph” Nakash of New York. In 1989, the joint venture business soured, with the Marcianos when a California superior court jury found that the Nakashes had fraudulently lured the Marcianos into the transaction. In 1990, The Nakash brothers settled for $66 million of $106 million a contractual arrangement in which a third party receives and disburses money or documents for the primary transacting parties, profits and the ownership of the brand name Gasoline went to Nakash brothers,while the Marciano brothers received the brand Diesel. In 1993, Paul Marciano became president and chief operating officer of the company. Paul and Maurice Marciano together owned close to 70 percent of the 44 million shares in 2004. Joe Nakash was born to a poor Syrian Jewish family in Israel, and Joe Nakash immigrated to New York City in 1962. Joe Nakash worked as a stock boy and saved enough money and in 1966, Joe brought his brothers Raphael (Ralph) and Abraham (Avi) to the United States. In 1974, The Nakash brothers, purchased an appliance store, pooling their savings of  $20,000, known as V.I.M. and opened a retail store in Bushwick, Brooklyn, selling irregular jeans that holds onto the designer jeans popularity and started to manufacture their own brand of upscale jeans under the Jordache label. The Nakash brothers acquired in 1983,  a 50% stake in Guess Jeans from the Marciano Brothers, Paul, Georges, Armand and Maurice, of Los Angeles. The Nakash brothers then moved into contract manufacturing of jeans and clothing for Tommy Hilfiger, the Gap, American Eagle, and Abercrombie & Fitch. They purchased the Versache Mansion in 2013, in Miami Beach with Eli Gandi (of the Gandi family founder of Century 21 department store) where the Nakash brothers owned five hotels. Joe Nakash is married and practice Judaism. Joe Naksh son, Steve Nakash, works in the family business.

Ralph Lauren

Ralph Lauren born Ralph Lifshitz on October 14, 1939 in New York City, is an American business executive and fashion designer, founder of Polo Ralph Lauren clothing brand, and a global multi-billion-dollar enterprise. In 2004, Rugby Ralph Lauren a more youthful clothing  line was introduced. Under the portfolio of the Ralph Lauren Corporation, the company produces clothing, accessories, footwear, fragrances, and furniture of various brands. Ralph Lauren Corporation has also become well known for his rare automobiles collections, some of which have been displayed in museum exhibits. Forbes estimates Ralph Lauren’s wealth at $7.5 billion dollars as of September 2012, making Ralph Lauren the 162nd world’s richest person. Ralph Lauren was born Ralph Lifshitz, but at the age of 16, he changed his surname to Lauren, claimed in Oprah Winfrey interview, that his given name has the word “shit” in it, which when at young age he suffered being bullied by other kids. Lauren married Ricky Anne Loew-Beer on December 20, 1964 in New York City. Ricky Loew-Beer is the daughter of Margaret Vytouch, an Austrian Catholic mother, and Rudolph Loew-Beer a Jewish father. The two met six months earlier, in an eye doctor’s office where Ricky was working as a receptionist. Ralph Lauren kept it a secret from his parents that wife Ricky, was half Jewish and that her mother was a gentile or non-Jewish faith. The Lauren couple have three children together, Andrew Lauren (born 1969) film producer and actor, David Lauren (born 1971) Senior Vice President, Advertising, Marketing and Corporate Communications at Polo Ralph Lauren. In September 2011, David Lauren married Lauren Bush, niece of former President Goerge W. Bush. Dylan Lauren born May 9, 1974, owner of chain of boutique candy shops, Dylan’s Candy Bar, based in New York City, claims to be the largest candy store in the world. Dylan Lauren is married to hedge fund manager Paul Arrouet in June 2011, Dylan wearing a Ralph Lauren bridal gown. Ralph Lauren was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor in early 1987, and underwent surgery in April 1987, to remove the tumor and made a full recovery.

Esprit Holdings Limited

Douglas Tompkins, is an American environmentalist,conservationist, prominent landowner and a former businessman, born in Ohio in 1943. Tompkins co-founded and ran two clothing companies such as The North Face, the outdoor clothing company and with his then-wife, Susie Tompkins Buell (born 1943), an American entrepreneur and a liberal political donor associated with the Democracy Alliance. Susie Tompkins Buell and Jane Tise co-founded the Plain Jane clothing label in 1967. Doug and Susie Tompkins met Michael Ying in 1971, who became the founder of the predecessor of Esprit Far East Group which acted as a principal sourcing agent for the U.S. business, where Doug and Susie became shareholders. Doug and Susie bought out the share of Plain Jane in the business, and formed production partnerships, sales and distribution in Hong Kong and Jurgen Friedrich in Dusseldorf, Germany creating the international network and remained as the backbone of the company and later recommended changing the company’s name to Esprit.The company Esprit became the world’s leading luxury lifestyle group American style was popular throughout Europe. In 1990, the company seeing Doug and Susie going their separate ways, Susie Tompkins Buell, Michael Ying and Jurgen Friedrich now shared ownership of the company worldwide. Plain Jane clothing label was making $2 million per year by 1970. The global clothing brand had reached $800 million in sales by 1986. The Tompkins couple divorced in 1988, leaving the Esprit clothing company and the business world in 1989, Douglas Tompkins has concentrate to environmental activism and land conservation. Doug Tompkins married former CEO of Patagonia, Inc. and conservationist Kristine McDivitt Tompkins in 1993, since then the two have worked together on their conservation projects. The Esprit logo was developed by John Casado in 1979. Esprit’s products include casual sportswear and clothing collection for men and women, sports wear such as skiwear, fitness fashion and street casual wear, accessories such as bags, shoes and bodywear, day and night underwear and swimwear for men, women and children. Esprit announced that it will close all retail stores in North America in February 2012, because they have been losing money. Raymond Or Ching-fai (born 1949 Xiamen,Fujian, China) the Vice Chairman of G-Resources Group and the Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of China Strategic Group  and the chairman of Esprit Holdings, headquartered in Kowloon, Hong Kong, and Ratingen near Düsseldorf, Germany. Esprit Holdings Limited, 2007 to 2008′s business year, generated a worldwide sales of around EUR 3.25 billion.

Michael Ying or Ying Lee Yuen born December 1949) is a self-made Hong Kong billionaire, business magnate, leader and philanthropist, former chairman and chief executive officer of Esprit Holdings Limited. Esprit hired Ying in 1970 as its sole sourcing agent, which Esprit is one of the first kind to manufacture clothing at that efficiency and productivity level. In 1970s, Esprit Far East Group began operating, when its founders Susie and Douglas Tompkins began business with Ying. During Michael Ying 13-year tenure as chairman, he helped oversee Esprit’s global expansion and a sales surge that ended in 2006. Michael Ying has maintain a low profile in Asia, and dedicated his time to his family and Yanai Foundation. Ying is also known ‘one of his kind’ man, often loves the outdoors, diving, golf and exploration. Ying married Hong Kong ballerina Flora Cheong-Leen, turned entrepreneur, in 1986 and together have one daughter born in 1987, Claudine Ying. The couple Michael Ying and Flora Cheong-Leen divorced in 1988.  In 1995, Ying married Taiwan actress Lin Ching Hsia aka Brigitte Lin or Brigitte Lin Ching Hsia on June 29, 1994, former superstar, and has two children together, Ying Oi Lum (born 1996) and Ying Yin Oi (born 2001).