Issac Mizrahi
(1961 - )
Isaac Mizrahi was born in Brooklyn, New York, in October 14, 1961. Mizrahi studied at the Performing Arts High School and after graduating attended Parsons School of Design. He then worked for Perry Ellis, Jeffrey Banks and Calvin Klein.
In 1987, Mizrahi started his own business. In the spring of 1988, he presented his first show. Mizrahi became an overnight sensation, winning The Best Newcomer Award in 1988 and in 1989 the award for Best Women's Designer from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). He went on to win CFDA's prized Designer of the Year award three more times.
Isaac Mizrahi has created costumes for movies, theater, dance and opera in collaboration with Mark Morris, Twyla Tharp, Mikhail Baryshnikov and The Roundabout Theatre Company among others. In 2002, Isaac Mizrahi received the Drama Desk Award for his costume designs for "The Women." In 1992, Isaac Mizrahi entered into a partnership with Chanel.
In 1994, Mizrahi hosted his own talk show on the cable channel Oxygen. His preparations for the fall line in 1994 were filmed for the documentary movie Unzipped, which was released in 1995.The film was praised for its honest look at both the glamour and the competitiveness of the fashion business. It also raised Mizrahi's profile among the general public, transforming him from a successful young designer into a celebrity. The year 1997 proved to be a milestone in Mizrahi's career. He announced an unprecedented deal with three major Asian markets in Japan, Singapore, and Korea which included freestanding stores, in-store shops, wholesale distribution, manufacturing, and sublicenses in Japan, and shops and distribution in Southeast Asia. In 1998, Mizrahi shut down his design business after Chanel, his financial backer, pulled out due to concerns about low sales figures.
In 1998, Mizrahi formed a production company with his vice president of public relations Nina Santisi, called Baby. Mizrahi eventually returned to fashion in 2004 bringing high fashion to the average, cost-conscious consumer. He launched a line of affordable clothing, in partnership with Target, the discount retailer.
The line was discontinued in 2008 as Mizrahi left for Liz Claiborne. He only designed for Liz Claiborne for one year until 2009.
In 2010, Isaac Mizrahi can be seen on QVC selling merchandise.
