Bill Blass
(1922-2002)
Born William Ralph Blass in Fort Wayne, Indiana , in 1922. He began his education at the Parsons School of Design. He worked briefly as a sketch artist for a sportswear firm from 1940 to 1941, but was short lived due to his military obligations in World War II. After the war was over, Blass began
his career as a fashion designer. He first worked with the Maurice Rentner, Ltd. firm. In 1970 he bought the firm and renamed it Bill Blass Ltd. which would become one of the most successful American fashion houses of the late twentieth century.
Blass created a glamorous but restrained look that won him a faithful following among women of style, including Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush, Candice Bergen, and Barbara Walters. His evening-wear referenced Hollywood glamour. One of his most famous evening gowns consisted of a cashmere sweater top and a bouffant satin skirt.
Blass showed great business acumen in making Bill Blass Ltd. one of the leaders of the licensing boom that took off in the fashion industry in the 1980s. Blass retired from his business after suffering a stroke in 1998, and the company was sold to its backers in 1999. Blass died in 2002, but Bill Blass Ltd. continued to thrive, with Lars Nilsson as the founder’s first successor. Michael Vollbracht replaced Nilsson as the firm’s chief designer in 2003.
