In 1953, he hired Yves Saint Laurent as an assistant. After Dior's sudden death in October 1957 in Italy, Saint Laurent became head designer.
Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren’s real last name was Lifshitz which was changed in the 1950’s by him and his siblings. He was born in 1939 in the Bronx in New York. He studied art and design at the City College of New York, and business at City College in Manhattan. While studying he also worked for a necktie manufacturer during the day. After being in military service, he married and had 3 children. He founded the Polo label in 1967. In 1992 Audrey Hepburn presented Ralph Lauren with the CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award.
In 1970, Ralph Lauren won the Coty Award for Menswear. He continued that decade by releasing a daring line of suit for women tailored in a classic men’s style. The Polo player’s emblem was first seen on the cuff of one of these woman’s suits. In 1972 Polo’s famous short sleeve mesh shirt appeared with the omnipresent Polo player logo. Debuting in 24 colours it offered variety, quality and style and became an overnight classic.
During the 1970`s, Men’s fragrances began to be taken more seriously as a marketing category and he released a whole range of different fragrances.
In 1983 Ralph Lauren debuts his Home Collection of towels, bedding, rugs and table coverings. Over time this line evolved to include crafted home furniture. His whole range of products ranging from colognes, perfumes, cosmetics, accessories, sheets, drapes, and even paint!
Collette Dinnigan
Collette Dinnigan was born in 1966 in South Africa but was raised in New Zealand. She complete design courses at Wellington Polytechnic, New Zealand. She travelled to Europe and then arrived in Australia to work in the costume department of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
In 1990, she launched the label Palladium and then launched her signature label Collette Dinnigan. She began as a lingerie designer but then expanded to design many different types of women’s wear. She opened her first boutique in Paddington, Sydney in 1992. As the business expanded, she opened more stores in Melbourne and in London. As well as this, she has her collection stocked by some major department stores.
In 1995, Collette became the first Australian based designer to mount a full-scale ready to wear parade in Paris and she remains the only one to have been invited to do so by the Chambre Syndicale du prêt-a-porter des couturiers et des createurs de mode. She was the winner of many awards including Australian Designer of the Year, 1996; Louis Vuitton Business Award, 1997; Fashion Group International Award for Excellence, 1998 and throughout Australia and internationally.
At 2000 her garments were exported to 80 countries and she had shown nine collections in Paris. In 2001 Collette teamed up with iconic UK retailer Marks & Spencer and launched an exclusive lingerie collection under the name of Wild Hearts.
R. M. Williams
Reginald Murray Williams was born in 1908 at Belalie North in Australia. He was born into a pioneer settler’s family living in the bush where there was no water and electricity. At 10, his family moved to Adelaide so he and his sisters could go to school. He didn’t like school so he left home at 15.
He married Thelma Mitchell and they decided to return to the Flinders Ranges. Dollar Mick, a clever craftsman taught R.M. how to do complicated leatherwork making: leather bridles, pack saddles and boots.
In 1932 RM's child developed a disease. Hospital treatment cost money, so he went to see Sir Sidney Kidman showing him his leatherwork. Kidman agreed to buy his saddles. With the money, R.M. set up a small factory in his father's shed back in Adelaide.
As word spread about R.M. Williams Bushmen products, he had to borrow money to expand his business to keep up with the orders. He was soon deep in debt. But one day a woman that owned a gold mine near Tennant Creek offered to sell it to R.M. for seventy two thousand pounds. R.M. bought it and eventually they hit gold - so much gold that their mine, 'Nobles Nob' became one of the richest small gold mines in Australia.
His love of the bush also led him to publish five books of Australian poetry and help establish the 'Stockmen's Hall of Fame'.
Akira Isogawa
Akira Isogawa was born in Kyoto in 1966, and left when he was 22 years old after studying Buddhism, Welfare and Education at Bukkyo University. Arriving in Australia in 1986, he worked as a kitchen hand for two years, saving until he could afford to enrol in a fashion Design Course at East Sydney Technical College. He studied and worked at the same time as tour guide, and also managed to make clothes for friends in the evenings. In 1991 he completed his first collection, and in 1993 he opened his signature boutique at 12a Queens Street Woollahra. In 1996 he took part in the first Australian Fashion Week, receiving the FIA First Cut Award. In 1997 he participated once more, in the joint Ready to Wear Section, causing a sensation with both the local and international press, when he presented his Spring/Summer '97/98 Collection. He has enjoyed extensive media coverage since then, more than doubling his orders, selling Australia-wide, to New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Great Britain, the USA and Italy. He is expanding slowly but surely, as is his nature. The Powerhouse Museum in Sydney has chosen him as one of their four creators of the Fashion of the Year for 1997. (He was selected alongside John Galliano for Dior and the late Gianni Versace. He will show his Southern Hemisphere Summer Collection in Sydney in May 1998 at the Australian Fashion Week, and he will most probably take a small collection with him to Paris in March when he attends the Premier Vision fabric Fair.
Portmans
The Bloom family established Portmans in the 1950's. Joseph Bloom and his sons were initially manufacturers, supplying women's fashion to the retail market. It was in the early 50's that they opened their first retail store in Victoria's Chapel Street, Prahran. The Blooms were careful to set prices in the low to medium range - affordable fashion was they key to their foray into retail.
The Portmans brand started to grow in the 1960's within Victoria and expanded to become, in the early 80's, the national chain it is today. Today Portmans is one of the leading women's fashion retailers in Australia. In 2000, Portmans updated its logo and introduced a new look. Portmans stores all now have bold new signage and many have updated shop fits. New stores were opened in Riverbank in Parramatta, Burwood in inner Sydney and the Queen Adelaide Building in Brisbane. The year 2000, also saw the update of the Portmans website and e-port their online email club was introduced. December 2001 saw the introduction of the "Into Portmans" campaign.
In May 2002, Just Jeans holdings acquired the Portmans brand and retail stores. Following the acquisition, the Just Jeans Group will have annual turnover exceeding $520 million. It will operate over 620 retail stores in Australia and New Zealand and employ over 4,000 people. The company has grown from humble family beginnings and is now part of one of Australia fastest growing retail corporations.
Dolce & Gabbana
Dolce & Gabbana was formed by two men which were Dominico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. Dolce was born on 13th of August 1958 in Polizzi Generosa (Palermo). Gabbana was born on the 14th of November 1962 in Milan. They opened their first studio in 1982 and their brand name first rose internationally three years later. They opened more showrooms and developed many different collections. Some of these were: lingerie, beachwear, menswear, scarves, ties, bridal wear, underwear, jeans, fragrances, eyewear, accessories, sun care and watches.
In June 1999, they introduced a distinctive new label where they separated men and women’s clothing. This was distinguished between a black label and a white label, done to satisfy the customer’s demands. In February 2000, an official website was constructed, featuring images, and information about the “Dolce & Gabbana World'.
They have gained many international awards for their outstanding achievements, some of which were: The Woolmark Award for the most innovative Men's collection of the year, the best feminine fragrance of the year, best masculine fragrance, best packaging and best communication of the year, "Designer of the Year" award voted by the readers of the British magazine FHM, footwear designer of the year by the American magazine "Footwear News", "Style Award" assigned by Russian Harper's Bazaar and the Kodak Award "Gli indelebili" as best designers of the year.
Versace
Gianni Versace was born in Reggio Calabria, Italy, on December 2, 1946. After an apprenticeship at his mother's dressmaking business, he began working as a freelance designer. At age 25, Versace was creating prêt-a-porter collections for top fashion houses of the time, including Genny, Complice and Callaghan. In 1978, with the help of his brother, Santo, he founded the Gianni Versace Company. The Italian parent company of the Versace Group, Gianni Versace S.p.A., designs, markets and distributes luxury clothing, accessories, fragrances, makeup and home furnishings under the various brands of the Versace Group. These brands include: Versace, Versus, Versace Jeans Couture, Versace Classic V2, Versace Sport, Versace Intensive, Versace Young and Palazzo Versace. Versace's Style Department employs a group of designers and stylists who work in teams specifically dedicated to each individual line. All of these teams operate under the close supervision and guidance of Creative Director, Donatella Versace, Gianni's younger sister. Versace collections are distributed through a network of 240 exclusive boutiques, over 150 dedicated spaces in major department stores and duty-free areas, as well as a number of selective multi-brand boutiques in 60 countries. The Versace Group directly employs 1,500 people and provides indirect labour for an additional 5,000 worldwide. With a solid international presence, the Versace Group boasted sales in excess of 822 billion lira and net earnings of 18 billion lira in the 1999 fiscal year.
