Subscribe to RR1 Live+ for exclusive virtual events all year long , conversations with Robb Report editors, special perks, and more.is the most successful American fashion designer of all time, having built his brand upon an idealized, optimistic vision of America, a greatest hits of the 50 states, which he disseminated throughout his homeland and exported around the world.
“I loved what I did. I loved the product, I loved designing it,” he says. “My friends were wearing what I was making. I knew I had the style. I loved the Duke of Windsor and Fred Astaire. Movies were very inspirational to me… I actually made the clothes I couldn’t find. I couldn’t find the Duke of Windsor [style] anywhere. I knew what he looked like, but you couldn’t walk into a store and buy a double-breasted blazer or tweed suit or suede elbow patches.
“I remember going up to get one of the Coty Awards, it was a big deal at the time,” he says. “And the woman from?’ I was wearing blue jeans and a tuxedo jacket. Those things are old news for me now. But she didn’t get it. It was brand-new. The designers got it, other people got it, but the [American] magazines were not really with it. And the magazine editors, they liked what they saw in Europe.” It’s something that still rankles.
“Oh, yeah—I work on the collections,” he confirms. “But I have great designers that have worked for me for 30 years. Having all the things that I have, you have to have a team you can rely on. I’m happy with what I’ve built. I’m proud of the company.”