Founded: by Roger Saul and his mother, Joan, to produce leather accessories, 1971. Company History: Opened factory, Chilcompton, Bath, England, and set up wholesale operation in Australia, 1973; Mulberry Ltd.
Born: Josie Cruz in Manila, Philippines, 9 May 1947. Education: Studied at Manhattanville College, Bronxville, New York, 1964-68, B.A., Economics.
Born: Elda, Alicante, Spain, 17 August 1957. Education: Studied psychology, University of Valencia, Spain, 1974; shoe styling at Ars Sutoria Institute, Milan, 1978; fashion design, under Gianfranco Ferré, Domus Academy, Milan, 1987; business management at Escuela de Organizacion Industrial, Madrid; classical art at Dante Alighiere School, Florence.
Opened: in Dallas in 1907. Company History: Ready-to-wear retailer was established by Herbert Marcus, Carrie Marcus Neiman, and Abraham Lincoln (Al) Neiman.
Founded: in 1981 by Thomas Oatman (born 1953). Company History: Established as a vintage clothing trading company and opened first store on Greene Street, SoHo, New York; store moved to Spring Street, New York, 1986; company produced two collections per year; clothing sold to better department stores and specialty stores throughout the U.S., Europe, and Japan; began offering custom services, 1995; signed licensing agreement with Ingram Company, Inc., 1996; collaborated with Pinky Wolman to create Soup + Fish formalwear collection, 1997; designed restaurant uniforms for Jean Georges, 1997.
Established: May 1981 by George Davies in conjunction with J. Hepworth & Son.
Born: Nikos Apostolopoulos in Patras, Greece. Education: Studied at the Sorbonne, Paris, diploma in political science, doctorate in international law.
Founded: by Maria "Nina" Ricci (1883-1970) and son Robert Ricci (1905-88) in Paris, 1932. Company History: First ready-to-wear collection shown, 1964; men's collection introduced, 1986; first boutique opened, Paris, 1979; men's boutique, Ricci-Club, opened, Paris, 1986; cosmetics line, Le Teint Ricci, introduced, 1992; several new designers brought in, beginning 1993; Ricci products placed in luxury hotels as guest amenities; designer Nathalie Gervais hired, 1999; Gervais departs, 2001.
Founded: as a shoe retailer by Carl F. Wallin and John W.
Born: Norman David Levinson in Noblesville, Indiana, 20 April 1900. Education: Studied illustration at Parsons School of Design, New York, 1919; fashion design at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York, 1920-22.
Born: London, 14 July 1950. Education: Ripon Grammar School, Yorkshire, 1961-67; studied at Sheffield City Polytechnic, Yorkshire; studied fashion design at Ravensbourne College of Art, Kent, 1968-71; St.
Born: Corpus Christi, Texas, 22 November 1961. Education: No formal training in design.
Born: Singapore, 1949 (one source says 1956); moved to London, 1968. Education: Graduated in fashion from St.
Born: Istanbul, Turkey, 11 July 1953. Education: Studied architecture at Liverpool University, 1970-72; fashion design at St.
Born: Southampton, England, 3 November 1965. Education: Studied at Southampton Art College, 1982-84; studied textile and fashion design at St.
Born: Sara Rosen Parnis, in Brooklyn, New York, 18 March 1902. Education: Briefly studied law, Hunter College, New York.
Born: Lorraine, France in 1946. Career: Freelance designer for Prisunic, Jimper, Dorothée Bis, Paraphernalia, Mic Mac, Byblos, and others, prior to establishing own house, 1970s-84, and 1986-89; designer, Chloé, 1984-86; designer, Tiktiner, 1990.
Born: Sylvia Schlang in New York, 1901. Education: Studied art and fashion illustration, Cooper Union school, and at the Art Students League, New York.
Founded: Pepe brand jeans began on London's Portobello Road market. Company History: Lines have included Basic, BSCO, Hardcore, Buffalo, and Tommy Hilfiger labels; Pepe Group Plc.
Born: Florence, Italy, 1 May 1940. Career: Language (French) teacher in Gstaad, Switzerland, 1961; ski instructor; studied interior design in Rome; modeled in London, Paris, New York, mid-1960s; began designing jewelry for Halston and Georgio di Sant'Angelo, New York, 1969; designer, Tiffany & Co., New York, from 1974; packaging designer, Halston fragrances (including Elsa Peretti) and cosmetics.
Born: Millau, France, 5 October 1936. Education: Studied fashion design at Cours Bazot School.
Founded: by Michelle Hoggard (born in West Yorkshire, England, 1962) and Peter Leathers (born in Tyneside, England, 1962) in Tyneside, 1983. Company History: Sells clothes to local retail outlets; opened own outlet in Hyper Hyper store, London, 1985; first catwalk collection presented at British Fashion Week, London, 1986; opened shop in Rupert Court, London, 1987; established small factory in Yorkshire, England, to manufacture own label, 1987; established retail chain selling own label and other small designer labels, with shops in Leeds and Manchester, England, 1992; label falls from fashion, late 1990s; "Air" home furnishings shops opened by Michelle Hoggard, 2000s.
Born: Pesaro, Italy, 30 August 1942. Education: Studied art and languages at University of Florence 1960-62, shoe design at Ars Sutoria, Milan, 1962.
Born: Paris, France, 19 April 1949, daughter of Pablo Picasso and Françoise Gilot. Education: Attended University of Paris, Sorbonne, and University of Nanterre; studied jewelry design and fabrication.
Born: Yverdon, Switzerland, 1901; immigrated to France, 1918. Education: Trained as a banker; studied fashion design under Redfern and Paul Poiret, 1918-28.