Elie Tahari (Hebrew: אלי טהרי; born 1952) is an Israeli fashion designer. He is the designer of ready-to-wear clothing and fashion accessories.[1] His company is headquartered in New York City, with stores located throughout the world.
Elie Tahari | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 21, 1952 |
| Occupation | Fashion designer |
| Label | Elie Tahari |
| Spouse |
Rory Green
(m. 2000; div. 2011) |
| Awards | 2014 Fashion Group International Brand Vision Award |
| Website | https://www.elietahari.com |
Early life
editTahari was born the middle son of an Iranian-Jewish couple in 1952.[2] He has four sisters( Aliza, Diana, Shulie and Illana) and two brothers (Avraham and Yosi).[3] The family immigrated from Iran to Israel, where they resided in a ma'abara transit camp in what is now Mevasseret Zion. In 1953–1957, the family went back to Iran, returning later to Israel. When his parents divorced and his father remarried, Tahari was sent to a boarding school ("Sde Hemed") in Rishon LeZion, later moving to Tel Aviv ("Maon Hayeled").[citation needed] The following years were spent in Kvutzat Schiller and an Israeli Air Force boarding school in Haifa.[citation needed]
Elie Tahari emigrated to the United States in 1971 with less than $100.[4] Working as an electrician at a clothing boutique in the Garment District of New York City, he began designing his own clothing line after popularizing the iconic tube top in 1973.[5] His namesake label, Tahari, launched in 1974 with a boutique located on Madison Avenue in New York City.[6]
Career
editInspired by the '70s era's disco culture, Elie Tahari created dance dresses and blouses, debuting his first fashion show in 1977 at the New York City nightclub Studio 54.[7]
In the 1980s, Tahari turned his attention to the tailored suit, with more office-centric designs as women joined the workforce and the ranks of the business elite.
In 1989, he began selling his branded apparel to various luxury department stores, starting with Bloomingdale’s.[8]
He was admitted to the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 1994. In 1997, he teamed with Andrew Rosen to launch the ready-to-wear label Theory.[9]
The 2000s saw an expansion of his brand into men's ready-to-wear, accessories, jewelry, footwear and home goods. In 2012, Elie Tahari was a guest judge on the Lifetime television series Project Runway All Stars.[10] He collaborated with Kohl's DesigNation in 2014[11] and launched ET Sport in 2015.[12]
In 2019, Elie Tahari (as a brand, including both direct and licensed products) reached $1 billion in sales volume.[8] The next year, the luxury department stores which he had collaborated with for thirty years were shuttered by the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] They stopped paying bills, tried to return goods, and also tried to cancel orders.[8] As a result, Tahari decided to close his namesake brand's wholesale division and switched to a direct-to-consumer retail model (focused on his own branded boutique and outlet stores) with a strong e-commerce component.[8]
Awards and honors
editIn honor of forty years in the fashion industry, then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg declared "Elie Tahari Day" in New York City on September 4, 2013.[13] The event was marked with the debut of the Elie Tahari Edition 1974 – a one-off capsule that featured reworked pieces from the designer's archive. In 2014, Tahari was honored with the Ellis Island Medal of Honor[14] which pays homage to the immigrant experience and the contribution made to America by immigrants and their children.[15] Tahari received the Brand Vision Award from the Fashion Group International in 2014.[16] In 2021, a feature documentary is done about Elie Tahari's life, directed and produced by David Serero, called "The United States of fashion designer Elie Tahari." The film is selected in more than 100 film festivals and won several awards, including Best Documentary, Best Fashion Documentary, Best Director, Best Producer.[17][18]
References
edit- ^ "Elie Tahari: Fashioning success". CBS News. June 5, 2012.
- ^ jewishjournal.com Jewish Fashion Mogul Reveals Why His Family Left Iran in 1950s
- ^ "Fashion; At Gucci, Calvin and the Rest, 50% Off Is the Norm". The New York Times. January 14, 1990. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
- ^ "Fashion industry looks to keep up in NYC". am New York. 4 September 2013. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
- ^ Kennedy, Pagan (2012-08-17). "Who Made That Tube Top?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
- ^ "Elie Tahari Designer Profile". The Cut. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
- ^ Karimzadeh, Marc (10 September 2013). "Elie Tahari: A Well-Suited Life". WWD. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
- ^ a b c d e Manoff, Jill (October 27, 2021). "'Unprofitable:' Elie Tahari drops its $200 million wholesale business". Glossy. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
- ^ "Theory Works To Evolve Its Brand". Fashion Times. 2014-09-06. Archived from the original on 2014-09-08. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
- ^ "Watch There's No Business like Sew Business Full Episode - Project Runway All Stars | Lifetime". mylifetime.com. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
- ^ "Kohl's and Elie Tahari Debut New DesigNation Collection | Business Wire". www.businesswire.com. 26 September 2014. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
- ^ "Elie Tahari launches Elie Tahari Sport". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
- ^ "Michael Bloomberg declares September 4th "Elie Tahari Day" in New York City". Jewish Business News. 26 August 2013. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
- ^ "NECO | Medalists Database". NECO. Archived from the original on 2016-03-10. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
- ^ "NECO | NECO's Mission". NECO. Archived from the original on 2021-04-14. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
- ^ "Diane von Furstenberg to Take Home Superstar Award at Fashion Group International's Night of Stars". Fashion Times. 2014-06-16. Archived from the original on 2014-09-27. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
- ^ "Elie Tahari's Life Becomes a Documentary". 20 January 2021.
- ^ "Elie Tahari is the Embodiment of the American Dream". 8 November 2021.