Spring Break
Mizrahi designs runway fashion in bulk
Danielle Rodriguez
Issue date: 10/7/04 Section: Out of Focus
Isaac Mizrahi is one of the fashion world's most notable names, even to those who aren't fashion insiders. This can mostly be accredited to his recent collaboration with Target. The trendy designer and the discount super store teamed up to create a line of clothes, accessories and shoes that would have the fashionable appeal of Mizrahi's more expensive pieces, but also the financial appeal of Target's affordable prices.
The new Target line marks the first time in five years that Mizrahi has hit the runway. He's used the recent publicity to display a mixture of his couture clothing with the Target line in combined fashion shows. This line offers customers comfortable slacks, sleek jackets and classy accessories with the Isaac flair and the Target price tag. Shirts are priced in the teens, while pants and jackets go for $20 to $50. Shoes, handbags and sunglasses range from $20 to $30 - a small price to pay for one of this generation's best designers.
In his teenage years, Mizrahi attended Manhattan's High School of the Performing Arts where he started his first label - IS New York. He went on to Parson's School of Design in 1979 where he eventually scored an internship with his first mentor, Perry Ellis. Ellis secured a job for Mizrahi once he graduated, where he worked until AIDS struck Ellis. He moved on to work with Jeff Banks and later Calvin Klein, until finally opening his own womenswear company in 1987. He expanded his line to menswear in 1990. His work earned him the Fashion Designers of America's Perry Ellis Award in 1989 and then the CFDA Designer of the Year in 1990.
Mizrahi really arrived on the scene in 1996 with his then-brand new line, named simply, "Isaac." Despite great success with the line, generating at least $150 million in retail sales, Mizrahi closed his business due to profit losses by 1998.
In addition to his fashion stints, Mizrahi has also dabbed into many other entertainment forums. He had a small role in Fame during his high school years, owns a production company and has his own television show on the Oxygen network. He also recently starred in a one-man show off-Broadway entitled, "Les Mizrahi."
The new Target line marks the first time in five years that Mizrahi has hit the runway. He's used the recent publicity to display a mixture of his couture clothing with the Target line in combined fashion shows. This line offers customers comfortable slacks, sleek jackets and classy accessories with the Isaac flair and the Target price tag. Shirts are priced in the teens, while pants and jackets go for $20 to $50. Shoes, handbags and sunglasses range from $20 to $30 - a small price to pay for one of this generation's best designers.
In his teenage years, Mizrahi attended Manhattan's High School of the Performing Arts where he started his first label - IS New York. He went on to Parson's School of Design in 1979 where he eventually scored an internship with his first mentor, Perry Ellis. Ellis secured a job for Mizrahi once he graduated, where he worked until AIDS struck Ellis. He moved on to work with Jeff Banks and later Calvin Klein, until finally opening his own womenswear company in 1987. He expanded his line to menswear in 1990. His work earned him the Fashion Designers of America's Perry Ellis Award in 1989 and then the CFDA Designer of the Year in 1990.
Mizrahi really arrived on the scene in 1996 with his then-brand new line, named simply, "Isaac." Despite great success with the line, generating at least $150 million in retail sales, Mizrahi closed his business due to profit losses by 1998.
In addition to his fashion stints, Mizrahi has also dabbed into many other entertainment forums. He had a small role in Fame during his high school years, owns a production company and has his own television show on the Oxygen network. He also recently starred in a one-man show off-Broadway entitled, "Les Mizrahi."