Mizrahi, Isaac (1961-)

Dates

• Existence: 1961-

Biography

Isaac Mizrahi is an American fashion designer.

Mizrahi was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1961. He attended Parsons School of Design and during his time as a student and afterward, he did stints working for some of the great American masters of the 1980s, including Perry Ellis and Calvin Klein. He created his own eponymous line in 1987 and became on of the most acclaimed designers of the 1990s. Chanel took a stake in his company in 1992. His SoHo offices and design studio became a destination for Naomi Campbell, Sandra Bernhard and Liza Minnelli. Mizrahi was a frequent dinner guest at the home of the Vogue editor Anna Wintour. He befriended big names like Stephen Sondheim, Mark Morris and Maira Kalman. He was an early champion of diversity on the runway and a pioneer in taking the camera behind the scenes with the 1995 cult documentary “Unzipped.” But it was too much of a challenge for Mizrahi to grow the line without any production or retail infrastructure, and when Chanel pulled its financing in 1998 he decided to shut his doors.

In 2002 he briefly relaunched his couture studio at the same time that he opened a label with Target, making him one of the first designers to collaborate with a mass retailer, mixing high fashion with low prices and more inclusive sizing. In 2019 he launched a new line with QVC.

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