Perry Ellis(1940-1986)
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
- Costume Designer
Perry Edwin Ellis was born in 1940 in Portsmouth, Virginia, an only
child. Until the age of nine, he and his parents lived with his
grandmother in a huge old house which was filled with vintage clothing
that belonged to Perry's aunts, which he found fascinating just looking
at them. After graduating from high school, Perry majored in business
at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Later he
attended New York University where he earned a master's degree in
retailing. In 1963, Perry returned to Virginia and began working as a
sportswear buyer for Miller & Rhoads, an upscale department store based
in Richmond, where Perry often shopped for clothes when he was a
teenager. Perry stocked the college department with preppie clothes
designed by John Meyer of Norwich, Connecticut. Each year, he spent
nearly $1,000,000 on Meyer's designs, making Miller & Rhodes one of the
company's largest accounts. Impressed by the selections Perry made,
Meyer grilled him about style trends. In 1967, Meyer hired Perry as a
merchandiser and moved to New York.
In 1974, John Meyer died of cancer and Perry moved to the Vera
Companies, where he worked as a sportswear merchandiser. Vera Co.
specialized in designing polyester double-knit pantsuits. Perry tried
to change the company's image by introducing natural fabrics. In 1975,
the company's president allowed Perry to produce his own line under the
Portfolio label. Perry designed 33 pieces for a fashion show in the
Vera showroom where retailers and fashion critics were astonished by
Perry's eclectic designs. This inspired Perry to start his own design
company.
In 1978, his own company, Perry Ellis Sportswear began production.
Perry opened his own showroom in an old band on the corner of Seventh
Avenue and 41st Street. A peer of Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauran, and Anne
Klein, Perry helped boost his reputation of American sportswear. By
1982 over 75 employees were working for Perry Ellis Sportswear.
Unfortunately, Perry's health from then on began to decline after he
came down with hepatitis. Soon other maladies crept in which he kept a
secret from most of his friends and employees, who believed his
frequent absences where letting the company slowly fall apart. In 1984,
Perry and a old girlfriend, Barbara Gallagher, who lived in Los
Angeles, has a daughter whom he named Tyler.
In May 1986, a gaunt Perry unveiled his latest line. People who
attended the show, aware of Perry's health problems, thought it would
be his last. When the show ended, Perry, too weak for the traditional
walk down the fashion runway, appeared briefly in the doorway of the
showroom where he received a standing ovation. A few hours later, Perry
collapsed and was rushed to a hospital where he slipped into a coma.
Two weeks later, on May 30, 1986, Perry Ellis died at age 46.
child. Until the age of nine, he and his parents lived with his
grandmother in a huge old house which was filled with vintage clothing
that belonged to Perry's aunts, which he found fascinating just looking
at them. After graduating from high school, Perry majored in business
at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Later he
attended New York University where he earned a master's degree in
retailing. In 1963, Perry returned to Virginia and began working as a
sportswear buyer for Miller & Rhoads, an upscale department store based
in Richmond, where Perry often shopped for clothes when he was a
teenager. Perry stocked the college department with preppie clothes
designed by John Meyer of Norwich, Connecticut. Each year, he spent
nearly $1,000,000 on Meyer's designs, making Miller & Rhodes one of the
company's largest accounts. Impressed by the selections Perry made,
Meyer grilled him about style trends. In 1967, Meyer hired Perry as a
merchandiser and moved to New York.
In 1974, John Meyer died of cancer and Perry moved to the Vera
Companies, where he worked as a sportswear merchandiser. Vera Co.
specialized in designing polyester double-knit pantsuits. Perry tried
to change the company's image by introducing natural fabrics. In 1975,
the company's president allowed Perry to produce his own line under the
Portfolio label. Perry designed 33 pieces for a fashion show in the
Vera showroom where retailers and fashion critics were astonished by
Perry's eclectic designs. This inspired Perry to start his own design
company.
In 1978, his own company, Perry Ellis Sportswear began production.
Perry opened his own showroom in an old band on the corner of Seventh
Avenue and 41st Street. A peer of Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauran, and Anne
Klein, Perry helped boost his reputation of American sportswear. By
1982 over 75 employees were working for Perry Ellis Sportswear.
Unfortunately, Perry's health from then on began to decline after he
came down with hepatitis. Soon other maladies crept in which he kept a
secret from most of his friends and employees, who believed his
frequent absences where letting the company slowly fall apart. In 1984,
Perry and a old girlfriend, Barbara Gallagher, who lived in Los
Angeles, has a daughter whom he named Tyler.
In May 1986, a gaunt Perry unveiled his latest line. People who
attended the show, aware of Perry's health problems, thought it would
be his last. When the show ended, Perry, too weak for the traditional
walk down the fashion runway, appeared briefly in the doorway of the
showroom where he received a standing ovation. A few hours later, Perry
collapsed and was rushed to a hospital where he slipped into a coma.
Two weeks later, on May 30, 1986, Perry Ellis died at age 46.