Fifth and Pacific Companies (as of 2012) formerly Liz Claiborne, Inc.

Type	Public (NYSE: FNP, formerly NYSE: LIZ) [1]
Industry	Fashion
Founded	New York City, New York (1976)
Headquarters	New York City, New York, United States
Key people	William L. McComb (CEO) Andrew C. Warren (CFO) Tim Gunn (CCO)[2]
Products	Clothing Accessories Perfumes
Revenue	3,011.86 Million USD (2009)[2]
Operating income	(334.58) Million USD loss (2009)
Net income	(305.73) Million USD loss (2009)
Employees	15,000 (2009) Liz Claiborne office in North Bergen, New Jersey

Fifth and Pacific Companies (NYSE: FNP formerly Liz Claiborne, Inc.) is a fashion company founded in 1976 in New York City that designs and markets a wide range of women's and men's apparel, accessories and fragrance products. In 2006, the company generated sales of nearly $5 billion.

The company sells directly to customers throughout the world through 399 specialty retail formats, 625 concessions, 336 outlet and 13 e-commerce sites. Products marketed to men are labeled without the founder's first name, leaving the gender-neutral "Claiborne." The company's brands are available at more than 30,000 different retail locations throughout the world. As of 2006, Liz Claiborne employed more than 17,000 people worldwide and was ranked 440 in the Fortune 500 list.^[3]

History[link]

Founded in 1976 by Liz Claiborne, Art Ortenberg, Leonard Boxer and Jerome Chazen. Art Ortenberg and Jerome Chazen are both members of Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity.^[4] It was an immediate success with sales of $2 million in 1976 and $23 million in 1978.^[5] In 1980, Nina McLemore founded Liz Claiborne Accessories. Liz Claiborne Inc. went public in 1981 and had made the Fortune 500 in 1986, ten years after it was founded with retail sales of $1.2 billion.^[5] It was the first company founded by a woman to be listed in the Fortune 500.^[6]

Liz Claiborne was also the first designer to insist that her collection be placed together on the department store floor, instead of in separate clothing categories, which changed the way we shop. Shoppers no longer went from shirt department to pant department to coordinate an outfit. They were able to mix and match pieces from the Liz Claiborne collection to create entire outfits. This revolutionized the way department stores arranged clothing for sale and created the role of fashion merchandising as we know it today.

Claiborne died on Tuesday June 26, 2007 at the age of 79. She died after a 2 year struggle with cancer.^[7]

Business Growth and Consolidation[link]

Founder Leonard Boxer retired in 1985, and in 1989, Liz Claiborne and Art Ortenberg also retired from active management. Jerome Chazen became the company's Chairman and C.E.O. in 1989 and held that role until 1994. Paul Charron became C.E.O. in 1994 and held that position until 2006. During Charron's tenure Liz Claiborne, Inc. acquired 85% of Lucky Brand Jeans in 1999. In 2001, they acquired Mexx and in 2003 they bought another small fashion company, Juicy Couture.

On October 16, 2006, Liz Claiborne Inc. named William McComb Chief Executive Officer.^[8]

On October 8, 2009, JCPenney Co. (based out of Plano, TX), announced through its media relations website (www.jcpenney.net), that it would become the exclusive retailer for the Liz Claiborne brand. All Liz Claiborne merchandise would exit any additional department-store retailer, and the Liz Claiborne New York designed by Isaac Mizrahi would move from department stores to QVC. The Liz and Co and Concepts by Claiborne brands originally exclusively sold at JCPenney would be phased out, and the Liz Claiborne merchandise would begin appearing in JCPenney stores in August 2010. The long-term contract between JCPenney and Liz Claiborne could be up to ten years in length and expects to turn around losses in 2009 by Liz Claiborne to an adjusted operating profit in 2010. In October 2011, the Company completed the sale of its Dana Buchman brand to Kohl's. In November 2011, the Company announced that it has completed the transaction to sell domestic and international trademark rights of its Liz Claiborne family of brands and domestic trademark rights of its Monet brand and Jangles to JCPenney for $328,000,000.

As of January 1, 2011, the Company operated a total of 482 specialty retail stores under a range of Company brands, consisting of 291 retail stores within the United States and 191 retail stores outside of the United States (primarily in Western Europe and Canada).

Designer Isaac Mizrahi Joins the Liz Claiborne Family[link]

In 2007, Isaac Mizrahi ended a lucrative, years-long deal with Target to become the designer of Liz Claiborne New York, the revamped women's Liz Claiborne line, which was released in Spring 2009. Mizrahi had designed hundreds of successful shoes, women's clothes and bridal wear, and household items for Target.

Liz Claiborne announced that it had named Isaac Mizrahi to the position of Creative Director for the Liz Claiborne New York brand in 2008.^[9] His collection debuted in Spring 2009^[10] with Macy’s and Dillard’s as its flagship carriers.^[9] One of the smaller stores to carry the line, Gottschalks, declared bankruptcy and was liquidated only weeks after Mizrahi's launch.^[11] Liz Claiborne outlet stores also carried the line. Later that year, it was announced that the Liz Claiborne New York line, designed by Mizrahi, would be sold on television shopping network, QVC.^[12] As of December 2009, the Liz Claiborne Web site was no longer available to make online purchases.

Designer John Bartlett was the creative director of Claiborne by John Bartlett, the new men's collection which launched in Spring 2009.

Brands[link]

The Liz Claiborne Inc. portfolio of brands includes Liz Claiborne New York, Juicy Couture, Kate Spade, Jack Spade and Lucky Brand Jeans.

Other brands include Axcess, Claiborne, Concepts by Claiborne, Ellen Tracy, Liz & Co, Dana Buchman, Marvella, Monet, and Trifari.

Liz Claiborne Inc. also holds the license to the DKNY Jeans and DKNY Active brands.

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• Liz Claiborne Inc. corporate website
• Liz Claiborne label
• Washington Post Photo Gallery: Liz Claiborne: 1929 - 2007

Tim Gunn
Gunn in 2010, at the 81st Academy Awards
Born	Timothy M. Gunn (1953-07-29) July 29, 1953 (age 58) Washington, D.C., United States
Residence	New York City, New York, United States
Nationality	American
Education	BFA, Sculpture
Alma mater	Corcoran College of Art and Design
Occupation	Fashion consultant, television personality, chief creative officer at Liz Claiborne, Inc.
Known for	Fashion

Timothy M. "Tim" Gunn (born July 29, 1953) is an American fashion consultant and television personality. He was on the faculty of Parsons The New School for Design from 1982 to 2007 and was chair of fashion design at the school from August 2000 to March 2007, after which he joined Liz Claiborne as its chief creative officer. He is well-known as on-air mentor to designers on the reality television program Project Runway. Gunn's popularity on Project Runway led to his spin-off show, Bravo's Tim Gunn's Guide to Style, as well as his book A Guide to Quality, Taste and Style.

Early life[link]

Gunn was born and raised in Washington, D.C. His father, George William Gunn, was an FBI agent during the administration of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover.^[1] Gunn was a champion swimmer throughout high school,^[1] and later attended the Corcoran College of Art and Design, receiving a BFA in sculpture.^[2]

According to a video Gunn created for the It Gets Better project, he attempted to commit suicide at the age of 17 by swallowing over 100 pills.^[3]

Career[link]

Gunn started working at Parsons in 1982 and served as associate dean from 1989–2000, then became chair in August 2000. He was credited with "retooling and invigorating the curriculum for the 21st century."^[4]

Gunn began appearing on Project Runway during its first season in 2004, and is known for his catchphrase "Make it work." Tim Gunn's Guide to Style, a reality show in which Gunn gives advice to the fashion-challenged, debuted in September 2007 on the Bravo television network.

Gunn also played a version of himself as a reporter for the fictional Fashion TV in two episodes of ABC's Ugly Betty in February 2007^[5] and later guest starred on Drop Dead Diva in August 2009 as himself.

Gunn left Parsons in 2007 and joined Liz Claiborne as the company's chief creative officer in March of that year.^[6]

In April 2007, Abrams Image Publishers released Gunn's book A Guide to Quality, Taste and Style, co-written with Kate Moloney, cover photo by Markus Klinko & Indrani. While on tour in Palm Springs, California, the nearby city of Palm Desert honored him with an official resolution declaring April 27, 2007 (the day of his visit) "Timothy M. Gunn Day". He was also presented with a certificate by the city of Palm Springs and a plaque by the nearby city of Rancho Mirage in recognition of his career achievements.^[7] While promoting the book in the San Francisco Bay Area in May 2007, Gunn joined the judging panel of Project FiveFour 07, to judge gowns designed by 12 students from San Francisco's Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising. The competition benefited The Princess Project, a Bay Area charity that gives free prom dresses to high school students who can't afford to buy them on their own.^[8] In July 2007, Gunn was interviewed by R. Christian Anderson for Palm Springs Life Magazine. The article entitled "Style Tips for Summer", featured Gunn's sound advice to women who wish to remain fashionable, even during intense desert heat.^[9]

In May 2009, Gunn served as commencement speaker at the Corcoran College of Art and Design, and received an honorary doctorate from the institution.^[10]

He makes sporadic appearances on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson's "Dear Aquaman" segments, helping or standing in for Aquaman (Ferguson), answering letters and dispensing advice.^[11]

He guest starred as Barney's personal tailor on the 100th episode of How I Met Your Mother.^[12]

Gunn is guest-starring as himself on the 6th episode of CW's fourth season of Gossip Girl, "Easy J".^[13]

In other media[link]

In August 2007, "Tim Gunn's Podcast (a reality chamber opera)" by Jeffrey Lependorf premiered at the Cornelia Street Cafe in New York City.^[14] It received its first run one year later at New York International Fringe Festival.

Gunn appeared in a backup story in the first issue of Models Inc., a fashion-themed comic book miniseries published by Marvel Comics that debuted in September 2009 to coincide with New York City's style showcase. Gunn appeared on a variant cover of the issue illustrated by Phil Jimenez. In the series, which is written by Project Runway fan Mark Sumerak and illustrated by Jimenez, Gunn dons the Iron Man armor to foil an attack against the New York Fashion Museum.^[15]

Gunn appeared in the opening skit on the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards to style Jimmy Fallon to look like Bruce Springsteen, from his Born in the USA album.

Personal life[link]

Tori Spelling and Gunn co-presenting at an event in November 2007.

Gunn lives in New York City.^[16] In a 2006 interview with Instinct, Gunn stated that he had not been in a relationship since the early 1980s, following the abrupt end of a six-year relationship, and that he still loves his former partner, though they are not in contact.^[17]

Gunn is an outspoken critic of clothing designs using animal fur. In 2008, he narrated a video^[18] about rabbit fur farming in China for animal rights group PETA. He termed the treatment of animals used for fur as "egregiously irresponsible".^[19]

Filmography[link]

• The Revolution (January 16, 2012–present)
• Project Runway (2004–present)
• Drinks with LX (2006)
• Ugly Betty (2007)
• Tim Gunn's Guide to Style (2007–2008)
• American Dad! (2008)
• The Replacements (2008)
• Drop Dead Diva (2009)
• Project Runway: All-Star Challenge (2009)
• The Biggest Loser: Second Chances (2009)
• How I Met Your Mother (2010)
• Sex and the City 2 (2010)
• Gossip Girl (2010)
• The Smurfs (2011)
• Teen Spirit (2011)

Published works[link]

• Gunn, Tim; Moloney, Kate (2007), Tim Gunn: A Guide to Quality, Taste & Style, Harry N. Abrams, Inc., ISBN 0-8109-9284-1 
• Gunn, Tim; Calhoun, Ada (September 2010), Gunn's Golden Rules: Life's Little Lessons for Making It Work, Gallery, ISBN 1-4391-7656-6 
• Gunn, Tim (May 2011), Shaken, Not Stirred, Tim Gunn, ASIN B004UN4L9E 

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tim Gunn

• Tim Gunn at the Internet Movie Database
• Lifetime TV's Project Runway official website
• Chicago Tribune (December 1, 2005): "A chat with Tim Gunn of 'Project Runway'"
• The New York Times (Apr. 12, 2007): "The Headmaster of Fashion"
• Interview: Sarah's Backstage Pass: Sarah Adamson "Style for the Suburban Woman"

Isaac Mizrahi (Born October 14, 1961) is an American TV presenter, fashion designer, and former creative director of Liz Claiborne. He is best known for his eponymous fashion lines.

Early life[link]

Mizrahi was born in Brooklyn, New York, to an observant Egyptain Jewish family.^[1] His father gave him a sewing machine at the age of ten. At 15, he launched his own label, IS New York, with the help of a family friend. He attended Yeshiva of Flatbush, High School of Performing Arts, and the Parsons School of Design.^[2]

Fashion career[link]

Mizrahi presented his first collection in 1987 at a trunk show held by famed New York department store Bergdorf Goodman. The line immediately earned praise from fashion editors, prompting several top retailers to place orders.^[3] In 1989 he discussed his designs in an interview with Elizabeth Cannon. He described them as “controlled and glamorous”, “elegant”, “distilled, refined”, inspired by decadence, and by the diversity of New York City. He also expressed his interest in appealing to a refined and exclusive clientele.^[4] In 1992, the French fashion house Chanel bought a stake in the company and began to bankroll its operations.^[3] Despite continued critical acclaim, sales were inconsistent; Bloomingdale's executive Kal Ruttenstein stated that Mizrahi had "good years and bad years."^[5] This volatility is mainly attributed to the designer's failure to establish a defined aesthetic or "Mizrahi Look," as the frenetic designer was famed for changing gears each season. Though the company grossed between $10–20 million a year, it never made a profit, and in fact lost substantial amounts in its final four years of operation. Chanel eventually tired of the mounting losses and pulled financing in October 1998, forcing the closure of the company after the Fall 1998 collection.^[6] Among Mizrahi's fans and clients were Hollywood stars Nicole Kidman, Selma Blair, Julia Roberts, Sarah Jessica Parker, Debra Messing and Natalie Portman, to name a few.^[7]

From 1995 to 1997, Mizrahi also designed a diffusion line, named "IS**C" in an act of "name effacement" intended to prevent dilution of the designer's full name (cf. the use of "G-d" by some members of the observant-Jewish community in which Mizrahi was raised). This lower-priced line (in the $275 to $850 range) was meant to diversify the label from the very expensive Isaac Mizrahi collection, but it failed to gain traction and was shuttered in 1997.^[6]

Mizrahi returned to fashion in 2002 when he began designing another diffusion collection, Isaac Mizrahi for Target. The line was an enormous hit, and soon spread to cover accessories, bedding, housewares, and pet products. Sales volume tripled over five years to over $300 million and introduced the designer to mainstream America.^[8] The line was discontinued in 2008 as Mizrahi left for Liz Claiborne.

Mizrahi designed for Claiborne for only one year, 2009. Although advertising campaigns for his Claiborne work—featuring Mizrahi and women of all sizes, races, and ages—were found in major fashion magazines, the line was a disaster almost from launch. The clothes and accessories were very difficult to find, as only a few minor departments stores, which were not found in major cities, carried Claiborne clothes. Gottschalks carried only a few pieces before declaring bankruptcy and liquidating, only weeks after Mizrahi's launch. Furthermore, the few Liz Claiborne outlets that existed were also far from major cities and were found at outlet malls that were too remote for most customers to visit. As a result, on December 2009, the Liz Claiborne website was closed and rumors abounded that the company was bankrupt and in serious debt. As of Fall 2010, Liz Claiborne clothes will be sold only at J.C. Penney, and are not designed by Mizrahi.

Media[link]

Mizrahi has made appearances in numerous television shows and movies since the 1990s. In 1995, a movie was released about the development of his Fall 1994 collection called Unzipped. In Fall 2005, the Isaac show debuted on Style Network. He previously had a show on the Oxygen network.

Mizrahi often appears on many of E!'s programs and has become well known for being flamboyant. He also appeared as himself in the episode "Plus One is the Loneliest Number" of the fifth season of Sex and the City, and in an episode of Spin City. He guest starred on the American dramedy series Ugly Betty, in which he played a reporter for the cable channel Fashion TV in the episode "Lose the Boss." He appeared as himself in The Apprentice season 1 (episode 6) as one of the celebrities supporting an auction for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. He also appeared on the public radio game show, Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me in 2006, saying that "Fat is the new black."^{[citation needed] [9]}

Mizrahi has stated that he sees himself as an entertainer who can sing and act. On his Oxygen show, he sang jazz in a nightclub. He has also acted in films, appearing in Woody Allen's Small Time Crooks, Hollywood Ending and Celebrity.

Mizrahi was a contestant in the Jeopardy! Million Dollar Celebrity Invitational. While initially finishing second in a quarter-final game to Jane Curtin, as the highest scoring non-qualifier, he replaced semi-finalist Andy Richter, who had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts. He eventually lost to Michael McKean.

In 2009, Mizrahi began co-hosting the first season of The Fashion Show on Bravo TV with singer Kelly Rowland. Bravo launched the series to replace its former hit Project Runway, which now moved to the Lifetime network.^[10][11] Mizrahi returned as co-host in November 2010 for the show's second season, opposite close friend and colleague, supermodel Iman, who previously hosted the Canadian version of Project Runway. A representative of the network indicated that Bravo believed Mizrahi's exciting presenting style would work well with newcomer Iman and the credibility that she brings to the table as a genuine pioneer in the fashion world.^[12]

In 2012, Isaac Mizrahi participated in the debut season of "Project Runway: All Stars" as a head judge, alongside Marchesa designer Georgina Chapman, which aired on the Lifetime TV Network.

In February of 2012, Mizrahi served as red carpet correspondent for "Live! With Kelly" during the 84th Annual Academy Awards. The segment included interviews with Brad Pitt, Emma Stone, Rooney Mara, and Gwyneth Paltrow. It aired the morning after the Oscars, during a special episode of "Live! With Kelly."

2006 Golden Globes[link]

Mizrahi was an interviewer for The Red Carpet Show on E! for the Golden Globes in 2006. He took liberties with many female actresses, including looking down Teri Hatcher's dress, and feeling Scarlett Johansson's breast, over which she later expressed discomfort.^[13] He drew attention to Hilary Swank about being single given that she recently separated from her husband, Chad Lowe. He also asked many celebrities whether they were wearing underwear.

Costume design[link]

Mizrahi has also worked as the costume designer for three Broadway revivals, including two plays (The Women in 2001 and Barefoot in the Park in 2006), and one operetta (Threepenny Opera in 2006). For his work on The Women, he won the 2002 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design. Mizrahi was also costume designer in the Metropolitan Opera's 2008 production of Orfeo ed Euridice, directed by Mark Morris, continuing as a longtime collaborator of Morris's in a partnership stretching as far back as 1997, when Mizrahi created costumes for Morris's film project with Yo-Yo Ma, Falling Down Stairs from Ma's Inspired By Bach series.

Other projects[link]

• He made a series of comic books called Isaac Mizrahi Presents the Adventures of Sandee the Supermodel, published by Simon & Schuster
• He co-wrote the historical documentary Kingdom of David: The Saga of the Israelites for PBS^[14]
• He also narrated the children's classic, Peter and the Wolf, at the Guggenheim Museum's Works & Process performing arts series in December 2007 and in 2010
• Mizrahi is developing, for the CW network, a one-hour scripted project called "The Collection," which draws on his experiences as a designer

Personal life[link]

Mizrahi married his husband, Arnold Germer, in a civil ceremony in New York City Hall on November 30, 2011.

See also[link]

• List of Jewish Americans

References[link]

External links[link]

• Isaac Mizrahi's Website
• Isaac, Isaac Mizrahi's talk show on Style Network
• Isaac Mizrahi at TED Conferences
• Isaac Mizrahi at the Internet Movie Database
• Isaac Mizrahi designer profile at Fashion Model Directory