Beene, Geoffrey

(1927-2005)

   Born in Haynesville, Louisiana, Beene studied medicine at Tulane University before dropping out to pursue a career in fashion. He started his career as an apprentice at Molyneux in Europe before moving to New York in 1951. In 1963, he opened his own company and received a Coty Award in 1964. Beene would go on to receive eight Coty Awards and, in 1976, was the first American designer to show his collection in Milan. Known for his ability to break from tradition in regard to fabric end-use, his collections played on the innovative use of fabrics together with his exceptional ability to understand the human form. His ability to coax a seam either to move in a variety of paths or to starkly stand up straight, together with his vision to allow closures to add a design element rather than obscure it, is the heart of what makes a design by Mr. Beene one to be studied—and often held in awe. One of the "three American Bs"—as in Beene, Blass, and Brooks,—Beene is a significant part of the American foundation in fashion. In 2001, Beene decided to remove his signature collection from department stores, thus limiting it to a made-to-order business he conducted from his 57th street offices.

   Beene was known to be as difficult as he was sweet—and was always very clear that things had to be done his way only. He had an ongoing feud with Women's Wear Daily (WWD) for years over his disapproval of an editor who was sent to him, the result being that WWD was barred from his shows into the late 1990s. In 2006, Geoffrey Beene Inc. was positioning itself for significant growth in its licensing arena while discontinuing its custom-made collection. In the same year, the company generated $600 million in retail sales with a focus on developing its women's and men's portfolios.

   See also American look; Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA); Made-to-Measure.