Blass, Bill

(1922-2002)

   Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Blass opened his company in 1970. Credited with being the first American designer to print his name on a fashion label, Bill Blass combined the elegance of Adrian with the practicality of American design. The king of the American trunk show, Blass was as much about charm as fashion. He was very much a part of the social scene; Blass brought the American designer out of the design room and into the spotlight. By 1991, Blass realized that providing the overall direction to his design teams did not sufficiently convey his look, so he took back control and sales confirmed the positive influence of the man behind the name. A successful jeans line was licensed in 1998 to Resource Club. In 2002, the firm added a brand extension in Bill-Bill Blass, securing a spot in the bridge market in knitwear and wovens. Blass had retired in 1999 and sold the company the following year for $50 million. He passed away in June 2002, days before his 80th birthday. In his will, he bequeathed $1 million to the Fashion Institute of Technology; today, the Blass Design Center houses the latest knitwear technology and provides students the opportunity to prepare to make their mark as great American designers. Bill Blass Ltd. continued after Blass's death with a succession of designers: Steven Slowick, Lars Nilsson, and Michael Vollbracht. By 2005, the company recognized the need to add some spark and also decided to evaluate its licensing agreements. It reduced its agreements from 40 to 30. One of the "three American Bs"—as in Beene, Blass, and Brooks—Bill Blass was an American lifestyle designer and so is the company today, elegant but always with a sportswear undercurrent.

   See also American look; Denim.