Perry Ellis

founded by

Perry Ellis & The Vera Companies

belongs to

Perry Ellis International

about

Perry Ellis is a clothing brand owned by Perry Ellis International and founded by designer Perry Ellis.

history

After finding praise for his previous women's sportswear line, called Portfolio, Perry Ellis, together with his parent company The Vera Companies', founded his own fashion house, Perry Ellis International, in 1978. He opened his showroom on New York's fashionable Seventh Avenue. As the company's chairman and head designer he later developed Perry Ellis Menswear Collection — widely successful, and marked by "non-traditional, modern classics". Step by step, he added shoes, accessories, furs and perfume that all bore his name.

Throughout the 1980s the company continued to expand and include various labels such as Perry Ellis Collection and Perry Ellis Portfolio. By 1982, the company had more than 75 staff. In 1984, Perry Ellis America was created in cooperation with Levi Strauss. In 1985, he revived his lesser-priced Portfolio line. In the early 1980s, wholesale revenues had figured at about $60 million. By 1986 that number had risen to about $250 million.

In early 1986, Robert L. McDonald, a former film producer and close friend of Ellis, succeeded Laughlin Barker, Ellis' domestic partner, who had died in January of that year as president of Perry Ellis International. After Ellis' death in May 1986, McDonald announced that under the terms of Ellis' will he had full control of the company in trust for Ellis' heirs. "Perry wanted us to continue, of course", he then said of the fashion house's future. McDonald successfully guided the company through setbacks and challenges in the years to come.

When Marc Jacobs took the reins of the women's division after Ellis's death in 1986, tightly knit polo shirts and cable-knit cashmere sweaterdresses gave way to grunge. Jacobs infamously sent combat boots and dirty-looking plaid down Perry Ellis's runway, to very mixed results. He was fired in 1992, and the brand resumed a more traditional course.

Since then, the company has changed hands several times. In 1986, Manhattan Industries, the parent of The Vera Companies (the owner of Perry Ellis), was sold to Salant, a licensee of Perry Ellis. From then, Perry Ellis was acquired by Supreme Inc., a Miami-based textile concern, in 1999. Supreme was then renamed Perry Ellis International. In 2003, in turn, Perry Ellis International acquired Salant. The corporation has since then acquired various other textile companies, such as Original Penguin and golf brand Ping Collection, among many others. The company, eventually, was transformed to a complete licensing and marketing firm for the Perry Ellis name.

Today, under the direction of John Crocco, Perry Ellis still aims to embody a classic, effortless look but faces a slew of competitors like Tommy Hilfiger, Le Tigre, Lacoste, and the formidable Ralph Lauren.