Perry Ellis (1940-1986) was a fashion designer. He studied at the College of William and Mary and then started out in department store retailing, until his success led him to launch his own women's sportswear company in 1978. By 1980, his label had grown to include Perry Ellis Menswear — widely successful, and marked by "non-traditional, modern classics." Throughout the 1980's the company continued to expand and include various labels such as Perry Ellis Collection, Perry Ellis Portfolio, and Perry Ellis America. Perry Ellis acquired the brand Original Penguin in 1996.

He died in 1986 of AIDS-related illnesses. He was one of the first prominent American figures to die of the disease.

The award for fashion design given out each year is the Perry Ellis award.
 

The above article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perry_Ellis     1/8/06