Claiborne, Liz (1929–)

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Claiborne, Liz (1929–)

American fashion designer and businesswoman. Name variations: Elizabeth Claiborne Ortenberg. Born Mar 31, 1929, in Brussels, Belgium; dau. of American bank manager; m. Arthur Ortenberg.

Fashion designer and founder of one of world's most successful fashion companies, fled Nazis with family (1939) and was raised in New Orleans; returned to Europe after WWII to study art instead of finishing high school; won fashion design contest sponsored by Harper's Bazaar magazine (1950); took job as design assistant with NY clothing manufacturer and later joined Jonathan Logan as chief designer of junior dresses; left Logan (1976) and established Liz Claiborne, Inc., designing and producing moderately priced sportswear for women; named the fashion industry's 1st Entrepreneurial Woman of the Year (1980); made public stock offering (1981) and began to diversify, adding petite, dress, and shoe divisions and then expanding into menswear, accessories and perfume; built hugely profitable business, listed among Fortune 500 for 1st time in 1986; elected chair and chief executive officer of company in addition to role as president (1987); with husband, founded Liz Claiborne/ Art Ortenberg Foundation which funds environmental projects worldwide; retired from active management of company (1989) and has since lectured at Fashion Institute of Technology and Parsons School.