Michael Bastian (born October 13, 1965), is an American

fashion designer Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashi ...

known for his namesake label, ''Michael Bastian'', and his work for brands such as GANT. He has received recognition for his work, most notably the CFDA Menswear Designer of the Year award in 2011.

Early life and education

Bastian was born in 1965 in

Lyons, New York Lyons is a town in Wayne County, New York, United States. The population was 5,682 at the 2010 census. It is named after Lyon, France.

. In 2010, he told ''The Daily Front Row'' that he grew up with a rifle, working at a

Jamesway Jamesway Corporation, more commonly known as Jamesway, was a chain of discount department stores based in Secaucus, New Jersey. It was founded in 1961 with a single store in Jamestown, New York, ultimately growing into a chain that, at its peak, ...

in the sporting-goods department selling ammo.Emily Popp, "Shooting Lessons with Michael Bastian: Number 1 with a Bullet," ''The Daily Front Row,'' Sept. 10, 2011 He graduated from

Babson College Babson College is a private business school in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Established in 1919, its central focus is on entrepreneurship education. It was founded by Roger W. Babson as an all-male business institute, but became coeducational ...

Wellesley, Massachusetts Wellesley () is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Wellesley is part of Greater Boston. The population was 29,550 at the time of the 2020 census. Wellesley College, Babson College, and a campus of Massachusetts Bay Comm ...

Career

After college, Bastian moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

, where his first job was as an assistant buyer at Abraham & Strauss. This was followed by positions within

Sotheby's Sotheby's () is a British-founded American multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, an ...

, Tiffany & Co.,

Polo Ralph Lauren Ralph Lauren Corporation is an American publicly traded fashion company that was founded in 1967 by American fashion designer Ralph Lauren. The company is headquartered in New York City, producing products ranging from the mid-range to the luxu ...

, and most recently,

Bergdorf Goodman Bergdorf Goodman Inc. is a luxury department store based on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York. The company was founded in 1899 by Herman Bergdorf and was later owned and managed by Edwin Goodman, and later his son, Andrew Goodman. ...

, where he was the men's fashion director for five years. It was this experience that led him to launch in 2006 his own

menswear Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fash ...

line. Bastian's namesake line is currently carried in over 50 retail locations in North America, Japan, Europe, and the Middle East. It was produced under a

licensing agreement A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

with Italian cashmere label

Brunello Cucinelli Brunello Cucinelli (; born 3 September 1953 in Castel Rigone) is an Italian luxury creative director and the chief executive of his eponymous made in Italy brand, Brunello Cucinelli. He donates 20% of his profits through the Brunello Cuc ...

. The agreement was terminated at the end of 2010. In 2010, a collaboration with GANT was launched. The line, "GANT by Michael Bastian", has since expanded to include

womenswear Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashio ...

. The collection is distributed in over 60 countries worldwide, in both GANT stores and independent retailers. The next year, Bastian launched two new collaborations: with

Randolph Engineering Randolph Engineering, Inc., located in Randolph, Massachusetts, manufactures and sells sunglasses, shooting glasses, and prescription glasses. Randolph Engineering, Inc. is also the prime contractor for aviator sunglasses to the United States mi ...

under the name Michael Bastian for Randolph Engineering, and with Brazilian brand

Havaianas Havaianas (stylized as havaianas) is a Brazilian brand of flip-flop sandals created and patented in 1962. It is currently owned by Brazilian manufacturing company Alpargatas S.A. Inspired by Japanese zori sandals, Robert Fraser became the first t ...

. He created a collection of 15 variations on current and vintage Randolph Engineering models for the label. For Havaianas, Bastian created four limited edition styles under the name "Havaianas + Michael Bastian". In 2013, Bastian was again nominated for CFDA Menswear Designer of the Year, but the award eventually went to

Thom Browne Thom Browne (born September 27, 1965) is an American fashion designer. He is the founder and head of design for Thom Browne, a luxury fashion brand based in New York City. Browne debuted his womenswear collection in 2014. Early life and education ...

. On December 1, 2020, Bastian was introduced as the creative director of American label

Brooks Brothers Brooks Brothers, founded in Manhattan, New York, in 1818, is the oldest apparel brand in continuous operation in America. Originally a family business, Brooks Brothers produces clothing for men, women and children, as well as home furnishings. B ...

Accolades

, - , 2008 , rowspan="6", Michael Bastian , CFDA Fashion Awards: Menswear Designer of the Year , , - , 2009 , CFDA Fashion Awards: Menswear Designer of the Year , , - , 2010 , CFDA Fashion Awards: Menswear Designer of the Year , , - , 2011 , CFDA Fashion Awards: Menswear Designer of the Year , , - , 2012 , GMHC ''Fashion Forward'': Style Vault Award , , - , 2013 , CFDA Fashion Awards: Menswear Designer of the Year ,

Personal life

Bastian and his husband are residents of

. Although he knows how to operate a

handgun A handgun is a short- barrelled gun, typically a firearm, that is designed to be usable with only one hand. It is distinguished from a long gun (i.e. rifle, shotgun or machine gun, etc.), which needs to be held by both hands and also brac ...

, he has expressed he has never fired one.

References

External links

Michael Bastian NYC
''Official Michael Bastian site''
GANT by Michael Bastian
''Official GANT by Michael Bastian site'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Bastian, Michael 1965 births Living people American fashion designers LGBT fashion designers People from Lyons, New York Menswear designers