Elie Tahari ( he, אלי טהרי; born 1952) is an Israeli fashion designer. He is the designer of

ready-to-wear Ready-to-wear (or ''prêt-à-porter''; abbreviated RTW; "off-the-rack" or "off-the-peg" in casual use) is the term for ready-made garments, sold in finished condition in standardized sizes, as distinct from made-to-measure or bespoke clothing ...

clothing and fashion accessories. His company is headquartered in

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 Un ...

, with stores located throughout the world.

Early life

Tahari was born the middle son of an Iranian-Jewish couple in 1952. He has four sisters( Aliza, Diana, Shulie and Illana) and two brothers (Avraham and Yosi). The family immigrated from

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, where they resided in a

ma'abara Ma'abarot ( he, מַעְבָּרוֹת) were immigrant and refugee absorption camps established in Israel in the 1950s, constituting one of the largest public projects planned by the state to implement its sociospatial and housing policies. ...

transit camp in what is now

Mevasseret Zion Mevaseret Zion ( he, מְבַשֶּׂרֶת צִיּוֹן, literal meaning: Herald of Zion – Jerusalem) is a suburb of Jerusalem with the administrative status of a local council. Mevaseret Zion is composed of two distinct older townships, Mao ...

. In 1953–1957, the family went back to Iran, returning later to Israel. When his parents divorced and his father remarried, Tahari was sent to a boarding school ("Sde Hemed") in Rishon LeZion, later moving to

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the ...

("Maon Hayeled"). The following years were spent in Kvutzat Schiller and an

Israeli Air Force The Israeli Air Force (IAF; he, זְרוֹעַ הָאֲוִיר וְהֶחָלָל, Zroa HaAvir VeHahalal, tl, "Air and Space Arm", commonly known as , ''Kheil HaAvir'', "Air Corps") operates as the aerial warfare branch of the Israel Defens ...

boarding school in

Haifa Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...

. Elie Tahari emigrated to the United States in 1971 with less than $100. Working as an electrician at a clothing boutique in the Garment District of New York City, he began designing his own clothing line after popularizing the iconic tube top in 1973. His namesake label, Tahari, launched in 1974 with a boutique located on Madison Avenue in New York City.

Career

Inspired by the '70s era's disco culture, Elie Tahari created dance dresses and blouses, debuting his first fashion show in 1977 at the New York City nightclub Studio 54. In the 1980s, Tahari turned his attention to the tailored suit, with more office-centric designs as women joined the workforce and the ranks of the business elite. He was admitted to the

Council of Fashion Designers of America The Council of Fashion Designers of America, Inc. (CFDA), founded in 1962 by publicist Eleanor Lambert, and headquartered in Manhattan, is a not-for-profit trade association comprising a membership of over 450 American fashion and accessory d ...

in 1994. In 1997, he teamed with Andrew Rosen to launch the ready-to-wear label

Theory A theory is a rational type of abstract thinking about a phenomenon, or the results of such thinking. The process of contemplative and rational thinking is often associated with such processes as observational study or research. Theories may be ...

. The 2000s saw an expansion of his brand into men's ready-to-wear, accessories, jewelry, footwear and home goods. In 2012, Elie Tahari was a guest judge on the America television series

Project Runway All Stars ''Project Runway All Stars'' is a spin-off of ''Project Runway'', featuring returning designers competing for grand prizes. Angela Lindvall and Carolyn Murphy have each hosted one season before Alyssa Milano became the staple host of the past fiv ...

which aired on Lifetime. He collaborated with Kohl's DesigNation in 2014 and launched ET Sport in 2015.

Awards and honors

In honor of forty years in the fashion industry, then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg declared "Elie Tahari Day" in

on September 4, 2013. The event was marked with the debut of the Elie Tahari Edition 1974 – a one-off capsule that featured reworked pieces from the designer's archive. In 2014, Tahari was honored with the Ellis Island Medal of Honor which pays homage to the immigrant experience and the contribution made to America by immigrants and their children. Tahari received the Brand Vision Award from the

Fashion Group International The Fashion Group International (FGI) is a global, non-profit, professional organization founded in 1930 in New York City to benefit the fashion industry. FGI currently has over 5000 members in the fashion industry including apparel, accessories, b ...

in 2014. In 2021, a feature documentary is done about Elie Tahari's life, directed and produced by David Serero, called "The United States of fashion designer Elie Tahari." The film is selected in more than 100 film festivals and won several awards, including Best Documentary, Best Fashion Documentary, Best Director, Best Producer.

References

External links

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History of Tahari Suits
*
The Marker Week, economy supplement of the newspaper "Haaretz",16.7.2009 – report by Raz Smolski- in Hebrew
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tahari, Elie 1952 births American fashion designers American people of Jewish descent Israeli brands Israeli fashion designers Israeli Jews Israeli emigrants to the United States Israeli people of Iranian-Jewish descent Jewish fashion designers Living people People from Jerusalem