Leon Max (born Leonid Maksovich Rodovinsky; ; 12 February 1954) is a Russian-American

fashion designer Fashion design is the Art (skill), art of applied arts, applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction, and natural beauty to clothing and its Fashion accessory, accessories. It is influenced by diverse cultures and different trends and has va ...

and retailer.

Early life

Max was born in

Leningrad Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

(now Saint Petersburg),Nina dos Santos, Irene Chapple
Russian tycoon to English country gent: Leon Max and his stately home
''

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

'', 3 February 2013 in 1954, to a playwright and a civil engineer. His father's mother was Jewish which allowed him to leave the Soviet Union in 1974. He then sought political asylum to

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

on his way to

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. He later enrolled at the

Fashion Institute of Technology The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) is a public college under the State University of New York, in New York City. It focuses on art, business, design, mass communication, and technology connected to the fashion industry. It was founded in ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. He became a naturalized United States citizen in 1986, at which time he legally changed his name to Leon Max.

Career

He worked as a personal trainer in New York. He then worked for the New York fashion house Tahari, and then

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

-based Bis, a women’s sportswear firm. He founded Max Studio in 1979. An upmarket fashion chain, Max Studio sells through department stores. It also has 46 of its own retail stores in the U.S. and another 50 in the Far East. In July 2012, he received an honorary degree from the

University of Northampton The University of Northampton is a public university based in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England. It was formed in 1999 by the amalgamation of a number of training colleges, and gained full university status as the University of Northampto ...

Personal life

Max has been married three times, and has three children. His first two marriages ended in divorce. His first marriage was to model Kim Reynolds, mother of his daughter, Sophie Max for whom he named a clothing line. His second marriage with Ame Austin, an American model and stylist, ended with his 2009 divorce fillings. In 2014, he married Yana Boyko, a Ukrainian model.Leon and Yana Max's wedding
''

Tatler ''Tatler'' (stylised in all caps) is a British magazine published by Condé Nast Publications. It focuses on fashion and lifestyle, as well as coverage of high society and politics. It is targeted towards the British upper and upper-middle c ...

'', 14 October 2014 In 2005, he purchased

Easton Neston Easton Neston is situated in south Northamptonshire, England. Though the village of Easton Neston which was inhabited until around 1500 is now gone, the parish retains the name. At the 2011 Census the population of the civil parish remained le ...

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...

, England from Lord Hesketh.Yori Yanover
Designer Leon Max Is Buying Up Britain
''

The Jewish Press ''The Jewish Press'' is an American weekly newspaper based in Brooklyn, New York City. It serves the Modern Orthodox Jewish community. History The ''Jewish Press'' was co-founded in 1960 by Albert Klass and his brother Sholom Klass. The Klas ...

'', March 11, 2012Mitchell Owens
Easton Neston Revived
''

Architectural Digest ''Architectural Digest'' (stylized in all caps) is an American monthly magazine founded in 1920. Its principal subjects are interior design and landscaping, rather than pure external architecture. The magazine is published by Condé Nast ...

'', May 2012 He converted the fire damaged

Wren Wrens are a family, Troglodytidae, of small brown passerine birds. The family includes 96 species and is divided into 19 genera. All species are restricted to the New World except for the Eurasian wren that is widely distributed in the Old Worl ...

wing of the house, plus the outbuildings which were the home of defunct Formula One team

Hesketh Racing Hesketh Racing was a Formula One constructor from the United Kingdom, which competed from 1973 to 1978. The team competed in 52 World Championship Grands Prix, winning one and achieving eight further podium finishes. Its best placing in the ...

, into a design studio. The interior design was done by

Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill Lady Henrietta Mary Spencer-Churchill (born 7 October 1958) is an English interior decorator and founder of Woodstock Designs. Biography Lady Henrietta is the youngest child and only daughter of the 11th Duke of Marlborough by his first wife ...

. In July 2011, a party was thrown at Easton Neston to celebrate the completion of its renovation.Julia Neel
Leon Max Party
''Vogue'', 26 July 2011 It was hosted by

Richard Dennen Richard Dennen (born c.1980) is a British journalist and editor of ''Tatler'' since 2018. He is best known for his contributions to the fashion industry. He previously contributed to publications including ''The Sunday Times'', '' The London Eveni ...

, Mary Charteris and Josephine de La Baume. In 2010, he purchased a house formerly owned by

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

in the

Hollywood Hills The Hollywood Hills is a residential neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. It borders Studio City, Universal City and Burbank on the north, Griffith Park on the north and east, Los Feliz on the southeast, Hollyw ...

, near the Hollywood Sign in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. According to ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

'' in 2020, Max has a net worth of £410 million.

References

External links

MaxStudio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Max, Leon Living people 1954 births People from West Northamptonshire District Artists from Los Angeles American fashion designers Fashion Institute of Technology alumni Soviet emigrants to the United States American people of Russian-Jewish descent