Fashion designer Liz Claiborne a.k.a. Elizabeth Claiborne Ortenberg, 78, breathed her last on Tuesday at the New York Presbyterian Hospital after a longtime bout with cancer. She was an iconic figure for mainstream American women.
In 1976, Claiborne founded her namesake company, Liz Clairborne Inc., along with her husband Art Ortenberg (textile executive) and partners Leonard Boxer and Jerome Chazen. In 1981, the company went public and within five years, it was the first company founded by a woman to be listed in the Fortune 500 - a ranking of the top 500 American public corporations as measured by gross revenue.
The firm designs and markets a wide range of branded women’s and men’s apparel, accessories and fragrance products - making it a billion dollar fashion empire.
The big name of the firm provides reasonably priced products and it has revolutionized the way working women doll up to their workplace.
Bill McComb, the CEO of the company said:
In losing Liz Claiborne, we have not only lost the founder of our company, but an inspirational woman who revolutionized the fashion industry 30 years ago. Her commitment to style and design is ever present in our thinking and the way we work. We will remember Liz for her vision, her entrepreneurial spirit and her enduring compassion and generosity.”
Personal life
Real name: Elizabeth Claibrone
Born: 31.03.1929
Birthplace: Brussels, Belgium.
Married Life: Divorced from her first husband Schultz and married Ortenberg in 1957.
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