Betsey Johnson Handbags
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About Betsey Johnson: Then & Now
Born in Connecticut, fashion designer Betsey Johnson is known for her over the top, whimsical, unique designs. Johnson spent much of her childhood involved in dance, which sparked her love for over-the-top costumes and unique designs. After high school, Johnson studied at the Pratt Institute and then graduated from Syracuse University. Betsey first entered the fashion scene in 1964, when she won Mademoiselle's "Guest Editor Contest." In 1965, Betsey became the top designer for Paraphernalia, a New York boutique known for displaying the work of young London designers such as Mary Quant and Paco Rabanne. It was at Paraphernalia, where Betsey Johnson first demonstrated her trademark sexy silhouettes, flowing fabrics, and impeccable fit.
Betsey quickly became embedded in the 1960s Andy Warhol scene, where she used Edie Sedgwick as her house model and the Velvet Underground's John Cale, Johnson's eventual husband, wore her designs on and off stage. Johnson even designed the clothing Sedgwick wore on her last film, Ciao Manhattan. With her new found popularity, Betsey opened her own boutique in 1969, named Betsey Bunk Nini. Soon after opening her own boutique on the east coast, Betsey was offered a job with Alvin Duskin in San Francisco and lived the remainder of the 1960s traveling from coast to coast.
In the early 1970s, Betsey became one of the leading names in rock n' roll clothing when she took creative control of the Alley Cat label. In 1972, Johnson became the youngest designer to receive the Coty Award. In 1978, Betsey partnered with Chantal Bacon and finally began her own label, known as the Betsey Johnson label. During this same year, Bacon and Johnson opened their flagship store in New York's Soho area. This New York store was followed with an additional store on Los Angeles' Melrose Avenue, opened during the 1980s. The Betsey Johnson label went international in 1998 with the opening of the London store. A Vancouver location followed in 1999 and in September of 2006, Betsey Johnson opened its doors in Japan. Today there are over 50 stores worldwide in addition to Betsey Johnson clothing sold in better department stores throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. Betsey expanded her line in 2003 with the addition of shoes, fragrance, lingerie, handbags, belts, eyewear and other accessories.
While on a Mexican vacation, in 2003, Betsey purchased a hotel which she turned into a dream vacation home named "Betseyville." Johnson visited her dream home often for inspiration and in 2004 purchased a second house she named "Villa Betsey." Eventually, Betsey turned her original Mexican vacation home into an estate to be rented to the public which was featured in the magazine In Style's Homes in April of 2005.
Betsey was inducted into the Fashion Walk of Fame in 2002 for her contribution to the fashion world. In 2005, Johnson was honored with the 2005 Lifetime Achievement Award given by the Signature Awards and NAWBO-NYC committee. In addition, Betsey received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Accessories Council as well as the Designer of the Year award at the Fashion Accessories Benefit Ball.
In addition to her many awards for design, Betsey has used her own struggle with breast cancer to advocate for more funding to fight the disease. In 2003, Betsey was named honorary chairperson for the Fashion Targets Beast Cancer initiative. In 2004, she joined forces with the author of Why I Wore Lipstick…To My Mastectomy, Geralyn Lucas, in designing a t-shirt to accompany the book. In addition, Johnson took part in a series of events created to bring attention to the fight against breast cancer, called "Courage Nights." Johnson continues to make public appearances, create one-of-a-kind designs for auction, and participate in numerous fund raising events to help fight the disease.
Betsey Johnson is known as the original wild child of fashion. She follows her own rules and has created a new vision of what is "fashionable." Today, her label continues to set trends in the fashion world. For 40 years, Johnson's creativity has kept her at the forefront of fashion. Johnson herself has said that, "Like red lipstick on the mouth, my products wake up and brighten and bring the wearer to life…drawing attention to her beauty and specialness…her moods and movements…her dreams and fantasies."
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