Claiborne died Tuesday morning at New York Presbyterian Hospital after a long bout with cancer, said Gwen Satterfield, Claiborne's personal assistant. She was 78. In 1997, she had learned she had a rare form of cancer that affected the lining of her stomach, according to the New York Times.
"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," said Bill McComb, chief executive officer of Liz Claiborne Inc., in a statement released yesterday.
"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."
While Claiborne's label lives on in outlet malls and as a fragrance, her fashion sense is representative of a time and place. By the time the 1990s rolled around, the quiet designer had lost her cachet with the contemporary market, and her clothing, while still functional, was anything but cutting edge.
Claiborne was born Elisabeth Claiborne in Brussels, Belgium. Her father, Omer V. Claiborne, was a banker for Morgan Guaranty Trust Co. who moved the family to New Orleans in the 1930s. When Claiborne was a teen, she studied art in Belgium and France. Her family expected her to become an artist, but she decided to study fashion.
At 21, Claiborne won the Jacques Heim competition sponsored by Harpers Bazaar magazine for a coat design. The award helped her find work in New York's Seventh Avenue garment district, where she worked for fashion companies Dan Keller and Youth Guild.
It was her work at Youth Guild that first caught the eye of Philadelphia boutique owner Joan Shepp.
