Bill Blass followed a simple mantra that was different from many designers of his time as well as many designers today: he believed that the client should always be in charge. As such, he made it a point to travel throughout the United States to makes sure his clothing was both functional and attractive to his clients.

Bill Blass’ sense of style and commitment to his audience earned him several awards in fashion. In fact, he managed to earn seven Coty Awards and was also awarded the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999, three years before his death.

Bill Blass had humble beginnings. Growing up in Indiana, his mother was a dressmaker and his father was a traveling hardware salesman. Blass found his love of the arts early on when he discovered it to be a form of escape after his father committed suicide when he was only 5 years old. By the time he was fifteen, he was sewing and selling his own evening gowns to a New York manufacturer for $25 each. By the age of seventeen, he had saved enough money to make a move to Manhattan where he studied fashion.

It didn’t take long for Blass to catch on to his studies. In fact, he earned the Mademoiselle’s Design for Living Award when he was just 18 years old, making him the first male to do so.

After stint in the Army as a part of the 603rd Camouflage Battalion, Blass officially started his fashion career in New York in 1946. Blass found a great deal of success in both men’s wear and in women’s wear. By 1970, he decided to expand his business and purchased Maurice Rentner Ltd and renamed it as Bill Blass Limited. From here, his line grew to include luggage, swimwear, perfume, furs, and even chocolate. In 1999, Blass sold his business and retired to his home in Connecticut.