Stuart Gustin, a longtime handbag industry executive, died Thursday from complications of a sudden stroke. He was 80.
A native New Yorker and Army veteran, Gustin went to work for his father, Joseph Gustin, owner of Bizarre Imports, which sold handbags and accessories, after he was honorably discharged in 1956.
Following his father’s retirement in 1972 and the closing of Bizarre Imports, Gustin joined Trina as president of its newly formed Genie Handbag division. The Korean War veteran left Trina in 1984 for private label handbag and accessories firm Aspects, where he served as chief executive officer until 1996.
Gustin stayed on as a consultant for Aspects for three years before joining RPL Designs, where he helped develop the license and launch of the Jessica McClintock handbag accessories line. In 2010, the license was sold to Mundi Westport Corp., where Gustin worked as a consultant until his death.
“I’m very proud of my father’s accomplishments and how well he was respected in the industry over the course of his career,” said Gustin’s son Nick, who is a senior men’s buyer for ralphlauren.com. “He truly inspired my love of retail when visiting stores together and going to his showrooms when I was growing up.”
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Gustin is survived by his wife, Brenda, and his two sons, Kenneth and Nick. Services were private.