Perry Ellis is a brand that has become synonymous with American fashion — and has a legacy to match. The Virginia Beach-native Perry Ellis launched his first womenswear line, Portfolio, in 1976, before he went on to open his eponymous company in 1978.
Since Ellis’ debut on the fashion scene, WWD documented and photographed the designer and his playful collections which brought them to life. “There is very little clothing that hasn’t been done before. It’s the little extras that make them special,” Ellis told WWD in 1976.
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Ellis was responsible for helping rewrite and redefine the landscape of American fashion and sportswear. He brought more traditionally dominant silhouettes and styles from the menswear space into womenswear. Famously, Ellis once said, “I don’t make fashion, I make clothes.” Ellis helped pioneer the “Big Look or Soft Look,” a prominent fixture of the ’70s.
As someone who experimented in his designs, he stated that “fashion dies when you take it too seriously.” Patterns, pops of color, new shapes and styles helped define his brand under his tutelage. Particularly, Ellis showcased oversized, unconstructed looks which were layered with natural fibers; sweaters and knitwear are also a major part of the brand’s codes.
Notable collections throughout the history of the brand include spring 1977, when Ellis was labeled a designer of the future; fall 1978, with its preppiness and featuring Princeton University cheerleaders spelling out his name on their shirts; and his third menswear collection titled “Chariots of Fire,” which cemented the Perry Ellis look.
“I was determined to change the course of fashion to move away from what I call the pretentiousness of clothes — to design clothes that are more obtainable, more relaxed, but ultimately more stylish and witty,” said Ellis.
The designer went on to launch Perry Ellis America in 1984, in collaboration with Levi Strauss, with its jeans and activewear lines, debuted its first fragrance in 1985 and then started selling his America line in major American retailers in 1985.
Over the course of his career, Ellis was widely recognized across the fashion industry — Ellis earned eight Coty Awards and four CFDA Awards, including CFDA Designer of the Year in 1982 for his contributions to fashion. He later went on to become the president of CFDA from 1984 until he died in 1986. While Ellis only spent a decade designing for his brand, he has had a long-lasting impact on fashion even today. In recognition of his influence, the CFDA established the Perry Ellis Award for Emerging Talent in 1986.
After Ellis’ unfortunate and sudden passing in 1986, Marc Jacobs was named creative director of the brand in 1988. Jacobs’ spring 1993 “Grunge Collection” became a defining moment for the Perry Ellis brand. The collection pushed the boundaries of creativity via rock ‘n’ roll, reminiscent of the youth culture and what people were actually wearing in the early ’90s.
Then, in 1999, the Feldenkreis family (Supreme International) acquired the Perry Ellis brand and renamed the company Perry Ellis International. After acquiring the trademark from Ellis’ daughter, Tyler Ellis, and her mother, Barbara Gallagher, the company has kept the legacy of the designer alive.
Under new ownership, the brand has seen major milestones, including a 2004 plaque on Fashion Avenue’s Walk of Fame in New York honoring the designer and a return to the runway in 2014, under the previous creative director, Michael Maccari. Most recently, in 2024, Michael Miille was appointed the new creative director of Perry Ellis to bring the company into its next chapter.
Building a Bold Future
Today, the Perry Ellis brand is focused on the founder and brand’s DNA and ensuring the legacy Ellis built continues to shine.
“Perry Ellis was a designer that was extremely talented,” Oscar Feldenkreis, chief executive officer and president of Perry Ellis International, told WWD’s style director, Alex Badia, at the company headquarters in Florida. “He got four CFDAs, one of the most ever received. He was extremely talented.
We found out that Tyler Ellis and Barbara Gallagher were selling the trademark. We went and negotiated the purchase of the brand. We promised them one thing, that we would never destroy the Perry Ellis brand. We’ve always been true to its channel of distribution, to its DNA. We never made any changes at all. We never took it down. We never went sideways. We always wanted to make sure that the legacy of Perry Ellis, its brand and the essence of what it stands for would always stay together.”
Meanwhile, in New York, Badia also sat down with the current creative director, Miille, in his office space at 1120 Avenue of the Americas. In contrast to WWD’s March 1978 article — which saw Perry Ellis’ office on 1411 Broadway with “a multicolored clutter of sketches, jars of paint, swatches of cloth and magazines cover the office’s work desk” — Miille’s space is a more subdued version with large worktables and corkboard walls for sketches, archival runway looks and inspiration abound.
As a 20-year veteran designer in New York, Miille joined Perry Ellis two years ago. He previously worked at Ralph Lauren and Michael Kors. For the upcoming 50th anniversary of the brand and the new spring 2026 collection, Miille went back into the archives and looked to Ellis’ vision, quite literally.
Notably, Ellis had owned a house on Water Island, Fire Island, New York, which was his escape from the city and became a notable influence on his collections; it was often the location where he shot the brand’s ad campaigns.
“There’s always an image of sand, sea and sky and a strong horizon line behind the model,” Miille told Badia in an interview at Perry Ellis’ New York headquarters. “This inspired me to create a color palette, textures and fabrics through the beautiful lens of being outside. The models were dwarfed by the beauty and the natural simplicity of those shots. I wanted to take it back to where it all began. That original image of Matt Norlan standing in the blue shirt and the khaki pants that shocked everyone with its elegant simplicity, but its absolute fantastic utility.”
With the anniversary and the new collection, Perry Ellis is expanding on its elevated line. Under Miille, the brand is giving a modern twist on the Perry Ellis man. With the creation of the Signature Collection, the company wanted to pay homage to the founder by including Ellis’ signature on the label.
“The original Perry Ellis man from the ’70s to ’80s to 2000s has evolved,” explained Feldenkreis. “It’s much more contemporary. Perry Ellis was always known for his prints. We continue to, in his legacy, do prints. We always have prints. We’re also known for linen as a fabric — which is very important to the core of the brand. Perry Ellis always used the word whimsical whenever they would interview him. The Perry Ellis man continues to be whimsical, but in a different way.”
Echoing this, Miille said the Perry Ellis man remains “effortless.” He went on to explain that effortless means that there’s an ease of wearing clothing and it makes the man feel elegant, important and capable.
“My own personal story is about using the power of clothing to elevate myself into a different trajectory and I’d like to offer that to everyone. So for me, the Perry Ellis man is anybody who wishes to look as good as he possibly can and to feel as comfortable as he possibly can.”
Miille turned to archival pieces from Ellis’ history to inform his designs for the brand. Citing Ellis’ “incredible knits and sweaters,” Miille took inspiration from the stitches he did and reinterpreted them for the 21st century. He also looked at Ellis’ color palette when he started — which he said was Ellis’ way of giving people clothing that was “simple and beautiful.”
Being back on the location of Ellis’ original campaigns was an emotional moment for Miille — he said that Ellis was a “genius we lost too soon” and wondered what he would be doing today if he were still alive.
“Every single one of his collections was different. And he continued to evolve and change up until the very last one. Being back where he was inspired, we’re able to pick up the baton and bring his memory forward into the 21st century,” said Miille.
Alex Badia Reflects on Perry Ellis
During the 1970s, American fashion was stiff and traditional — even conservative. Then Perry Ellis came in and changed everything. He introduced clothing that was casual, playful and relaxed, which led to the explosion of American sportswear.
He remained a pioneer during his time working in American fashion — not just with his levity but his introduction of casual ready-to-wear.
Ellis led this revolution culturally and socially with the creation of this new type of brand. In the ’90s, the brand catered to a new generation with streetwear — as seen on American football players, rappers and hip-hop artists. Logo-heavy, it had classic ‘90s and early 2000s pieces that have circled back today with nostalgic clothing such as windbreakers.
A moment in the brand’s history that stands out to me is Marc Jacobs’ Grunge collection at Perry Ellis; it’s a pivotal moment in the history of fashion. While it wasn’t well received at the time, it’s clear that it was now one of the most influential American shows in history and helped cement the grunge movement.
I still have and wear a couple of sweaters from Ellis’ ’80s era that I bought from vintage stores in the ’90s. When I first started working at DNR [WWD’s then-sister publication that covered menswear], one of the lead brands I covered was Perry Ellis. I remember flying to Miami around 2001 and doing a story on Perry Ellis — it was the hottest brand at the time.
What makes the Perry Ellis brand continue to endure today is its dressing of the everyday man. The brand’s ability to shape and influence the non-fashion consumer into being a better dresser is incredibly important.