Perry Ellis

Perry Ellis is an American fashion brand founded by designer Perry Ellis in 1978 and associated with a relaxed, witty interpretation of classic American clothing. The label began with a showroom on New York's Seventh Avenue and initially centered on the Perry Ellis Menswear Collection. Ellis positioned his work between conventional tailoring and more informal contemporary dress, seeking clothing that was more obtainable, relaxed, stylish, and humorous than much of the formal fashion available at the time. The resulting design language is often summarized as “classic with a twist”: familiar garments reworked through easier proportions, lighter formality, and an understated sense of novelty. The brand developed rapidly during Ellis's lifetime. He received eight Coty American Fashion Critics' Awards between 1979 and 1984 and was recognized by the Council of Fashion Designers of America, including a CFDA Fashion Award in 1981 and another cited recognition in 1983. He became president of the CFDA in 1984, reinforcing the label's position within the American fashion establishment. Perry Ellis also became associated with a younger generation of design talent. Marc Jacobs worked for the house from 1988 to 1993 before later becoming known for his own label and his work at Louis Vuitton. After Ellis died in May 1986, the company continued under management acting for the benefit of his heirs. Robert L. McDonald succeeded Laughlin Barker as president in 1986; Barker, Ellis's domestic partner, had died earlier that year. The business subsequently passed through a series of corporate ownership and licensing relationships. Manhattan Industries, parent of The Vera Companies, was sold to Salant in 1986. Salant was a licensee and manufacturer associated with Perry Ellis apparel, while the brand's corporate structure continued to evolve. Supreme International, a Miami-based textile company led by George Feldenkreis, acquired the Perry Ellis brand in 1999. Supreme International was subsequently renamed Perry Ellis International. In June 2003, Perry Ellis International merged with or acquired Salant in a transaction reported at approximately $80 million, combining the brand owner with an important apparel manufacturing and licensing business. The resulting company operated a broad portfolio of clothing and lifestyle brands, including brands acquired or managed alongside Perry Ellis. Its portfolio later included Original Penguin and golf-related apparel interests such as Ping Collection. Perry Ellis remains primarily associated with men's clothing. Its assortment has included suits, sport coats, dress shirts, knitwear, trousers, denim, casual shirts, sportswear, ties, footwear, fragrances, and other accessories. The brand's commercial positioning is generally mid-market rather than couture or luxury, emphasizing wearable American style and broad retail accessibility. Perry Ellis has also maintained visibility through runway presentations, entertainment-industry events, celebrity dressing, and partnerships with media organizations. In the late 2000s and early 2010s, the label collaborated with Vanity Fair on gatherings connected with Emmy-nominated television programs and was worn by entertainers and television personalities. The brand is distinct from the designer himself: Perry Ellis died in 1986, but the trademark and business continued under Perry Ellis International. The parent company was publicly traded for part of its history under the PERY ticker, but the input ticker should not be treated as current because the company later became privately held. Perry Ellis today represents the continuing commercial fashion label rather than an independently listed corporation.

Perry Ellis founded his eponymous fashion house in 1978 with The Vera Companies and established a showroom on New York's Seventh Avenue. His initial focus was men's clothing, particularly a menswear collection that interpreted American classics through relaxed construction, accessible styling, and playful deviations from convention. The approach became associated with the phrase “classic with a twist.” Rather than treating tailoring as rigid or ceremonial, Ellis sought clothing that was easier to wear and more relevant to contemporary everyday life. The label gained critical recognition quickly. Ellis won eight Coty American Fashion Critics' Awards from 1979 through 1984 and received Council of Fashion Designers of America recognition, including a Fashion Award in 1981 and a further award cited in 1983. He became CFDA president in 1984. These achievements established him as a major American designer and gave the brand institutional visibility beyond its retail business. The house entered a transitional period in 1986. Laughlin Barker, Ellis's domestic partner and company president, died in January. Robert L. McDonald then became president. Perry Ellis died in May of the same year. McDonald stated that, under Ellis's will, he had control of the company in trust for Ellis's heirs and intended to continue the fashion house. The brand therefore survived its founder as a managed intellectual property and apparel business. The corporate structure changed repeatedly. Manhattan Industries, parent of The Vera Companies, was sold to Salant in 1986. Salant was also associated with the manufacture and licensing of Perry Ellis clothing. From 1988 to 1993, Marc Jacobs designed for the Perry Ellis house. In 1999, Supreme International, a Miami textile company led by George Feldenkreis, acquired the Perry Ellis brand. Supreme International later changed its name to Perry Ellis International, making the designer's name the center of a broader apparel enterprise. Perry Ellis International expanded through acquisitions and related brand activities. In 2003 it acquired Salant in a transaction reported at approximately $80 million. Salant had acquired Axis Clothing Corp. in 2002, and Axis marketed men's sweaters, trousers, jeans, and shirts through United States department stores. Perry Ellis International subsequently operated a larger portfolio that included Original Penguin and golf apparel interests such as Ping Collection, among other textile and fashion businesses. The Perry Ellis brand itself continued to focus on men's apparel and accessories, including suits, shirts, knitwear, trousers, casualwear, ties, and related products. Its market position remained broadly accessible and mid-market, distinct from luxury designer labels while retaining a designer heritage. The label also cultivated cultural visibility through runway activity, red-carpet dressing, entertainment partnerships, and Vanity Fair events for television nominees. Perry Ellis's legacy was further recognized through the annual award for emerging designers created in 1986 and a commemorative plaque installed on Seventh Avenue in 2002. Although Perry Ellis International traded publicly for part of its corporate history, the brand is not itself a separately listed company. The current brand dossier should distinguish the trademark and fashion label from the historical public-company ticker PERY and from the biography of Perry Ellis, the designer who founded it.

• 2003

  Salant transaction

  [1]Perry Ellis (brand)en.wikipedia.org

  Perry Ellis International acquired or merged with Salant in a transaction reported at approximately $80 million.

• 1999

  Acquisition by Supreme International

  [1]Perry Ellis (brand)en.wikipedia.org

  Supreme International acquired the Perry Ellis brand and later adopted the Perry Ellis International name.

• 1986

  Founder dies; emerging-designer award established

  [1]Perry Ellis (brand)en.wikipedia.org

  Perry Ellis died in May, while the annual Perry Ellis Award for emerging designers was established during the same year.

• 1984

  Ellis becomes CFDA president

  [1]Perry Ellis (brand)en.wikipedia.org

  Perry Ellis served as president of the CFDA.

• 1981

  CFDA Fashion Award

  [1]Perry Ellis (brand)en.wikipedia.org

  Perry Ellis received a Council of Fashion Designers of America Fashion Award.

• 1979

  First Coty recognition

  [1]Perry Ellis (brand)en.wikipedia.org

  Ellis began a run of eight Coty American Fashion Critics' Awards extending through 1984.

• 1978

  Fashion house founded

  [1]Perry Ellis (brand)en.wikipedia.org

  Perry Ellis founded his fashion house with The Vera Companies and opened a showroom on New York's Seventh Avenue.

Accessible American men's fashion combining classic tailoring with relaxed proportions, casual versatility, and a distinctive but understated design attitude.

• Men's fashion · 1978

  Perry Ellis Menswear Collection

  The original core collection launched by Perry Ellis. It established the label's signature approach to American menswear: recognizable tailoring and sportswear made more relaxed, accessible, and subtly unconventional. The collection formed the foundation for later suits, shirts, trousers, knitwear, and casual clothing.

• Men's tailored clothing

  Perry Ellis Tailoring

  The tailoring business includes suits, sport coats, blazers, trousers, and related formal or semi-formal pieces. It expresses the brand's “classic with a twist” identity by combining conventional wardrobe categories with an easier, less rigid American sensibility.

• Men's sportswear

  Perry Ellis Sportswear

  Perry Ellis sportswear extends the label beyond formal tailoring into casual shirts, knitwear, trousers, denim, and versatile everyday separates. The line is designed for broad retail accessibility and reflects the founder's preference for relaxed clothing that remains polished and distinctive.

• Fashion accessories

  Perry Ellis Accessories

  Accessories associated with the brand include ties, footwear, fragrances, and other complementary items. These products broaden the brand's wardrobe role and allow its American menswear identity to be expressed through lower-priced or add-on categories.

• 2007Perry Ellis and Vanity Fair television celebrations

  United States

  Perry Ellis partnered with Vanity Fair on gatherings for television award nominees, beginning with Heroes in 2007 and continuing with 30 Rock, The Office, and Parks and Recreation in later years. The activity connected the brand with entertainment, red-carpet dressing, and contemporary television culture.

  Outcome. The partnership increased the label's visibility among entertainment audiences and supported its association with celebrity and award-season style.

  Source

• 2003

  Perry Ellis International combines with SalantM&A

  Background

  Salant was a manufacturer and licensee associated with Perry Ellis clothing and had also acquired Axis Clothing Corp.

  Action taken

  Perry Ellis International acquired or merged with Salant in a transaction reported at approximately $80 million.

  Aftermath

  The transaction combined the brand owner with an established apparel manufacturing and licensing business and contributed to a wider multi-brand portfolio.

  Reported transaction value. $80 million (June 2003)

  Source

• 1999

  Supreme International acquires the Perry Ellis brandM&A

  Background

  Perry Ellis had operated through a changing network of fashion-house, licensing, and apparel-manufacturing relationships.

  Action taken

  Supreme International, a Miami-based textile company led by George Feldenkreis, acquired the brand and subsequently renamed itself Perry Ellis International.

  Aftermath

  The Perry Ellis name became the center of a broader multinational apparel company that later expanded through additional acquisitions.

  Source

1. 1Perry Ellis (brand)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2Perry Ellis official websiteperryellis.com