Friends with Warhol, dressing Cher, partying at Studio 54: Stephen Burrows was the designer for the drug-laced disco days—and one of the first African-American names in the industry. Known for his signature “lettuce hems” and sexy, flowing chiffons, Burrows notably exaggerated stitching instead of hiding it and often used bright colors like red for the thread. Ginia Bellefante of the New York Times summed up the sexiness of the label by saying, “The most distinctive element of Mr. Burrows's clothes is that they looked as if they left the house around midnight to wind up the next afternoon a crumpled heap on some bedroom floor at an address the wearer was probably not all that familiar with 24 hours earlier.” After his clothes sold successfully at O, a NYC gallery-boutique located across from Max’s Kansas City, Henri Bendel created an atelier in the basement of its store called Stephen Burrows' World. But in 1982, Bendel was sold, and Burrows's fame and fortune went with it. In 2002, after twenty years of obscurity, he made one of the biggest comebacks in fashion history with a revamped Bendel boutique and, later, Fashion Week shows. Soon after, he also debuted a watered-down version of his line on the Home Shopping Network.

Status

Established

Clients

Naomi Campbell, Iman, Barbara Streisand, Cher, Lauren Bacall, Hillary Duff

Collaborations

Created a line for Mo Lajé. (February 2008)

Owned By

Stephen Burrows

Address

209 W. 38th St., Eighth fl.
New York, New York 10018
212-921-7650

Where To Buy

Bluefly

Related Websites

• Stephen Burrows (Official)
• CFDA: Stephen Burrows (Other)