Isaac Mizrahi

Isaac Mizrahi, born October 14, 1961, in Brooklyn, New York, is an American fashion designer, actor, singer, and television presenter. The youngest boy in his family, he grew up in the Midwood neighborhood of Brooklyn, the son of Sarah and Zeke Mizrahi, a children's clothing manufacturer. Of Syrian-Jewish descent, his maternal grandparents were Jews from Aleppo, Syria. At age ten, he purchased his first sewing machine using money he had earned babysitting.

Mizrahi launched his fashion career in 1987 with a debut collection presented at a trunk show held by Bergdorf Goodman in New York City. The collection drew immediate attention from fashion editors and prompted orders from major retailers. In a 1989 interview with Elizabeth Cannon, he described his design philosophy as "controlled and glamorous," "elegant," and "distilled, refined," citing decadence and the diversity of New York City as inspirations. In 1992, the French fashion house Chanel acquired a stake in his company and began financing its operations. Despite consistent critical praise, sales remained uneven, and the company never turned a profit, losing substantial sums in its final four years. Chanel withdrew its financing in October 1998, leading to the closure of the label after the Fall 1998 collection. Between 1995 and 1997, Mizrahi also operated a lower-priced diffusion line called IS**C, priced between $275 and $850, which was discontinued in 1997.

Mizrahi returned to fashion in 2002 with the launch of Isaac Mizrahi for Target, a diffusion line that expanded over time to include accessories, bedding, housewares, and pet products. Over five years, sales from the line tripled to more than $300 million. The Target collaboration ended in 2008 when Mizrahi moved to design for Liz Claiborne. That partnership lasted one year, producing collections under the Liz Claiborne New York label sold at retailers including Macy's, Belk, and Dillard's. The line later moved to QVC, where it remained until his contract ended in December 2016. In 2010, Mizrahi launched IsaacMizrahiLIVE! exclusively on QVC, and in 2011 he sold his brand to Xcel Brands, Inc., remaining a shareholder, creative director, and media personality for the label. Under Xcel, additional lines including Isaac Mizrahi New York and Isaac Mizrahi Jeans were introduced at retailers such as Bloomingdale's and Nordstrom. His first fragrance, Fabulous, debuted in September 2012.

On Broadway, Mizrahi appeared in the long-running revival of Chicago, playing the role of Amos Hart. The database records his Broadway appearance in 1996, and the external biography places his performance in the production in 2022. He received a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design in 2002.

Mizrahi has maintained an extensive presence in film and television since the 1990s. In 1993, he appeared in the Michael J. Fox comedy For Love or Money as a character named Julian Russell. A documentary about the development of his Fall 1994 collection, titled Unzipped, was released in 1995. He appeared as himself in the fifth season of Sex and the City, in an episode of Spin City, in a Season 4 episode of Gossip Girl, and as a guest on the Bravo series Ugly Betty, where he played a reporter for Fashion TV. He also appeared in three Woody Allen films: Small Time Crooks, Hollywood Ending, and Celebrity. In 2006, he appeared on the public radio program Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! and in the same year designed denim work aprons for conservators at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery.

In television hosting, Mizrahi co-hosted the first and second seasons of The Fashion Show on Bravo, beginning in 2009, alongside singer Kelly Rowland in the first season and supermodel Iman in the second. In 2012, he served as a head judge on the debut season of Project Runway: All Stars on the Lifetime network, alongside designer Georgina Chapman. That same February, he served as red carpet correspondent for Live with Kelly during the 84th Annual Academy Awards, conducting interviews with Brad Pitt, Emma Stone, Rooney Mara, and Gwyneth Paltrow. He was also a contestant in the Jeopardy! Million Dollar Celebrity Invitational, where he advanced after replacing semi-finalist Andy Richter before ultimately losing to Michael McKean. His television work also included a series called Isaac on the Style Network, which debuted in fall 2005, and a prior show on the Oxygen network on which he sang jazz in a nightclub setting.