Isaac Mizrahi is my favourite fashion designer. I was introduced to his work through a documentary about his Spring 1995 collection, called "Unzipped". There isn't much information about him on the net, so I'm going to attempt it.

Isaac Mizrahi was born on October 14, 1961 in Brooklyn, New York, under the sign of Libra. His father manufactured children's wear and his stylish mother whom he credits as a major inspiration, wore the designs of Balenciaga and Norell.

As a boy Mizrahi loved acting and piano but his course was firmly set toward fashion. At the age of 13, he began designing clothes for his mother's friends. While attending a Yeshiva for 8 years, he would often be reprimanded for drawing fashion sketches in Bibles. At the age of 14 he transferred to the High School of Performing Arts in Manhattan, studying drama while taking night classes at Parsons School of Design. After his graduation in 1979 he enrolled in Parsons full-time. As a student and for two years after his graduation he apprenticed with the man he calls his "guardian angel"-Perry Ellis.

In addition to Ellis, Mizrahi worked with designers Jeffrey Banks and Calvin Klein before opening his own business in June of 1987 with Sarah Haddad-Cheney, a family friend. What began with just a few pieces nine years ago in a SoHo studio has grown into a solid and rapidly growing women's wear business with the kind of industry recognition few designers achieve. Besides the women's collection, the Mizrahi label includes Isaac Mizrahi Shoes, launched in the Spring of 1994 with the Italian company Pancaldi, (and which won the Italian Trade Commission's 1994 Designer of the Year Award). More recently, Isaac Mizrahi Eyewear was introduced in September of 1995, with eyeOTA, a California based eyewear company. And Mizrahi's newest venture is a division of lower priced women's clothing called IS**C, which debuted in stores in the spring of 1996.

Lauded as "the Wonder Boy," the "Whiz Kid" and "Seventh Avenue's Darling," Mizrahi's meteoric rise to international stardom is something of a phenomenon. After just two collections he was honored with his first award-The CFDA Perry Ellis Award for new fashion talent, presented in January of 1989. A few months later, WWD crowned him "King of Tartans," for his triumphant Fall, 1989 collection and Bloomingdale's Kal Ruttenstein was prompted to say, "With this collection, Isaac moved into the big league. He's a major force in American sportswear." Carrie Donovan's review of the Spring 1990 collection for The New York Times Magazine was an incredible tribute to Mizrahi and his two year old business. "His simply stated, quite practical clothes-carried out in fresh colors and marvelously inventive patterns-have true originality. They are in the American sportswear tradition, but with an added layer of young sophistication. Mizrahi will be the hero of the next decade."

On February 6, 1990, Mizrahi received the coveted CFDA Designer of the Year Award. He was also named designer of the year by the Fashion Footwear Association of New York, and Crain's New York Business presented him with their 40 and under 40 Award, for making great strides in business at such a young age.

On February 3, 1992, Isaac Mizrahi was, again, the proud recipient of the CFDA Designer of the Year Award, his third such award in just over four years and clearly a remarkable achievement.

All the industry recognition notwithstanding, Mizrahi's continued support and commitment in the battle against AIDS was recognized when he received the AIDS Action's 1995 National Leadership Award for Community Service, presented on June 22, 1995 in Washington D.C. Moreover, Mizrahi was the youngest designer ever to be honored by the Friends of AIDS Project Los Angeles, at a fashion gala held at Mann's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, in May of 1994.

The quintessential New Yorker, Mizrahi considers New York to be the most romantic place in the world. What's important to him besides work, his number one passion, are books, the cinema, the theater and ballet. "I live for the ballet," he says. His design projects for the ballet include costumes for Twyla Tharp's ballets Cutting Up and Brief Fling, for Mikhail Baryshnikov in his solo, Three Preludes choreographed by Mark Morris and for Mark Morris' ballets Mosaic and United and Bach's 3rd Cello Suite, for a film collaboration with Yo-Yo Ma. In addition, he created costumes for Bill T. Jones' War Between States for the DIFFA benefit Demand Performance in October 1993. Besides his creations for the ballet, Mizrahi designed Liz Minnelli's costumes for Stepping Out at Radio City Music Hall (no minated for an Emmy Award) and for Spike Lee's movie Jungle Fever.

In 1994, Mizrahi made his feature film debut in Universal's Michael J. Fox comedy for Love or Money, directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, playing the role of Julian Russell, on of the world's leading fashion designers. In 1995, Mizrahi was the subject of the highly acclaimed documentary Unzipped, directed by Douglas Keeve. Described by Geoffrey Gilmore, the director of programming at the Sundance Film Festival, as "a wonderful chronicle of the inspiration and eccentricity of an artist at work," Unzipped won the 1995 Audience Award for the Documentaries at Sundance. Distributed by Miramax Films, the film was screened internationally at the Cannes and Venice Film Festivals and opened nationally on August 4, 1995. Unzipped was selected by publications as diverse as People, Art Forum and Rolling Stone as one of the best films of 1995. On February 12, 1996, Isaac Mizrahi and Douglas Keeve received a special CFDA Award for "bringing the fashion world to cinema."

In the words of fashion historian Caroline Rennolds Milbank, Isaac Mizrahi's "simple and refreshingly casual" styles have "a depth based on a reverence for the best American fashions of the past" yet are "grounded in innovation." "I have always believed that simplicity is an essential part of American design," says Mizrahi. "With each collection, I try to reach the tap roots of what is truly American-clothes that are pared down, comfortable and practical, yet have a sense of luxury and an element of wit and surprise. Color is so intrinsic to what I do. I think any colors can look beautiful."