Elie Tahari

Elie Tahari (; born 1952) is an Israeli-American fashion designer and entrepreneur. He is best known for founding the Elie Tahari ready-to-wear fashion brand and co-founding Theory. He is the chairman of Elie Tahari, Ltd. and his son Jeremey is CEO and creative director. His company is headquartered in New York City, with stores located throughout the world.

Early life Tahari was born in 1952, in Jerusalem to Iranian-Jewish immigrants.

Tahari emigrated to the United States in 1971 with less than $100. His namesake label, Tahari, launched in 1974 with a boutique located on Madison Avenue in New York City. In 1979, he opened his first boutique on Madison Avenue.

In the 1980s, Tahari turned his attention to the tailored suit, with more office-centric designs as women joined the workforce and the ranks of the business elite.

In 1989, he began selling his branded apparel to various luxury department stores, starting with Bloomingdale’s.

He was admitted to the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 1994. In 1997, he teamed with Andrew Rosen to launch the ready-to-wear label Theory.

In September 2003, Theory was sold to Link International for $100 million.

The 2000s saw an expansion of his brand into men's ready-to-wear, accessories, jewelry, footwear and home goods. In 2012, Tahari was a guest judge on the Lifetime television series Project Runway All Stars. He collaborated with Kohl's DesigNation in 2014 and launched ET Sport in 2015.

In 2019, Elie Tahari (as a brand, including both direct and licensed products) reached $1 billion in sales volume.

Awards and honors

2013 - Mayor Michael Bloomberg declared "Elie Tahari Day" in New York City in honor of his forty years in the fashion industry. 2014 - Ellis Island Medal of Honor 2014 - Brand Vision Award from the Fashion Group International 2021 - a documentary about Tahari's life, "The United States of Elie Tahari," was released and selected for over 100 film festivals.