Elie Tahari to Share Secrets of Success with FIT Design Students

Aspiring fashion designers at the Fashion Institute of Technology on their own journeys toward success will get invaluable advice from Elie Tahari on Thursday April 3 at 6:00 pm about what it takes to make it in this business. Starting 40 years ago with $100 in his pocket, Tahari has built a global $500 million-a-year fashion empire. He will share meaningful highlights of his life story, as well as his thoughts on what it takes to succeed. A conversation between Tahari and Patricia Mears, deputy director, The Museum at FIT, will be followed by a Q&A with the students. This event is a Dean’s Dialogue of the School of Art and Design at FIT.Tahari, currently celebrating his 40th year in business, is an Israeli-American designer who came to the United States in 1971 and began his career working in New York City’s Garment District. He launched his wholesale career, spanning Africa, South America, and Asia, with the $2 tube top, which became a sensation. In 1974, he opened his first boutique on Madison Avenue and in 1978 held his first fashion show at the legendary Studio 54. Although Tahari came to America with next to nothing, Upper East Side elegance ultimately defined his brand.