Betsey Johnson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Betsey Johnson (born August 10, 1942 in Wethersfield, Connecticut) is a fashion designer best known for her feminine and whimsical designs. She also is known for doing a cartwheel at the end of her fashion shows. She took many dance classes as a child and adolescent which inspired her love of costumes. After high school, Johnson studied at the Pratt Institute and then later graduated from Syracuse University.
In 1967 she married Velvet Underground's John Cale. They later divorced in 1971. She had a daughter, Lulu, in 1975 who now works with her.
She is a survivor of breast cancer and is a breast cancer awareness advocate.
She resides in New York but once a week each month she spends time in her house in Mexico, which she has dubbed "Villa Betsey." Betsey also converted an old, small hotel in Mexico into a house which she rents out to interested people; this is called "Betseyville," and can accommodate 8-10 people.
[edit] Career
Her fashion career started when she entered and won Mademoiselle Guest Editor Contest. Within a year she was the in-house designer for the Manhattan boutique, Paraphernalia. She became part of the youthquake movement. She was part of Andy Warhol's underground scene, along with The Velvet Underground, Edie Sedgwick and Lou Reed.
In 1969 she opened up her very own boutique called Betsey Bunki Nini in New York's Upper East Side. Edie Sedgwick was her house model, and designed the clothing Sedgwick wore on her last film, Ciao! Manhattan.
In the 1970s she took control of the fashion label "Alley Cat" which was popular with the rock 'n roll musicians of the day. In 1972 she won the Coty Award. In 1978 she started her own fashion line, the same year she opened up her first retail store in Soho. Today, there are over forty five of her stores worldwide.
In 2002 Johnson was inducted into the Fashion Walk of Fame.
In 2003, Johnson expanded her line to include shoes, lingerie and jeans. She continued expanding her line in 2004 with handbags, accessories, hats, scarves and many more.
She has designed for many celebrities including but not limited to: Courtney Love, Sarah McLachlan, Minnie Driver, Paris Hilton, Salma Hayek, Heather Graham, and Helena Bonham Carter.
