In 1976, a relatively unknown dress designer, her textile veteran husband and two partners established, Liz Claiborne Inc., a design-driven company that would revolutionize the fashion industry.  With less than half a million dollars and a clear focus on design, quality and value, these four partners--Liz Claiborne, Art Ortenberg, Leonard Boxer and Jerome Chazen--created what is now a nearly $5 billion public company.

Established at a time when women were entering the workforce in large numbers, Liz Claiborne and her partners saw the opportunity to provide versatile, fashionable wardrobes that were appropriate for work, but still conveyed a sense of individuality and femininity.  A working woman herself, Liz understood how liberating it would be to mix and match separates rather than have to rely on the traditional dress or gray flannel suit.  Thus, out of a small office on 40th street in Manhattan, Liz Claiborne the brand was born, transforming the way women dressed and ultimately, how they shopped.

The concept was simple: Provide the ensemble driven sportswear that had been available for many years at designer level prices through the likes of Calvin Klein and Bill Blass, but make it affordable for the working woman.

There was a major stumbling block, however.  Up until this point, department stores were by and large classification oriented.  To put together a wardrobe a consumer had to go from department to department and hope that the colors and pieces would match.  Additionally, department store buyers were classification-focused and were not equipped to buy merchandise from one brand across product lines.

To overcome this, Liz Claiborne executives worked with retailers to test the concept of presenting all of the brand’s related sportswear pieces in one department, streamlining the consumer’s shopping experience.

As the company grew, manufacturing and sourcing capabilities became more and more important. For the first several years the company was doing everything it could to keep up with demand and fill orders, largely using domestic manufacturers.  However, as volume and orders increased, sourcing more products overseas looked like the most viable way to keep up.  Using a poet blouse--one of the hottest selling, yet hardest to produce items as a test--Liz Claiborne executives contracted a factory in Taiwan to produce a large quantity. The quality and price of the garments that arrived in the warehouse blew everyone away and the rest is history.  Liz Claiborne Inc. now sources its products in more than 40 countries around the world and routinely ships five million units per week in the U.S. alone.

Liz Claiborne Inc. went public 1981.  In a time when IPOs undertaken by apparel companies were not well received, Liz Claiborne’s offering was highly successful.  This was just the beginning.  By 1985 Liz Claiborne Inc. was the first company founded by a woman to be listed in the Fortune 500.

Of the original founders, Leonard Boxer retired from the Company in 1985, and in 1989, after 13 years, Liz Claiborne and Art Ortenberg announced their retirement from active management.  Jerry Chazen, the fourth original partner, became the company’s Chairman in 1989.

In November 2006, William L. McComb joined the company as chief executive officer.  In January 2007, Board member Kay Koplovitz, principal of Koplovitz & Co., a media investment firm and the founder of international cable television programming company USA Networks, became non-executive Chairman of the Board.  On July 2007, CEO William L. McComb announced the framework of a new organizational structure that was a crucial step in making Liz Claiborne Inc. into a more brand-focused and cost-effective business that can successfully navigate a rapidly changing retail environment.  Accordingly, this new organizational structure puts "brand" at the center, enabling a more consistent, focused approach to brand strategy for all of the names in the company’s portfolio.

The Company now operates via two distinct segments:
    •    Direct Brands: brand-centric, vertically organized
    •    Partnered Brands: customer-focused, cost efficient

This structure reflects the distinct needs of each business segment, which have different growth prospects, capital requirements and cultural profiles.

Direct Brands
Juicy Couture, Kate Spade, Lucky Brand and Mexx will operate under brand-centric, vertical organizational structures within the Direct Brands Division.

Partnered Brands
Partnered Brands include the Liz Claiborne family of brands (Liz Claiborne, Liz & Co, Axcess,  Claiborne, Conceptsby Claiborne), the DKNY Jeans ® Group, the Monet family of brands (Marvella, Monet, Trifari), Kensie/Mac & Jac and Cosmetics/Fragrances.