![]() ![]() ![]() It flew off the shelves, kicking off the mainstream ABS phenomenon.įor several years, Schwartz's knockoffs were a major success. His first copycat dress was less Hollywood, but possibly the most famous dress in the world-Carolyn Bessette's Narciso Rodriguez-designed wedding dress worn at her 1996 wedding to JFK, Jr. In 1996, Schwartz started the "Oscar Watch" line. The turnaround would be fast, and the quality excellent. Schwartz conceived of copying each year's Oscar dresses. His more affordable (but not cheap) knockoffs were being sold at fancy department stores like Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, and Bloomingdales, to name a few.Īlways on the lookout for the "next big thing," Schwartz noticed the public's obsession with red carpet dresses worn on Oscar night by movie stars like Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman, and Winona Ryder. By 1995, other stores opened around the country. In 1988, Schwartz opened his flagship ABS store in Santa Monica, followed four years later in New York City. ABS's biggest draw was its speed of construction it was made so quickly, it often hit the racks at or before the time of the original designer's launch. Unlike other copycat fashions, ABS clothing was very well made-making it a rarity in the business. He insisted his first loyalty was to his customers who couldn't afford Gucci but wanted to look like they could. Schwartz spent a lot of time defending his practice. It was not exactly a noble venture in the fashion world. Made exclusively in Los Angeles, ABS clothing was trendy, affordable, and, most scandalously, virtual duplicates of other designers' original creations. In 1982, Schwartz founded ABS by Allen Schwartz. Within four years, he sold his shares to his partners and moved to Southern California. In 1977, along with two partners, Schwartz started the junior fashion company, East Side Clothing Company. He moved up to sales at famed retailer Russ Togs (1964-1968) and as founder/sales executive of junior sportswear brand Esprit de Corp (1968-1977). Following into the family business, Schwartz started at a low-level, working in a mailroom at a lingerie company. His father was a dress sales executive, and his mother owned a fashion boutique in nearby Long Beach. He said his Allen Schwartz concept has been in the works for the past eight months.Born in 1945, Allen Bruce Schwartz grew up in Queens, New York. The whole dressing up is back,” he observed. And then everybody wanted to be dressed nicely, and then nobody wanted to be dressed nicely. I came into this business when people didn’t wear denim. “In my opinion, this is the single biggest fashion change in the last 40 years. Instead they want a stylish dress or pant outfit that can be worn at work and/or transition to evening. The decades-long observer of fashion, who started ABS by Allen Schwartz in 1982, believes women are tired of dressing down in denim and ripped blue jeans. Schwartz sees a resurgence of the statement shoulder with puffed sleeves for blouses and square shoulders for jackets. ![]() She wants beautiful fabric and a clear definition, but she doesn’t want to see this merchandise all over the place.”Įverything under the new Allen Schwartz label will be made in Los Angeles by contractors who are sewing the upcoming Fall/Winter collection of separates populated with prints, silk organza, vintage lace, gabardine, silk blends, lots of twill, two or three different kinds of velvet and faux fur. “You are getting the consumer drifting down from designer labels that are priced prohibitively high. There is a market there with a huge hole that I call ‘advanced contemporary,’” he said from New York, where he was working in his showroom and getting ready to debut the line at Coterie, taking place Feb. He will no longer be selling to department stores but instead concentrating on specialty stores, international retailers and e-commerce. He is changing the nameplate on his store on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica, Calif., and changing the sign on his New York showroom. ![]() I don’t want to be caught holding the bag.”įor his latest metamorphosis, the founder of ABS by Allen Schwartz is renaming his company Allen Schwartz and concentrating his designs on “advanced contemporary” clothing selling for $300 to $600 to women between the ages of 30 and 45. One of his favorite sayings is, “We are like the Marines. Allen Schwartz has always liked to be ahead of the curve when it comes to fashion. ![]()
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