Kay Unger is an American fashion designer. Until July 2012, she was the creative head and public face of Phoebe Company LLC and its brands.Creative Marketing Plus. "Kay Unger - Fashion Designer and Philanthropist." Press release. New York, NY. Nov. 2008.

Biography

Unger was born in

Chicago, IL (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

and first studied painting in the Fine Arts Program at

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

before switching to design at

Parsons The New School for Design Parsons School of Design, known colloquially as Parsons, is a private art and design college located in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. Founded in 1896 after a group of progressive artists broke away from established Manhatt ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

.Cantando, Mary (2006). “The Woman's Advantage: 20 Women Entrepreneurs Show You What It Takes to Grow Your Business”, p.91-94. Kaplan, USA. . Upon graduation from Parsons in the late 1960s, she worked as one of three apprentices for

Geoffrey Beene Geoffrey Beene (born Samuel Albert Bozeman Jr.; August 30, 1924 – September 28, 2004) was an American fashion designer. Beene was one of New York's most famous fashion designers, recognized for his artistic and technical skills and for creati ...

. After a year, she decided to develop her own line, and, in 1972, along with her two business partners, Howard Bloom and Jon Levy, founded The Gillian Group to produce dinner dresses. The dresses were sold under the Gillian label, and the group and its many divisions quickly became one of the largest suppliers of women's apparel in America,Gruber, Roberta H
"Kay Unger."
Fashion Encyclopedia. 25 Jan. 2009. Retrieved on 18 Feb. 2009 growing to a $125 million company.

Company/Brand History

Fifteen days after closing the Gillian Group, Unger founded Phoebe Company LLC., where she established the line bearing her name, Kay Unger New York.Wilson, Eric

The New York Times 20 Nov. 2008. Retrieved on 18 Feb. 2009Smith, Samantha

The News & Observer 13 Oct. 2008. Retrieved on 18 Feb. 2009 In 1999, she was inducted as a Leading Woman Entrepreneur of the World. In 2005, the company launched Kay J's, a whimsical print pajama brand. In 2007, they launched Phoebe Couture, a more youthful and edgier line of dresses for day and evening. Later that same year, they began opening Kay Unger and Phoebe Couture boutiques in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

through a licensing agreement with the JT Group of Hong Kong.Covert, James
"Fashion's Silk-Road Dream."
New York Post 28 Dec. 2008. Retrieved on 18 Feb. 2009Feitelberg, Rosemary
"Tadashi, Kay Unger Opening Asia Units."
Women's Wear Daily 11 Aug. 2008. Retrieved on 18 Feb. 2009Lieberman, Bari

PINK Magazine Feb. 2009. 4 Feb. 2009. Retrieved on 18 Feb. 2009 In September 2008 Kay Unger New York Eyewear and Phoebe Couture Eyewear were launched.Nicola, Gloria. "It's All About the Visual Effects." 20/20 15 Mar. 2009: 22-26."Young, Thin, & Fabulous (yes, you!)." Woman's Day 5 May 2009: 62-66. The $40 million company's dresses, suits, and eyewear are currently sold in more than 24 countries including the

U.K. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, and

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

.Creative Marketing Plus. "Phoebe Company's Global Strategy." Press release. New York, NY. Oct. 2008. Kay is an active member of the

Council of Fashion Designers of America The Council of Fashion Designers of America, Inc. (CFDA), founded in 1962 by publicist Eleanor Lambert, and headquartered in Manhattan, is a not-for-profit trade association comprising a membership of over 450 American fashion and accessory des ...

(CFDA). Additionally, she is on the Board of Directors as well as a Trustee at her alma mater, Parsons/The New School for Design, as well as a participant in their education program in the Dominican Republic, where she has traveled as a guest instructor.

Kay Unger Design

After leaving her company, Unger founded Kay Unger Design LLC., a multidimensional company whose products range from clothing and shoes to home products. As the CEO, Unger lectures on design and entrepreneurship. Under the Kay Unger Design rubric, Unger has sold high-fashion sketches around the world.

Philanthropy

Unger is the founder of the Kay Unger Family Foundation, a group that has raised funds for cancer research and arts education. She has been a longtime member of the

Boys & Girls Clubs of America Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) is a national organization of local chapters which provide voluntary after-school programs for young people. The organization, which holds a congressional charter under Title 36 of the United States Code, ...

, where she was the first woman board member. She is a founding member and board member of The Committee of 200, an organization that advances women's leadership in business, and the Women's Campaign Fund. A

cancer survivor A cancer survivor is a person with cancer of any type who is still living. Whether a person becomes a survivor at the time of diagnosis or after completing treatment, whether people who are actively dying are considered survivors, and whether ...

herself, Kay has a personal interest in funding cancer research and raised over $250,000 for cancer research while she served as the president of the

Fashion Group International The Fashion Group International (FGI) is a global, non-profit, professional organization founded in 1930 in New York City to benefit the fashion industry. FGI currently has over 5000 members in the fashion industry including apparel, accessories, b ...

.City Of Hope
"Hoda Kotb and Kay Unger to receive top philanthropic honor from City of Hope."
Press release. New York, NY. 30 Mar. 2009. She works with

Stand Up To Cancer Stand Up to Cancer (SU2C) is a charitable program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF). SU2C aims to raise significant funds for translational cancer research through online and televised efforts. Central to the program is a telethon tha ...

, an initiative dedicated to accelerating cancer research and bringing new therapies to patients more quickly, by raising funds and awareness in the fashion industry. On May 4, 2009, Kay Unger was recognized by City of Hope as a "Spirit of Life Award" recipient who has made notable contributions to her profession, her community, and her charitable causes.

References

External links

The Kay Unger Design website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Unger, Kay 1945 births Living people American fashion designers American fashion businesspeople High fashion brands Parsons School of Design alumni Philanthropists from New York (state) American women in business American women fashion designers 21st-century American women