Michael Stars is a Los Angeles-based

apparel Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials and natural ...

and lifestyle retail company that offers women's and men’s

fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...

. T-shirts are the brand's key product. The company was founded by the married couple Michael Cohen and Suzanne Lerner.Nora Zelevansky
“Growing the Michael Stars brand beyond T-shirts,”
''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'', June 23, 2013.Deborah Belgum
“New President at the Helm of Michael Stars,”

California Apparel News
', February 5, 2015.“Michael Stars,”

Apparel
', December 1, 2007.

History

Co-founder An organizational founder is a person who has undertaken some or all of the formational work needed to create a new organization, whether it is a business, a charitable organization, a governing body, a school, a group of entertainers, or any other ...

Michael Cohen began his career in the apparel industry in his native country,

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, where at the age of 21 he founded the import-export fashion agency Bernstein & Cohen. Deborah Belgum
“Obituary: Michael Cohen, Co-founder of Michael Stars,”

California Apparel News
', March 28, 2015. In 1977, he moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

where he would later meet co-founder Suzanne Lerner. At the time, Lerner was running Lerner et Cie, a wholesale fashion showroom she founded in 1983. Cohen was working with contemporary artist John Stars and placing his designs on t-shirts. Cohen approached Lerner about developing a brand, and in 1986 the two of them launched Michael Stars. Caroline Anderson
“Michael Stars co-founder passes away,”
''

Easy Reader Founded in 1970, the ''Easy Reader'' is a weekly newspaper published every Thursday and delivered to homes in Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, and Redondo Beach (Beach Cities/ South Bay, California), with a circulation of approximately 45,000 w ...

'', April 9, 2015. Two years later, Cohen and Lerner were married. In the beginning, Michael Stars focused on unisex, one-size-fits-all t-shirts. Minas Minatsis
“Interview- Michael Stars,”archived copyEternal Optimist
September 2, 2012 The original designs were boxy and decorated in bright colors and interwoven, French-inspired graphics. The brand is recognized as one of the first to start changing the body of the t-shirt, using fitted shapes, cap-sleeves and various silhouettes.Take Two
“The T-shirt turns 100: A fashion icon's SoCal roots,”SCPR.org
August 14, 2013. The company gained exposure from being featured on various shows, especially

Beverly Hills, 90210 ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (often referred to by its short title, ''90210'') is an American teen drama television series created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling under his production company Spelling Television. The series ran fo ...

. At the time the shirts appeared on the show, they were being sold at upscale retailers such as

Barneys Barneys New York Inc. is an American luxury brand founded in New York City in 1923. It has introduced major designers including Armani, Azzedine Alaïa, Comme des Garçons, Christian Louboutin, and Ermenegildo Zegna to the US market. Barneys N ...

Fred Segal Fred Segal is a clothing and accessories retail brand founded in West Hollywood, California. Its main location is on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, California, United States. Stores There are four Fred Segal locations in the United States ...

and

Harrods Harrods Limited is a department store located on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London, England. It is currently owned by the state of Qatar via its sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority. The Harrods brand also applies to other ...

Lifestyle brand

Over the next two decades, Michael Stars evolved from a t-shirt company to a luxury lifestyle brand, expanding its line to include more fashion staples like dresses, leather, and cashmere sweaters. In July 2013, Michael Stars launched its first full women’s fashion collection with 160 pieces.Jasmin Rosemberg
“Michael Stars, Babakul, & LUCE Join Malibu Country Mart,”
''Los Angeles Confidential'', June 24, 2013. In September 2014, the brand added its first ever men’s line, a collection of 34 basics with “a modern, technical edge.”Danielle Directo-Meston
“Exclusive: See Michael Stars' First-Ever Menswear Line,”
'' Racked LA'', June 23, 2014.Makeda Saggau-Sackey
“Michael Stars Pop-up Boutique in Meatpacking District,”Glamazon Diaries
November 10, 2014. The label is sold at its own branded retail stores, department stores including

Bloomingdale's Bloomingdale's Inc. is an American luxury department store chain; it was founded in New York City by Joseph B. Bloomingdale, Joseph B. and Lyman G. Bloomingdale in 1861. A third brother, Emanuel Watson Bloomingdale, was also involved in the bus ...

and

Neiman Marcus Neiman Marcus Group, Inc. is an American integrated luxury retailer headquartered in Dallas, Texas, which owns Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Horchow, and Last Call. Since September 2021, NMG has been owned by a group of investment compani ...

, and at about a thousand specialty stores across the US. In May 2014 the company introduced its Curbside Boutique, a 16-foot truck refurbished as a boutique on wheels. The mobile store first toured New York City before moving to Southern California.Natalie Alcala
“Michael Stars' Curbside Boutique Rolls Into LA Next Week,”
'' Racked LA'', May 30, 2014.Alexandra Ilyashov
“Michael Stars Trucks Through NYC With A Mobile Curbside Boutique,”
''

The Daily Front Row The ''Daily Front Row'' is a fashion industry publication, commonly known as ''The Daily''. Brandusa Niro is the editor-in-chief. In 2011, Niro bought a controlling interest in the magazine, which was formerly owned by IMG. Niro founded ''The D ...

'', May 16, 2014.“Michael Stars ‘Curbside Boutique’ Rolls Into NYC,”

CBS New York WCBS-TV (channel 2) is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the CBS network. It is owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division alongside Riverhead, New York–licensed independent station WLN ...

, May 16, 2014. The brand currently has twelve retail store locations, including its flagship store in

West Hollywood West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most ...

. The company continues to manufacture its entire t-shirt and activewear line in Los Angeles. Today the brand maintains a wide customer range including celebrities such as

Jessica Alba Jessica Marie Alba ( ; born April 28, 1981) is an American actress and businesswoman. She began her television and movie appearances at age 13 in '' Camp Nowhere'' and '' The Secret World of Alex Mack'' (1994), and rose to prominence at age 19 ...

Sarah Jessica Parker Sarah Jessica Parker (born March 25, 1965) is an American actress and television producer. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including six Golden Globe Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards. ''Time'' magazine named her one of the 1 ...

Olivia Wilde Olivia Jane Cockburn ( ; born March 10, 1984), known professionally as Olivia Wilde, is an American actress and filmmaker. She played Thirteen (House), Remy "Thirteen" Hadley on the medical-drama television series ''House (TV series), House'' ( ...

Maria Bello Maria Elena Bello (born April 18, 1967) is an American actress and writer. Her film roles include ''Permanent Midnight'' (1998), ''Payback (1999 film), Payback'' (1999), ''Coyote Ugly (film), Coyote Ugly'' (2000), ''The Cooler'' (2003), ''A Hist ...

Halle Berry Halle Maria Berry (; born Maria Halle Berry; August 14, 1966) is an American actress. She began her career as a model and entered several beauty contests, finishing as the first runner-up in the Miss USA pageant and coming in sixth in the Mis ...

January Jones January Kristen Jones (born January 5, 1978) is an American actress and model. She played Betty Draper in ''Mad Men'' (2007–2015), for which she was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress – Television Series Drama and a Pri ...

Emmy Rossum Emmanuelle Grey Rossum (born September 12, 1986) is an American actress, director, and singer. She is known for her portrayal of List of Shameless (American TV series) characters#Fiona Gallagher, Fiona Gallagher in the television series ''Shame ...

and

Jessica Biel Jessica Claire Timberlake (née Biel ; born March 3, 1982) is an American actress and model. She has received various accolades, including a Young Artist Award, and nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. Biel be ...

, and is regularly featured in magazines like ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

'', ''

Harper’s Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. It was first published in New York City on November 2, 1867, as the weekly ''Harper's Bazar''. ''Harper's Bazaar'' is published by Hearst and considers itself to be the st ...

'', '' Lucky'', ''

Elle ''Elle'' (stylized ''ELLE'') is a worldwide women's magazine of French origin that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, together with culture, society and lifestyle. The title means "she" or "her" in French. ''Elle'' is considered the w ...

'' and ''

InStyle ''InStyle'' was an American monthly women's fashion magazine founded in 1994. It was published in the United States by Dotdash Meredith. In February 2022, it was announced that InStyle would cease print publications and move to a digital-only ...

''.“Press & Celebrity,”Michaelstars.com
retrieved May 19, 2015. In January 2015, after nearly thirty years as President, Michael Cohen stepped down as the head of the company before passing away in March of the same year from prostate cancer.

Charity work

Cohen and Lerner formed the Michael Stars Foundation in 2005. The foundation is a regular supporter of numerous

philanthropic Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

events and

charities A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a cha ...

including The Joyful Heart Foundation, We Advance, Children Mending Hearts,

Ms. Foundation The Ms. Foundation for Women is a non-profit organization for women in the United States, which had a deep commitment to diversity and was founded in 1972 by Gloria Steinem, Pat Carbine, Patricia Carbine, Letty Cottin Pogrebin and Marlo Thomas. The ...

, and

Women Thrive Worldwide Women Thrive Alliance, formerly Women Thrive Worldwide and Women's Edge, is a global feminist advocacy network created in 1998 that advocates for gender equality. Working with the grassroots organizations in 53 countries. Emily Bove is the Executi ...

, among others.Suzanne Lerner
“Why Every Business Should Also Get Into the Business of Good,”
''

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

'', April 29, 2015. Over the years the brand has also created shirts to benefit organizations such as

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

, and the

American Heart Association The American Heart Association (AHA) is a nonprofit organization in the United States that funds cardiovascular medical research, educates consumers on healthy living and fosters appropriate cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability and death ...

.Darren Elms
“At Home with Michael Cohen and Suzanne Lerner,”

South Bay Magazine
', 2009. In April 2015, the company launched the Artisan Collection, a collaboration with Paula Coles designed to help support both local Haitian

artisan An artisan (from french: artisan, it, artigiano) is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates material objects partly or entirely by hand. These objects may be functional or strictly decorative, for example furniture, decorative art ...

s and education in

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

through Prodev schools.“Michael Stars launches Artisan Collection to aid Haiti,”
''

'', April 24, 2015.

References

{{Reflist, 2 Retail companies of the United States Companies based in Los Angeles American companies established in 1986 Retail companies established in 1986