GEOFFREY BEENE

True to his fundamentals, fashion designer Geoffrey Beene—Louisiana-born Samuel Albert Bozeman Jr.—retains his artistic vision. He was honored with a plaque on New York’s 7th Avenue Fashion Walk of Fame in 2000. A pre-med student turned by the lure of design, Beene moved to New York in 1947 to study at the Traphagen School of Fashion. A year later, he left for Paris and eventually worked for famed designer Edward Molyneux. Back in New York, he introduced his wildly-popular, sporty “Beene bag” collection in 1971. Beene’s first men’s fragrance, Grey Flannel, launched in 1979 followed by Bowling Green, Geoffrey Beene, and others.