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NEW YORK (AP) — Designer Jeffrey Banks spent years co-authoring seven books on fashion before finally deciding it was time to share his own story.
The menswear designer recounts more than 50 years in fashion, from working for Ralph Lauren to launching his own label, in his new memoir “Storyteller: Tales from a Fashion Insider.”
At 72, Banks is having a breakout year. One of his designs was selected by the Metropolitan Museum of Art for its “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” exhibit, and he’s relaunching his eponymous menswear label.
Banks debuted his label of polished tailoring and American sportswear back in 1976 at 21. His menswear played with color and texture: think tartan plaid jackets, pinstriped suits and furs. And at a time when there were few Black designers, his clothes were being sold in major department stores from Macy’s to Bergdorf Goodman and he was landing multimillion-dollar deals.
For his Jeffrey Banks menswear relaunch in January, he’s moving away from suiting and embracing sustainable sportswear, from knits to underwear.
“As much as I love suits and tailored clothing,” he told The Associated Press, “I don’t think that’s the business for now, and the business of young people.”
His industry friends have rallied around him on his book tour. The Council of Fashion Designers of America hosted a conversation between Banks and Isaac Mizrahi last week to celebrate the publication of Banks’ book.
Mizrahi, who worked for Banks on his womenswear line, called him a trendsetter in the commercial space.
“I was so inspired when I was working with him, and he was one of the first people to do a lot of things at once,” Mizrahi said. “I looked at that, and I thought that was real success.”
Banks is a natural storyteller
Banks’ memoir doubles as a love letter to the family, loved ones and fashionable friends who supported him over the years. One motivation for doing the book, he said, was to ensure his mother, who turns 105 in January, could read it.
“She instilled in me and in my sister, as did my father, the idea that if we wanted something bad enough and we were willing to work hard enough for it, we could achieve and get anything that we wanted,” Banks said. “And the fact that we were Black, that shouldn’t make a difference.”
Banks and his mother shared a love of clothing. At 10, he designed a yellow asymmetrical wool coat and matching sheath dress for her to wear on Easter Sunday.
Former CFDA President Stan Herman, 97, said that Banks is a natural storyteller with an impeccable memory, who he joked, “was born with a Vogue in his crib.”
In his book, he highlights his “Mentors” and “Best Friends Forever” through entertaining anecdotes and photos of fashion industry stalwarts like late designer Perry Ellis and celebrities like Bobby Short, Barbra Streisand and Audrey Hepburn. Ever the gentleman, Banks’ book does not divulge all his insider secrets despite working so closely with some of the biggest names in fashion.
Banks’ fashion ascent
Banks credits fashion industry giants Lauren and Calvin Klein as his mentors.
He first met Lauren as a teenager while working at Britches of Georgetowne, a menswear store in Washington, D.C. In his book, Banks shares how Lauren gave him one of his personal suits to wear for prom before he later worked for the designer while attending Pratt Institute. Banks said the two first bonded over their admiration of Hollywood movie stars like Cary Grant and Fred Astaire.
“Ralph always treated me like an equal, I mean, from Day One,” Banks said. “He always said … I’m his other son.”
While attending the Parsons School of Design, Banks was personally recruited by Klein. At his first fashion show, Banks said he sat Klein and Lauren next to one another.
It was while building Klein’s menswear line that Banks was offered the chance to start his own label. He then ventured into men’s outerwear with Lakeland, furs with Alixandre, a Jeffrey Banks Boys’ line and even womenswear.
In 1980, he was tapped to overhaul Merona Sport, a family sportswear brand, he turned into a money-making juggernaut that catapulted his career. He writes that the brand jumped from generating $7 million to $70 million within six months. At the time, Mizrahi said, it was like Banks had “struck gold.”
As Banks goes back to his roots with the relaunch of this menswear label, his fashion community is ready to embrace him again.
“He’s still as relevant as ever,” Fern Mallis, former head of The Council of Fashion Designers of America, said. “And I think there’s definitely a place for him in the market, he’s got a wonderful following of fashionista friends. … We’ll be wearing it, posting it and writing about it.”
