Bijan Pakzad | |
---|---|
Born |
Tehran, Iran |
4 April 1940
Died | 16 April 2011 Beverly Hills, California, U.S. |
(aged 71)
Cause of death | stroke |
Residence | Beverly Hills, California |
Nationality | Iranian |
Occupation | Designer |
Known for | Designing men's clothing, men's and women's fragrances |
Spouse(s) | Sigi Pakzad (divorced) Tracy Hayakawa (divorced) |
Children | 3 |
Awards |
FiFi Most Successful Men's Fragrance 1988 FiFi Best Women's Fragrance Package 1988 FiFi Men's Fragrance Star of the Year Specialty/ Department Stores 1997 FiFi Best National Advertising Campaign – Men's 1997 1995 Ig Nobel Chemistry Prize 2010 Otis College of Art and Design Otis Design Legend Award 2011 Oxford University "Entrepreneur of the Year" |
Website | www |
Labels | Bijan |
Bijan Pakzad (/biˌʒæn ˈpɑːkzɑːd/; Persian: بیژن پاکزاد, Persian pronunciation: [biːʒæn pɑːkzɑːd]), generally known simply as Bijan (4 April 1940 – 16 April 2011), was an Iranian American designer of menswear and fragrances.
Born in Tehran, Iran, in 1940, although his birth year has also been claimed to be 1944. Bijan migrated to Los Angeles in 1973. His exclusive boutique on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills was established in 1976. It has been described as "the most expensive store in the world".
In 2000 Bijan courted controversy when an advertisement featuring a "rotund [nude] model named Bella" and himself was at first rejected by many New York magazines before it was accepted by Tina Brown's Talk magazine.
Bijan's career began in Iran with the Pink Panther Boutique in Tehran.
Among his clients, Bijan claimed to count five Presidents of the United States - both George Bush and his son, Barack Obama, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton - and other world leaders such as Vladimir Putin and Tony Blair. He also dressed other fashion designers such as Oscar de la Renta, Tom Ford, and Giorgio Armani and high-profile actors including Tom Cruise and Anthony Hopkins.