Badgley Mischka Designers’ Exit Interview After 37 Years at the Helm

After 37 years of building Badgley Mischka, Mark Badgley and James Mischka have taken a final bow from their namesake business.

The Houston-based Established Incorporated has set up a strategic joint venture with ACI Licensing to acquire and manage Badgley Mischka, as well as three other American brands which include Rachel Rachel Roy, C&C California and Kay Unger Design.  

Although Badgley and Mischka have exited their brand, they have already discussed that retirement is not something they will ever envision. True to that, Badgley mentioned how he was on the phone until 2 a.m. Friday with the patternmaker finishing off a few dresses that will be worn on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival next month. “There’s never really any rest for the weary,” Mischka added.

Reached in Palm Beach, Fla., where they have been ingrained in the society scene for years and plan to spend more time, the designers said they are still adjusting to their new path. Badgley said, “This all just happened five minutes ago so it’s all new to us. Our company was sold and we’re not really sure what the direction is. They haven’t really said what the plans are.”

Badgley and Mischka will continue to be part of the HSN business (which they sounded enthusiastic about). Not even a week into their independence, the designers have already heard from such potential prospects about endeavors. The duo, who met as seniors at Parsons, plan to divide their time between Palm Beach and New York. They each worked for other major American designers before teaming up to start their own company in 1988.

When talks about selling Badgley Mischka surfaced nine months ago, the founders did not initially anticipate that one would lead to their departure. However, they said they are confident about the existing team at Badgley Mischka. Badgley said, “They rock. There’s a strong licensing program behind what we do. There are 30 to 40 licenses, and the beat goes on.”

“Freeing and sad,” as the turn of events are, the designer became emotional discussing all the work that went into building an internationally known brand. While many may associate Badgley Mischka with the glamour and sheen of their celebrity clients like Taylor Swift, Jennifer Lopez, Halle Berry and a bare-armed Madonna for a 2002 meeting with Queen Elizabeth II, the founders recalled their more meager years in a nanosecond, during Friday’s interview.

Early on they rented a loft in Hell’s Kitchen and slept under the cutting board that they used for their designs on a futon many nights. As a two-man operation, they worked as the patternmakers, the salespeople, the illustrators, and the trunk show people. They were so engrossed that they once worked for three years straight without taking a day off. Badgley said, “Looking back now, it seems strange. But at the time it seemed normal.”

While major sportswear companies like Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan and Tommy Hilfiger were establishing their names globally, Badgley Mischka took a different track, forging into cocktail dresses and eveningwear that suited what John B. Fairchild dubbed “Nouvelle Society.” Mischka described the leaner beginning, “It wasn’t like you were walking into a venture capital-backed company. It was done by the seat of our pants. We were carrying rolls and bolts of fabric all over Seventh Avenue — from the fabric place to the cutting room to the factory.”

Badgley added, “Then trying to go to a black tie that night.”

“And having to leave early to get to UPS before they closed,” Mischka chipped in.

After first hiring one sewer, they later picked up a “fantastic” salesperson, who helped get the company started. They also praised the independent publicist Evelyn Dallal and their longtime frontman Rob Caldwell, who has exited the company after 26 years. The founders also lauded the current team behind their dress license MJCLK, Christine Currence, Lara Piropato and Kimberly Lee-Siu. Known for their easygoing and even-keeled manner, Badgley and Mischka said they remain friendly with former employees.

Looking back, Escada’s acquisition of Badgley Mischka in 1993 was a pivotal point for the business, according to the designers. Uncertain of the selling price, Badgley described it as “nothing,” compared to today’s standards. But at that time, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Barneys New York were clamoring so much for their designs that the retailers pre-paid orders. That too seems unimaginable through today’s business lens. With the backing of Escada, which was then a European powerhouse, those high-end retailers ramped up their investments in the brand. The subsequent profits enabled Badgley Mischka to stage fashion shows for hundreds, enlist celebrity talent for advertising campaigns and to host 50 charity runway shows annually. Such exposure led to back-to-back $1 million trunk shows in every major city in the U.S. in the ’90s, Badgley said.

Anjelica Huston, Carrie Underwood, Eva Longoria, Brooke Shields, Lauren Hutton and Sharon Stone were among the bold-faced names that headlined campaigns, which was “just the cherry on top.” Badgley Mischka also dressed some of the first ladies in the past 37 years, as well as socialites. Badgley said, “Let’s face it, our clothes were special occasion. We didn’t really dress people for the office.”

As any regulars at a Badgley Mischka show could attest, the designer amassed a crew of loyalists, who turned up season after season in their front rows. Muffie Potter Aston, Somers Farkas, Jamee Gregory, the late C.Z. Guest and her daughter Cornelia, Grace Hightower, Suzanne Johnson, Blaine Trump, the du Ponts and Rena Sindi among others. Having never tried to be everything to everyone, or trendy, the label maintained an always appropriate style, regardless of the social setting. “We always stuck to our guns. And we loved them back,” Badgley said.

In fact, the brand started as a way to dress the designers’ friends for nightclubbing. “They were all buying clothes at Bergdorf Goodman and then returning them afterwards,” Mischka recalled with a laugh.

Fashion was a key piece of any night out whether that be at Studio 54, Area, the private club Doubles and “certain places, where they wanted you to know they were there,” Badgley said.

Certain retailers were also avid supporters including Philip Miller, Dawn Mello, the Dillards family and Ron Frasch. “I feel like we’re giving an acceptance speech,” Mischka joked.

“So proud” of what they have accomplished through the years, Badgley said, “It’s been a blast.”

While some industries can seem like they are “glacial, never changing or moving, this industry changes by the second,” he said. “My favorite motto has always been, ‘The beat goes on’ [as his voice cracked].”

Badgley Mischka has been sold a few times through the years. In 2004, Escada sold the company to the Iconix Brand Group. Then in 2016, together with their longtime footwear licensee, Titan Industries Inc., which is headed by Joe Ouaknine, and MJCLK, the designers bought back the company from Iconix Brand Group. And now Badgley Mischka is part of the joint venture that was created by the previously technology-centric Established and ACI Licensing.

Mischka said that he and Badgley have considered how mundane working in a small pasta shop would be — “where all you sell is five kinds of pasta everyday. It never changes — one noodle with the same recipe and five shapes,” he said.

“No pocket sizes,” Badgley added.

“But how boring would that be? It’s been an exciting ride and exhilarating,” Mischka said.

This summer Badgley and Mischka will take a sojourn to Italy with stops in Puglia and the Amalfi Coast, and perhaps a pass by Capri and Malta, where a friend is now the U.S. ambassador. Their ride in fashion isn’t over though. They said they are “discretionarily available” for projects and future work.