Michael Stars is a Los Angeles–based apparel and lifestyle retail company that offers women's and men’s fashion.[5][6][7] The company was founded by the married couple Michael Cohen and Suzanne Lerner.[1][3][4]
History
Michael Stars Original T-shirts, Mykonos, July 1989
Co-founder Michael Cohen began his career in the apparel industry in his native country, South Africa,[4] where at the age of 21 he founded the import-export fashion agency Bernstein & Cohen. [7][8] In 1977, he moved to Los Angeles where he would later meet co-founder Suzanne Lerner.[8] 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. [2][4] Two years later, Cohen and Lerner were married.[8]
In the beginning, Michael Stars focused on unisex, one-size-fits-all t-shirts. [6][9] The original designs were boxy and decorated in bright colors and interwoven, French-inspired graphics.[9] 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.[10] The company gained exposure from being featured on various shows, especially Beverly Hills, 90210.[1] At the time the shirts appeared on the show, they were being sold at upscale retailers such as Barneys, Fred Segal and Harrods.[9]
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.[8] In July 2013, Michael Stars launched its first full women’s fashion collection with 160 pieces.[1][11] In September 2014, the brand added its first ever men’s line, a collection of 34 basics with “a modern, technical edge.”[12][13]
The label is sold at its own branded retail stores, department stores including Bloomingdale's and Neiman Marcus,[1] and at about a thousand specialty stores across the US.[4] 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.[14][15][16] The brand currently has twelve retail store locations, including its flagship store in West Hollywood. The company continues to manufacture its entire t-shirt and activewear line in Los Angeles. [3]
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.[3][8]
Charity work
Cohen and Lerner formed the Michael Stars Foundation in 2005. The foundation is a regular supporter of numerous philanthropic events and charities including The Joyful Heart Foundation, We Advance, Children Mending Hearts, Ms. Foundation, and Women Thrive Worldwide, among others.[18] Over the years the brand has also created shirts to benefit organizations such as UNICEF, Hurricane Katrina, and the American Heart Association.[7][19] In April 2015, the company launched the Artisan Collection, a collaboration with Paula Coles designed to help support both local Haitian artisans and education in Haiti through Prodev schools.[20]
