Patrick robinson fashion designer biography

Fashion designer Patrick Robinson is clearly not afraid of change. In a past life he designed for Giorgio Armani, Anne Klein, Perry Ellis, Paco Rabanne and Gap and was considered one of the most distinctive and talented designers in fashion. But Robinson was not afraid to make needed changes in his design life that reflected his personal beliefs. Although it was a slow steady evolution, the pandemic put a spotlight on fashion’s excesses and compelled many to question the insane pace of the seasonal fashion merry-go-round. Customers saw through the manipulation fashion brands, magazines, designers and all who were complicit in the ruse to get people to spend money on unnecessary items. Robinson responded to the changes he was feeling and seeing with Paskho, his label of sustainable travel worthy basics. No flashy shiny looks here—just easy breezy pieces that allows for a rich life outside of self adornment—the kind of pieces that allow you to shine, not your clothes. Robinson put a lot of thought into the engineering of Paskho using sustainable fabrics and produced mostly in Hudson New York by his local community, which keeps the jobs where they are needed instead of outsourcing.

Born in Memphis Tennessee, but raised in LA and Orange County, Robinson was a surfer dude who at an early age of 14, created his own line of beachwear. He studied fashion design at Parsons School of Design in New York City and afterwards he moved to Paris to assist with designer Patrick Kelly. Shortly afterwards he moved to Milan to work with Giorgio Armani. His early successes hit one after the other transforming the brands where he worked. In 2005 he moved to Paris to become the Creative Director for Paco Rabanne which was a huge achievement to successfully rejuvenate the name and put it back on the map. In 2007 he was tapped by Gap to revitalize their lackluster sales.

But Robinson is not one sit on his laurels. As he evolved so did his business, with an antidote and a ph

A celebrated American designer with more than 25  years of experience in the fashion industry in  America and Europe

Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Robinson grew up in  Southern California where he began designing clothes for  fellow surfers at the age of 14. After moving to New York  and attending the Parsons School of Design, Robinson  became an assistant to American-born couturier Patrick  Kelly in Paris in 1986. He left Paris to work briefly for Albert  Nipon in New York, then returned to Europe as the Design  Director for Giorgio Armani in Milan. Robinson transformed  Giorgio Armani’s ailing Le Collezioni line into a profitable  international apparel company over his four year tenure.  Robinson, a New Yorker at heart, moved back in 1994, to  become Senior Vice President of Design, Merchandising  and Marketing for Anne Klein.  

By 1996, Robinson was more than ready to go out on his  own and started his own collection, winning numerous  awards and named one of Vogue's top 100 rising stars in  1996. His eponymous women’s label was picked up by  Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman and  Barney’s among others. In April 2003, Robinson became the  Creative Director of Perry Ellis Women’s Sportswear and  then in 2005, was named Artistic Director for Paco Rabanne.

Robinson has been a Council of Fashion Designers of America  member since 1994. In March 2004, Robinson received a  CFDA Fashion Award nomination in the Swarovski Perry Ellis  Award for emerging Talent in Ready-to-Wear category - a fitting  tribute to his hard work.  

In May 2007 Robinson designed an affordable collection for  Target Corporation's Go International line.  

Robinson was selected in May 2007 to serve as executive vice  president of design for Gap Adult and gapbody. Robinson oversaw all elem

Patrick Robinson has a new passion.

The designer, who has worked for a variety of brands over the course of his career, including Giorgio Armani, Anne Klein, Gap and Perry Ellis, is now devoting his time to creating jobs on Native American reservations and for other underserved communities across the U.S.

Robinson is launching AwareMade, a project that will establish workshops to manufacture items from responsibly sourced materials and provide training and other services to improve the quality of life of the craftspeople in these communities.

Robinson will not be designing clothes for AwareMade, but instead will work to connect the artisans with companies where their crafts can be sold. “I’m going to be training people to be the best craftspeople in the world,” he said.

But Robinson is not giving up on designing completely. He is partnering with Allen Edmonds to create the Patrick Robinson x Allen Edmonds shoe as part of the company’s Legend Series. Robinson is the latest designer in the series that has also featured Raleigh Denim Workshop, Barbour and Armando Cabral.

The partners chosen for the Allen Edmonds Legend Series are selected because they share the brand’s passion for craft. Each collaborator applies their artistic touch and aesthetic to create a new generation of classic shoe styles in the Allen Edmonds’ factory in Port Washington, Wisconsin.

Robinson said the shoe company, which is 102 years old and part of the Caleres portfolio of brands, reached out to him because it had heard about his passion for American craftsmanship. When he saw how the company has manufactured handcrafted shoes in the U.S. for more than a century, he was all in.

Robinson, who desgned footwear for the other companies he has worked work in the past, created The Humble Curiosity Slip-On, featuring Allen Edmonds’

As reality TV sage Heidi Klum so famously puts it: In fashion, one day you’re in, and the next, you’re out. These days, Patrick Robinson is in at the Gap, where he’s been executive vice president for the ailing giant since last May. While some people might show the strain of trying to revive the megabrand that dominated the casual clothing market throughout so much of the ’80s and ’90s, Robinson shows no fatigue, instead exuding a laid-back charm characteristic of his Southern California roots. After serving in high-profile positions starting with Armani back in the early ’90s and ending with Paco Rabanne in 2007, the 41-year-old Robinson feels he’s found a home at Gap that returns him to his love of classic American sportswear. Whether he can turn the corporate ship around remains to be seen — his first full collections are for fall 2008-but his sunny, can-do attitude will only help. Really, what could be more all-American than that?

ARIANA SPEYER: Gap has been flailing a bit lately, and you were brought in to revitalize the brand. How did you approach the task? Did you go back to the archives? Did you focus-group?

PATRICK ROBINSON: I didn’t go back to the archives or focus-group. I grew up with Gap — I am the focus group. You’re not coming to Gap to buy a funny fashion ball gown. You’re coming to Gap to find khakis. It’s not like it has to be hard. You grew up with it. I grew up with it. Everyone grew up with it. And we know what it has to be. Just get back to doing that and doing it well. And you’re not going to be fooled-the polo has to fit right, the khakis have to be cool, the fabrics have to be right. That’s Gap.

AS: But fashion consumers these days are jaded. It’s not like it was when Gap started in 1969, before more trend-conscious European chains like H&M and Zara became so dominant. Why do you think Gap can reach people as opposed to