About Rudi Gernreich

Austrian-born Gernreich immigrated in 1938 and lived in the United States until his death in 1985.  He was a designer best known for his provocative creations that liberated women from clothes that constrained the body. Gernreich impacted the fashion world with his visionary creations such as the "monokini" topless swimsuit, the transparent "no-bra bra," which was made of molded nylon cups attached to shoulder straps and a narrow elastic band encircling the rib cage, which we would all love to wear. He also produced androgynous separates and suits that blurred traditional boundaries between the feminine and masculine. We women can thank him for authorizing the first unisex looks for those days we just feel like looking oh so lady-like. While such styles are universally accepted today, Gernreich's fashions provoked storms of controversy and media coverage when introduced in the '60s and '70s.

Besides being an influential designer who was very ahead of his time, Gernreich pushed both fashion and social boundaries in the US. Gernreich was an influential co-founder of the Mattachine Society, the USA's first gay liberation movement.