36 Facts About Stephen Sprouse

Stephen Sprouse was an American fashion designer and artist.

Stephen Sprouse is credited with pioneering the 1980s mix of "uptown sophistication in clothing with a downtown punk and pop sensibility".

Stephen Sprouse struggled to maintain his label after making another investment and seeing some success.

Stephen Sprouse continued throughout the 1980s and 1990s, working with such luminaries as Andy Warhol and Keith Haring.

Stephen Sprouse was born in Dayton, Ohio on September 12,1953, the oldest son of Norbert and Joanne Sprouse, where his father was stationed at an Air Force base.

Stephen Sprouse's artistic skill first surfaced when he was a child.

Stephen Sprouse was a bashful youngster who always kept a pen in his hand to sketch.

Stephen Sprouse was only assertive when he was holding a pen or pencil, and then only to the point where teachers called him the Art Supervisor.

When Stephen Sprouse was 12 years old, he first met fashion designer Norman Norell, thanks to his father showing his portfolio to someone at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Stephen Sprouse's father sent him to New York to meet Norell and fashion designer Bill Blass.

Stephen Sprouse could have beat me up if I didn't play football, and he didn't.

Stephen Sprouse received permission to work in New York while still a student, working with fashion designer Leo Narducci, whom he had previously worked with during a summer in New York when he was 16.

Narducci phoned fashion designer George Halley and he remarked that Stephen Sprouse's work resembled fashion designer Halston's.

When questioned if he had ever met Halston, Stephen Sprouse said he hadn't met him before, but he had respected him and believed his work was excellent.

Stephen Sprouse thus left school and relocated to New York.

Stephen Sprouse gained knowledge about luxury and form from Halston.

Stephen Sprouse got to know several of the prominent people in society at the time.

Stephen Sprouse convinced Halston to trim the bottoms of the dresses a few days before a fashion show, resulting in the 'Skimp' of 1974, a reinvention of the minidress that contrasted with the normally elongated silhouette of that era.

Stephen Sprouse had enjoyed dressing up Halston's favourite model Karen Bjornson, who epitomized the stylish blonde from the Upper East Side.

Stephen Sprouse launched himself as a commercial fashion designer when he competed in a fashion show contest of young designers in the spring of 1983, sponsored by the Polaroid Corporation.

Subsequently, Stephen Sprouse received the CFDA award for Best New Designer in 1984.

Stephen Sprouse cited production, late deliveries, and financial problems in an interview with Women's Wear Daily shortly after he closed his initial business.

Stephen Sprouse informally showed a Fall 1985 collection to buyers and the press at his new showroom in Union Square on Broadway - the last location of Andy Warhol's infamous "Factory" lofts.

Subsequently, the show was cancelled; a Stephen Sprouse Incorporated representative stated at the time that the show was cancelled due to the company relocating to their new Union Square location.

Stephen Sprouse referred to his Fall 1985 collection as being "more hippie weird" and early seventies-inspired, with bell-bottom trousers, psychedelic prints, and maxi skirts, but the company lacked the funds and staff to produce the apparel.

Stephen Sprouse was initially noted by fashion magazines and retailers for using high-quality, expensive, custom-dyed fabrics.

Stephen Sprouse personally did the graffiti that adorned many of his very early, expensive garments, which added to their desirability.

In September 1987, with financial backing from high-end furniture manufacturer Knoll International, Stephen Sprouse opened a three-level store on Wooster Street in New York City; a second store was opened in Los Angeles in the spring of 1988 at the Beverly Center shopping complex.

Stephen Sprouse partly abandoned his signature sixties silhouettes, instead drawing inspiration from the mid-seventies London-based punk rock scene.

Stephen Sprouse worked extensively with the band Duran Duran in the late 1980s, designing the clothes for their 1989 tour for the album Big Thing, as well as the cover for their greatest hits album Decade of the same year.

Stephen Sprouse largely sourced custom made textiles from Agnona for his fall 1992 collection.

Stephen Sprouse showed a collection at Club USA in NYC for Fall 1993, but it never went into full production, despite orders being placed from retail buyers.

That same year, Stephen Sprouse served as the costume curator for the new Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, and designed the staff's uniforms.

In 1996, Stephen Sprouse designed the logo and cover for New York Glam outfit Psychotica's self-titled album, released under American records.

In 2003, Stephen Sprouse collaborated with fashion brand Diesel on a take over of its Union Square Store for September's New York Fashion Week.

Stephen Sprouse died of heart failure at the age of 50 on March 4,2004 at St Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York City, after a closely guarded diagnosis of lung cancer a year before.