Gernreich, Rudi, 1922-1985

Gernreich was born on Aug. 8, 1922 in Vienna, Austria; in 1938 he escaped Nazi persecution and came with his mother to the US; in 1939 he joined Lester Horton Dance Company as both a dancer and designer, and finished his education at Los Angeles City College in 1940; took his first collection to New York in 1944 for Harper's Bazaar; revolutionized the acceptance of slacks for women's fashions, created the knit look, the topless bathing suit, the Unisex look, and the "thong" swimsuit; from 1976-82 designed sets and costumes for Bella Lewitzky's Dance Company; lover of Harry Hay at the time Hay founded the first modern American gay liberation movement, the Mattachine Society, in LA in 1950-51; Gernreich died in LA on Apr. 21, 1985.

Biography

Gernreich was born on August 8, 1922 in Vienna, Austria; in 1938 he escaped Nazi persecution and came with his mother to the U.S.; in 1939 he joined Lester Horton Dance Company as both a dancer and designer, and finished his education at Los Angeles City College in 1940; took his first collection to New York in 1944 for Harper's Bazaar ; revolutionized the acceptance of slacks for women's fashions, created the knit look, the topless bathing suit, the Unisex look, and the thong swimsuit; from 1976-82 designed sets and costumes for Bella Lewitzky's Dance Company; lover of Harry Hay at the time Hay founded the first modern American gay liberation movement, the Mattachine Society, in Los Angeles in 1950-51; Gernreich died in Los Angeles on April 21, 1985.