A Little History

Mark Badgley grew up in Portland, Oregon. His father was a chairman of a May Company department store, but Badgley developed his love of clothes by watching hours of TV as a kid, sketching Lucille Ball, Bette Davis, and other glamorous stars. He studied at the University of Oregon and USC before transferring to Parsons School of Design in New York, where the two met. James Mischka was born in Wisconsin and grew up in Malibu and Princeton; he studied biomedical engineering at Rice University but dreamed of a fantasy inspired by the sixties suburban glamour of his mother.

After graduating from Parsons in 1985, they both worked in the industry — Badgley for Jackie Rogers and Donna Karan, and Mischka for Willi Smith — before starting their company. Mischka’s background in tailored menswear famously melded with Badgley’s love of ruffles, beading, and embroidery.

From the beginning, in their loft in Hell’s Kitchen, they worked together with a singular voice. “Nothing is sacred. We take each other’s sketches and draw over them,” says Mischka. “There’s absolutely no competition,” agrees Badgley. Having similar tastes and sharing a passion for the creative process, the two men split the work of the company between them, completely trusting each other’s decisions and judgements. The designers’ distinct qualities have become intertwined to create a unique style of modern, streamlined glamour that has been key to the pair’s success.

“We like what we like — and that has been consistent over the years. We have never tried to to be everything for everybody,” Badgley explains. “We have never tried to be trendy, and we feel that this has been the reason we have earned the loyalty of our clientele. We’ve always just tried to make beautiful clothes.”

Badgley Mischka played a leading role in the rise of celebrity dressing in the 1990s, garnering accolades from Vogue magazine, which deemed the duo among America’s top ten designers. That all started in 1995 when Teri Hatcher wore a Badgley Mischka dress to the Emmys and, six months later when Winona Ryder wore a Badgley Mischka dress to the Academy Awards. Ever since, their gowns have been in demand, worn by Kate Winslet, Jennifer Lopez, Sharon Stone, Halle Berry, and Brooke Shields, to name a few. “That gorgeous old-world glamour is at our core,” Mischka explains.