The Corporate Takeovers That Banned Halston from Designing His Own Name

Designer Scandals & Falls from Grace5/5 wildness

The Corporate Takeovers That Banned Halston from Designing His Own Name

Halston Enterprises and Revlon / 1980s

Halston's loss of power accelerated after Norton Simon, Inc., which had purchased his line for $16 million in 1973 while leaving him nominal creative authority, was acquired by Esmark Inc. in 1983. As the label passed through a succession of corporate owners—including Playtex International and Beatrice Foods—Halston found himself increasingly unable to determine how his own brand would be designed or marketed. By 1984, Halston Enterprises had barred him from creating designs for the company and replaced him with his former assistant, John David Ridge. Ridge later recalled that Halston's hands shook so severely that he sometimes had to point while Ridge cut fabric, although flashes of his original brilliance still appeared during late-night draping sessions. Halston tried unsuccessfully to buy back control, and Revlon ultimately acquired Halston Enterprises in 1986. After Revlon planned to continue the line without his input, Halston abandoned negotiations for a new contract; the clothing business was discontinued in 1990, while the fragrance line survived. The collapse transformed one of America's most influential designers into a near-bystander to the commercialization and eventual dismantling of his own legacy.