James Clifford is an American fashion designer specializing in wedding gowns.

Early life

Clifford was born and raised in Worcester, Massachusetts.[1] As a child, he designed outfits for comic book characters and dreaming of creating clothes for the film and theater industries.[1]

Career

Early career

Clifford attended the New England School of Design.[2] With little intention of entering the bridal industry, his unclear plans after college resulted in him working at the House of Bianchi in Boston where he began his career as a designer.[2]

Following his two years at the House of Bianchi, Clifford worked at Priscilla of Boston.[2] During his time at Priscilla, he designed clothing for the First Family (the daughters of presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon).[3] James often cites the Johnson wedding, in which he designed and created the bridal party’s gowns in the Lincoln bedroom, as one of the finest moments of his career.[1] After 19 years at Priscilla of Boston, James moved to New York City as head designer at Galina-Bouquet, Inc., where he was featured in the company’s advertisements.[1]

In 1987, Clifford joined a major bridal manufacturer under his own label.[3] His label was the only publicly held bridal house in the country. Originally James Clifford was known as Jim Hjelm, but rights to his name as a designer were taken away by JLM Couture in legal disputes.[1] His gowns veered on the side of traditional and incorporated nets, silks, and lace.

Twenty-first century

In 2004, Clifford joined Mon Cheri to launch The James Clifford Collection.[3] This collection remains popular as James continues to produce timeless gowns.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "JLM Couture, Inc. History", fundinguniverse.com, 2004.
  2. 1 2 3 "Profile of James Hjelm", Walker's Research, 2009.
  3. 1 2 3 "James Clifford" Archived 2014-07-03 at the Wayback Machine, moncheri.com, 2014.
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