Greg Mills, a deep-rooted trend govt who labored for designers like Perry Ellis, Stephen Sprouse and Isaac Mizrahi throughout their breakout intervals, died Nov. 2.
Mills, 76, died on the Inspira Medical Heart in Vineland, N.J., of congestive coronary heart failure, in line with his sister Doreen DeLucca.
Throughout his profession, Mills had a knack for aligning with designers whose identify recognition had not but taken maintain, together with Ellis, Sprouse and Isaac Mizrahi. He was additionally at Anne Klein & Co. when Donna Karan and Louis Dell’Olio led design, after Klein died in 1974. Over time, every of those creatives would turn into breakout stars with an outlined viewpoint and impartial streak that outlined simply comprehensible American sportswear that appealed to a large swath of customers. Mills additionally consulted with Badgley Mischka at one level.
Alongside the way in which, Mills befriended Bergdorf Goodman’s charismatic and unflappable private shopper Betty Halbreich, who additionally served as a lifelong mentor and confidante. The “Love Story” actress Ali MacGraw was one other certainly one of Mills’ decades-long associates. Nonetheless within the workplace 5 days every week, the practically 96-year-old Halbreich mentioned Sunday that she met Mills in his 20s, when he was at Geoffrey Beene. The pair had remained associates ever since. Halbreich mentioned, “He danced. He was my dancing in his head. He was extraordinarily sensible with an intense energy of recall. He by no means forgot anyone’s identify or the place they had been [in business] regardless of the place he was. He was a really distinctive and clever man, who ought to have completed far more,” she mentioned.
What she cherished about Mills was him all the time being so up to the mark. “We didn’t all the time speak about trend as a result of I get very uninterested in it. What I cherished about him was that he was very present and really caring,” she mentioned. “He was all the time interested by what was happening, however not in an intrusive means. He needed to know what was happening downtown and what was happening within the retailer. He was lively and was not an indignant human being.”
For practically 20 years previous to the pandemic setting in, Mills ran Greg Mills Ltd., a design consultancy and showroom that specialised in ready-to-wear, equipment and footwear. Sort, respectful and humorous, Mills all the time considered others first, his sister mentioned. Mills was a well-known face on the Who’s Subsequent commerce present, representing such manufacturers as Tomas Maier, Brandon Solar, Derek Lam, Jed, Cesare Gatti and Lola Hats. A routine 12-hour-a-day employee, he may all the time be present in his SoHo workplace throughout that point. As for whether or not Mills had any hobbies that he loved throughout his free time, DeLucca mentioned with amusing, “No, he was all the time working — all the time working.”
One semi-exception was Mills’ choice within the ’80s to purchase and run a Nice Barrington, Mass., Italian restaurant together with his late companion, chef Robert Vehlow (who previous to that labored at Anne Klein). Mills additionally as soon as owned a home and different property within the woodsy Berkshires, and relished retreating there together with his companion and canine to catch a break from the style business.
A non-public household tribute was held Saturday for Mills, who had been cremated. Whereas coping with some well being points, Mills retired from his firm throughout the pandemic shutdown and had moved to New Jersey to spend extra time together with his household. “He cherished his household, he cherished his work and he cherished his associates. However most of all, he actually revered the style business and actually did properly in it,” DeLucca mentioned.
Born in Queens, Mills’ father labored as a lithographer and the household of 5 grew up in Honest Garden, N.J. At 18, Mills moved to New York Metropolis to quench his trend pursuits by taking some artwork and design school lessons. He began his profession with the previous mass merchandise retailer W.T. Grant after which moved on to Geoffrey Beene. From 1973 to 1979, he acted as worldwide gross sales supervisor at Anne Klein & Co. He then served as vice chairman of gross sales and retail promoting, a newly created publish, for Perry Ellis Assortment. Throughout that stretch in his profession, Mills grew to become associates with Mizrahi. After Perry Ellis, Mills labored for 3 years for Sprouse in what was Andy Warhol’s former studio often known as “The Manufacturing unit.” In 1991, Mills exited Mizrahi’s firm, having been there since its inception in 1987. Upon his departure, Mills mentioned, “Issues are getting actually good at Isaac, and folks would say it’s a wierd time to depart. I be ok with what occurred there.”
He later joined Mizrahi when the designer began his personal signature label within the late ’80s. Mills additionally consulted with Badgley Mischka within the early ’90s, proper after Escada had bought the corporate. Mark Badlgey spoke of how important Mills was when he and James Mischka had been beginning out. Other than his expertise and contemporary perspective, Mills was “sensible about product” and “most of all, had essentially the most hilarious persona,” the designer mentioned. Inclined to play sensible jokes on folks within the showroom, Mills was “tremendous enjoyable to work with, however all enterprise when he wanted to be,” the designer mentioned.
“He all the time made the method enjoyable. He engaged salespeople. He had unbelievable ardour concerning the garments. It could possibly be actually a wool chemise, and he would lose his marbles about it,” Badgley mentioned. “He was an actual asset to the business. Then he went on to have his personal multidesigner showroom. He form of did all of it. He was a tough employee however he all the time managed to make it enjoyable. As we all know, the enterprise isn’t all the time as straightforward as enjoyable right now.”
Having met Mills throughout the Perry Ellis years, when Ellis was nonetheless alive, designer Jeffrey Banks described Mills as, “extremely educated about trend with an amazing humorousness that labored properly within the showroom. That barely acerbic, however not sarcastic demeanor was simply incredible to shops and prospects. They cherished it. When it got here to any dialogue concerning the clothes he was promoting to you, he was a complete straight shooter. However you’ll even be entertained. Folks cherished to come back to his showroom.”
Kleinfeld Bridal cofounder Mara Urshel mentioned her friendship with Mills dated again to his stint at Anne Klein within the late ’70s, when she was a Saks Fifth Avenue purchaser. “He was such a honest great particular person. He would do something that will help you within the enterprise,” she mentioned. “It’s a loss for the business. There aren’t that many people who find themselves captivated with what they do and are actually honest. It’s not all about enterprise and cash. It’s additionally about making an attempt to be useful. Greg needed to see you succeed and he succeed. That’s a really particular trait.”
Noting how Mills cherished the appeal of the Berkshires and the bustle of his restaurant, Urshel recalled a storybook go to that consisted of cross-country snowboarding and catching the annual re-enactment of Norman Rockwell’s well-known vacation scene on Stockbridge’s Predominant Avenue, full with classic vehicles.
One other longtime good friend of Mills, Patti Cappalli Taylor employed him to run the sportswear division that she had began for the then Warnaco-owned Jerry Silverman label within the ’70s. When she later moved on to California, he moved on. “Greg was wonderful. I did my first runway present at that firm, and I couldn’t have completed it in any respect if it weren’t for Greg. He was multtalented. And I don’t use this phrase frivolously, however he was beloved within the business. He was very enjoyable and personable with a dry humorousness,” she mentioned.
Mills’ former assistant for the previous 11 years, Misaki Mizuno, began out as an intern. “He was excellent at speaking with folks. I’m not from the USA. I received to know him, once I was very new to New York. My English was not so sturdy both. However I realized so many issues from him — after all concerning the enterprise and my profession, but in addition methods to work together with folks. If I didn’t meet him, I wouldn’t have stayed in New York for such a very long time. He was like my dad within the States. I don’t have any household right here. He actually took excellent care of me.”
Predeceased by his dad and mom and a brother John, Mills is survived by DeLucca and one other sister, Daybreak Landau.
