Tim Gunn
Fashion Icon
Tim Gunn is Chief Creative Officer of Liz Claiborne Inc. In this role, he is responsible for attracting, retaining and developing the creative talent within the Liz Claiborne, Inc. portfolio of brands.
Prior to joining Liz Claiborne Inc., Gunn served as a member of the administration and faculty at Parsons School of Design for 24 years and has had a rich and deep history with the institution. Gunn joined the staff in 1983 as Assistant Director of Admissions. In 1985, he was promoted to Associate Director of Admissions and to Director of Admissions in 1986. In 1990, he became Associate Dean.
In August 2000, Gunn was appointed Chair of the Department of Fashion Design at Parsons with the charge of retooling and invigorating the curriculum for the 21st century. Under Gunn's direction, the department was repositioned as the indisputable leader in fashion design education in America and as one of only a handful of leading programs in the world. Upon leaving Parsons, Gunn received the title of "Honorary Chair of Fashion Design" at the school. In addition, Liz Claiborne, Inc. endowed a scholarship in his name.
Gunn has lectured widely on fashion and lifestyle design and, especially, Parsons' profound role in putting America on the global design map. His interviews have appeared in a diverse range of publications, from Newsweek and The New York Times to Entertainment Weekly and Martha Stewart Living, as well as Women's Wear Daily, Fortune, and Fast Company. He has also covered the red carpet at the Academy Awards, Emmy Awards and Golden Globes for The Today Show and Entertainment Tonight, and he co-hosted the Official Oscar Red Carpet Pre-show in 2009 for ABC. He has written articles for Elle, Seventeen, People, US Weekly, and Fortune and has a monthly feature in People Style Watch and Marie Claire. The now 56-year-old was named one of People magazine's "sexiest men alive" in 2006. Finally, Marvel comics made him a superhero in their 2009 revival of Models, Inc. with a special feature, "Loaded Gunn," in which he dons the Iron Man armor to fight crimes against fashion.
Gunn serves as co-host of the five-time Emmy-nominated Project Runway, a reality-based fashion design incubator, the sixth season of which broke all cable viewer ratings records. Project Runway received a GLAAD Media Award in 2007 and a Peabody Award in 2008. The show's much anticipated seventh season will premier on Lifetime on January 14.
In September 2009, Gunn became a member of Core Team Oz for the new Dr. Oz Show on FOX. The show was launched as a joint venture between Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Productions and Sony Pictures. It is receiving critical acclaim and unexpectedly high viewer ratings.
Gunn's book, A Guide to Quality, Taste and Style, was the core of Tim Gunn's Guide to Style, a two season show on Bravo. A new book, Gunn's Golden Rules, is being published by Simon Spotlight and will be released in September 2010.
Gunn gives a good deal of his time to charitable organizations, especially those associated with domestic violence, AIDS awareness and GLBT issues. Those organizations include the National Domestic Violence Hotline, GMHC, the Hetrick-Martin Institute, Bailey House, and the Human Rights Campaign.
