Geoffrey Beene
Geoffrey Beene was a well known American menswear designer who lived between 1924 and 2004. Born in Louisiana, Beene began his fashion career in 1947 when he attended the Traphagen School of Fashion in New York City, and subsequently studied fashion at various fashion houses in both Europe and America.
Geoffrey founded his self-named company in 1963, with his first showroom opening in Manhattan. One year later Geoffrey won his first of eight COTY awards, and the year after that won the Neiman Marcus award.
In 1969 Geoffrey introduced his first menswear collection which set the stage for his later career. While Geoffrey Beene designed and created more than just menswear, it is his menswear clothing, and to a lesser extent colognes, that he is the most well known for and which generates the highest sales under the brand.
Today 100% of all net profits from Geoffrey Bean sales are donated to charity through the Geoffrey Beene Gives Back organization. Between its launch in 2006 and early 2009 over 140 million dollars have been donated to various charities through the organization. The primary focus of most charities to receive donations include health-related issues such as cures for Alzheimer's and heart disease as well as intellectual pursuits such as understanding the genetics of cancer.
