Betsey Johnson

About

Betsey Johnson (born August 10, 1942) is an American fashion designer best known for her colorful, cute, and whimsical designs. Many of her designs are considered “over the top” and embellished. She is also known for doing a cartwheel ending in a split at the end of her fashion shows. She is a recipient of the 2015 CFDA Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award.
Johnson is also an artist.

Johnson was born in Wethersfield, Connecticut, the second of three children born to Lena and John Johnson. She has an elder sister, Sally, and a younger brother, Robert. Johnson grew up in Terryville, Connecticut, and took many dance classes, which inspired her love of costumes.
Following her graduation from high school, Johnson studied at the Pratt Institute and then later graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Syracuse University, where she was a member of the Alpha Xi Delta women’s sorority. After graduation, she spent a summer as an intern at Mademoiselle magazine, where she was mentored by Edie Locke.

Johnson’s fashion career started after she entered and won the Mademoiselle Guest Editor Contest in 1964. Johnson soon became part of the youthquake fashion movement…