Badgley Mischka

Badgley Mischka

Fashion for love & life

Badgley Mischka beginnings

Badgley Mischka is brand created by two designers who formed a partnership to create a line of women’s evening gowns. Not only is this partnership base on their love for passion but also on their love for each other. James Mischka and Mark Badgley are life partners as well as in business. James Mischka was born in Burlington, Wisconsin on December 23, 1960. Mischka was raised by his homemaker mother, Judith and sales executive father, Carl. Mischka was the eldest of three boys. First, he attended Rice University in Texas for a biomedical engineering degree. He later switched to an arts-management program. Mischka soon realized that was not the path for him, he would later enroll in Parsons School of Design, where he met Badgley.

Mark Badgley and his twin sister O'Hara, would be born in East St. Louis, Illinois. However, Badgley was raised in Oregon, by his father Paul; a Department store executive and his stay at home mom, Marjorie. Badgley said “even as a child I remember sketching evening clothes”, he told Min who interviewed him for People. Before Badgley attended Parsons he possessed different aspirations. Badley , first studied art at the University of Oregon, then moves on to the University of Southern California where he graduated class of 1982 in business.

By 1985 both men graduated from Parsons with degrees in fashion. Here they would go on to work for very prominent designers. Badgley at Donna Karan and Jackie Rogers as designer while Mischka for Williwear Willismith.

A Brand is born

By 1988, Mark Badgley and James Mischka, borrowed $250,000 from their families to establish and realize their vision of glamorous, Old Hollywood’s 40s–style evening gowns. These two men wanted to create an urbane style that was young, modern couture that would not disown women of any age. Badgley told Janice Min when she profiled the duo for People. "Our...