Leo Narducci

Born and raised in Brockton, Massachusetts, Narducci's parents owned a garment factory, where he learned to sew and developed a fascination with fashion.[1] In 1950, he graduated from Brockton High School.[1] After serving in the Air Force in Korea, Narducci attended the Rhode Island School of Design, where he graduated in 1960.[2] After graduation, he moved to New York, where he initially designed for Loomtogs.[3] In 1965 he won the Coty Award for Young Designers, and in 1967 opened his own studio.[1][4]

A prominent designer during the 1960s and 1970s, his clothes were popular with celebrities like Kaye Stevens and Joyce Brothers, and in 1972 Narducci was a guest on the Mike Douglas Show.[1][5][6] Although most well-known for his ready-to-wear collections, Narducci also designed scarfs, belts, jewelry, evening bags, Vogue patterns, and career apparel.[7] He also produced samples in size 16 (in an era when most samples were size 8 or 10) so that the proportions would be correct for larger-sized women.[7] He employed or mentored other prominent designers, including Bill Robinson and Stephen Sprouse.[8][9]

In the early 1990s, Narducci moved back to Brockton, where he frequently put on fashion shows to benefit area organizations like Stonehill College and the Fuller Craft Museum.[1] In 2003, he was honored with the Historic Citizen's Award by the Brockton Historical Society.[1]

Narducci resides in Providence, Rhode Island, where he designs and teaches at RISD.[10]

• Official site
• IMDB page
• Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
• RISD Museum