How Gloria Vanderbilt used her authenticity and 'great taste' to build her denim line
Not only was Gloria Vanderbilt an heiress, the "poor little rich girl" in a sensational Great Depression-era custody trial, an author, artist and the mother to CNN's Anderson Cooper, she was also a game-changer, having had a seminal period in the fashion industry in the late 1970s and early '80s.
At a time when Levi's, Lee and Wrangler were the norm in blue jeans, Vanderbilt, who died June 17 at age 95, turned a stockpile of denim into the premium Gloria Vanderbilt jeans line - often considered the world's first designer jeans. For the venture, she partnered with businessman Mohan Murjani.
Having been born in the spotlight, Vanderbilt, also a one-time actress, saw
