Richard Metzger knew from an early age while growing up in Chicago that he wanted to be part of the fashion industry. Throughout his childhood, he was always attracted to art and style and dreamed of the glamorous world of fashion as well as the mystery of far away places. After many years of hard work and determination, Richard has seen many of his dreams realized and is proud to be an innovative staple of the New York fashion community. He has thrived for over 20 years in the competitive, ever changing world of the fashion industry by continuing to evolve and keeping his style current.

Richard's energetic love of fashion and his big personality are both immediately evident. Whether behind the scenes creating show stopping styles or in front of the camera giving fashion advice, Richard radiates a unique savvy. Graduating from the Fashion Institute of Technology with multiple accolades and prestigious awards, he earned his degree and his star began to shine brightly. Even with all of the acclaim and a promising career ahead of him, Richard didn't rush to launch his own line. Rather, he was driven to learn the craft and the complex business of fashion to compliment his style and creativity.

Richard went to work for a number of industry giants, learning the profession first hand from those who had already succeeded in forever changing the fashion landscape. He started his professional journey with Liz Claiborne, where he was fortunate enough to work alongside Liz herself, one of the most important designers in American fashion history. He was then recruited to bring his creativity to Dana Buchman, Anne Klein, and other industry legends that became huge success stories in the 90's.

Feeling he had learned a great deal, gained invaluable experience, and earned enough credibility to launch his own line, Richard created his eponymous label. Identifying an important segment of the market that craved fashion yet was neglected by the industry, Richard set himself apart by launching the first designer plus size collection in New York, embracing an underserved consumer. His line of chic high-end runway-worthy fashion was aimed at women size 12 and up, and the groundbreaking collection debuted to much fanfare and critical acclaim. Celebrities and magazine editors clamored for his modern designs, and soon his line was featured on the pages of famous fashion magazines, even appearing on cover after cover of 'O', The Oprah Magazine. Richard bonded with Oprah Winfrey and went on to dress Ms. Winfrey in his designs for her daily talk show, her monthly magazine, and for numerous special events. Richard Metzger's fabulous, trend setting designs have appeared on stages, red carpets, and TV shows. They were beloved and worn by the likes of Emme, Camryn Manheim, Star Jones, Wynona Judd, Sarah Ferguson, and Queen Latifah.

Since then, Richard has served as the key creative executive at Garfield Marks, Hampshire Brands, Rafaella Sportswear and most recently, at Chico's. In those roles, he drew upon his experience and creativity to modernize and relaunch those brands and to oversee the creation of new contemporary line extensions for Nicole Miller and Chico's Black Label. Expanding his scope he recently took on international markets, consulting in Canada for Reitman's.

 

Richard Metzger has proven time and time again what a true champion of women he is as a designer with an understanding of how to dress and fit women in a modern way, regardless of their size. He has embraced every design challenge and has a natural knack for creating women’s sportswear incorporating his special love of knitwear and sweaters into his design vocabulary.

Knowing how fickle the fashion industry is, Richard continues to move forward and is ready to further make his mark on the industry. He has survived and thrived in the ultra competitive fashion world of Seventh Avenue because of his willingness to take risks, his professionalism, his ability to lead and inspire a creative team, his imaginative and modern creativity, and his sheer passion for fashion. Richard Metzger has earned his way, navigating through an ever changing landscape and has never stopped trying to learn all that he can about the craft that he loves.