Jacqueline Quinn

My journey in fashion began when I was about 8 or 9 years old in Ireland. My father bought me art equipment on a rainy day, and the first thing I drew was a woman in a lime green pantsuit. I realized I could design and draw clothes, and my path was chosen very early on. Over 39 years later, I still love it and continue working in the industry. I've had the privilege of working as creative director for Betsy Johnson after Steve Madden acquired the brand, where I had to make tough decisions about redirecting the brand's marketing to focus on what would actually sell product. Today, I work for a private family corporation with 7 or 8 different businesses, designing and manufacturing everything from bridal wear for Dillard's to more affordable dresses for Macy's, Ross, TK Maxx, Marshalls, and Burlington. Some of my proudest accomplishments include creating the pill dress for Viviscal made from pills and feathers that was shown at Adele's All of Me Foundation party at the Grammys, which helped transform the company from a couple million dollars a year to a billion dollar business by reframing hair loss treatment as glamorous rather than shameful. I also created a dress made entirely of New Balance sneakers that opened New York Fashion Week with Anna Wintour, which catapulted New Balance into a new level of recognition in Vogue. That campaign included six webisodes featuring breast cancer survivors, and the dress now sits in a glass case at New Balance's office in Boston. Beyond design, I've worked with the Kennedy family over the years, including designing for Kathleen Kennedy's Lieutenant Governor campaign. I'm currently writing a book with the JFK Library on Jacqueline Kennedy and the influences of dressmaking in the 1960s, based on my dissertation. I'm in year 4 of this project and hoping to complete it next year. I also purchased 18 original Ole Cassini sketches at auction, including the famous pre-inauguration gown sketches, which I plan to bequeath to the JFK Library.