Michael Stars is the 20-year old T-shirt Company many credit with giving birth to the trend for fitted T’s.

Women’s Wear Daily - December 2005

Recognizing the haute couture potential of the humble t-shirt, Michael Stars has been a continual pioneer in “casual style” since its founding in 1986. The Los Angeles-based, family-run company remains a leader in contemporary t-shirts for women, distinguished by its contoured fit, exuberant colors and comfortable fabrics (its signature “Shine” material established an industry trend upon its introduction in 1997). With its wares sold in upscale department stores and boutiques across the U.S. and worldwide, the company also operates four branded stores in California and has plans to expand into new markets.

Nearly a decade before bringing new ideas and energy to the women’s t-shirt market, South African Michael Cohen emigrated to L.A. from his native Cape Town in 1977 to work for a British shirt company. In 1986 he met an artist selling hand-painted t-shirts, which spurred his imagination to do garment-dyed multicolored screen tees for the contemporary market. Around the same time he met Suzanne Lerner, an apparel rep who helped shape his vision and entrepreneurial spirit. He began by creating “large boxy men’s t-shirts with tribal art” before moving into an unplumbed niche in 1991: women’s tees tailored to the female figure and fashion sensibility. Capturing a distinct West Coast feel, the brand is also inspired by the Greek island of Mykonos, a favorite and long-time destination of the company’s eponymous founder.

Offering more than 200 styles in over 25 colors per season, the Michael Stars collection of tees includes a variety of tanks, crews, v-necks, henleys and turtlenecks. Its preeminence in the women’s t-shirt market has led to solid growth, with double digit increases over the past couple years.

In the beginning, the company was modestly run out of a garage by three family members, all of whom remain with the company today. Cohen himself, his brother Stuart and Suzanne Lerner, who not only repped the Michael Stars line as a business partner, but later married the entrepreneur. Simon Cohen, his son, and company president, joined the family business in 1995. The tees embraced a balance between fashion and function. Its designs quickly gained favor with such better contemporary stores as Fred Segal, Knit Wit and Theodore, which saw the merits of customized women’s tees, whose gorgeous colors more recently evolved into such fun monikers as Cake (pink), Popeye (lime) and Reef (coral).

Introducing a line of solid tees in 1992, Michael Stars steadily rolled out new designs and fabrics. Among them, a cozy, super-soft Supima cotton; a stretch-friendly French Terry; Supima Thermal, a combination of the Supima cotton and the warmth of a thermal; a Shine fabric that quickly became a signature product; a lightweight Supima Modal, a soft material that drapes like silk, but washes and wears like cotton. Most recently in 2006, Michael Stars launched a tissue-weight Cashmere line available in 10 beautiful colors. Building on the success of its original women’s line, Michael Stars expanded with Maternities in 2001. The company also produces over a dozen “Noveltees” a year to merchandise with their solids; from fun tie-dyes, screen prints, and hand-stitched embellishments.

Having grown from three to approximately 168 employees, Michael Stars has concurrently seen its reach grow from the local market into 50 states. Its designs can be found in such upscale department stores as Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom, Henri Bendel and Saks Fifth Avenue, as well as Anthropologie and specialty boutiques worldwide. Michael Stars opened a flagship store in Manhattan Beach, California in 2001, adding a second branded store on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica in 2003, then in November 2005 a store at The Grove shopping complex in Los Angeles, CA and a chic Santa Barbara location in 2006. The stores have streamlined architecture, floating shelves and organic lighting that combine to emphasize the tees’ colors. In 2000 the company debuted its website (www.michaelstars.com), with an e-commerce engine three years later.

True to its name, Michael Stars dresses some of the best-known celebrities in Hollywood. Its distinctive designs have been seen in such films as Cheaper By The Dozen 2, Come Early Morning, Dukes of Hazaard, RV, The Break Up, The Hills Have Eyes, The Poseidon, as well as dozens of TV series including “Alias,” “Desperate Housewives,” “E.R.,” “One Tree Hill,” “The OC,” “The Sopranos” and “Will and Grace.”

With a commitment to “a professional and ethical work environment” reflecting its tight, family-run roots, the company has also regularly donated time and resources toward a range of philanthropic efforts. In addition to the creation of co-branded Noveltees for the American Heart Association, American Red Cross and others, Michael Stars has assisted numerous charity benefits including AIDS Walk, Divine Design (Project Angel Food) the Tsunami Relief Fund, and the American Red Cross Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund.