The minute you see his great shock of grayish hair and dazzling smile, you know all is right in the world of fashion mogul Peter Nygard.
The Canadian designer, described as ``the Ralph Lauren of Canada,'' stopped in at Dillard's at Summit Mall as part of his yearlong quest to visit 330 Dillard's stores in the United States. Dillard's is the Arkansas chain with which he formed a strategic business partnership a decade ago.
There were more Dillard's associates than customers lining the red carpet as Nygard and his 25 person-plus entourage arrived about 30 minutes late, flying from Youngstown to Akron on his private plane. But the greeting was loud and hearty as about 65 waved Dillard's-Nygard flags and chanted his name. Nygard pumped his fist in the air and grinned in return.
Onlooker Madeline Bozzelli stepped out of the crowd to tell Nygard, ``You're as cute as your clothes.''
``Give that woman a raise,'' Nygard said, wearing a yellow V-neck sweater, white shirt, black leather jacket and dark denim jeans.
He's about to celebrate his 40th anniversary as founder and chairman of Nygard International. The Finnish immigrant started his company in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1967 after borrowing $8,000 to purchase 20 percent of a ladies garment manufacturer.
As a youngster, Nygard and his poverty-stricken family lived in a coal bin when they first arrived in Canada from Helsinki. Today, the self-made fashion giant lives in a 21-bedroom, 150,000-square-foot home in the Bahamas.
Nygard said he expected his company to create nearly $1 billion in sales for 2007-08.
``We're growing at a rate of $100 million a year. We're on fire. Everything we touch is turning to gold,'' he said.
His company produces more than 30 million garments a year and employs 12,000.
Nygard made it clear that connecting with each customer personally was important to him. He started his day at 4:30 a.m. Thursday, visiting Dillard's stores in Toledo, Youngstown, Fairlawn and Jackson Township.
He'll continue today with appearances at Westfield South Park Mall, Westfield Great Northern Mall and Great Lakes Mall. On Saturday, he'll visit the Beachwood Place Dillard's.
``He wanted to see where his product was and what America needs from him,'' said Mollie Folse, one of his regional merchandise coordinators.
At Summit Mall, Nygard spent about 30 minutes hugging customers and sales associates, having photographs taken with each and autographing his own photos. Five models posed with Nygard as his staff took photos of him with his fans, which each customer could later download online.
The Summit Mall Dillard's carries both the signature Peter Nygard and Nygard collections as well as private labels he creates exclusively for Dillard's -- Investments, Westbound, Tan Jay and Allison Daley.
For his entire fashion career, Nygard's goal has been to listen to what women customers age 35 and older want: to look younger and slimmer.
``The challenge is that middle-aged women tend to have more hips, and after you have babies, you have a different shape,'' making it hard to find pants that fit properly, he said.
Nygard focuses on cuts that create a longer, more slender look. This spring, he's showing feminine, flowing skirts; a lot of black and white; and crisp navy blue and white, paired with red or lime green. His fabrics tend to be luxurious, including a lot of silks and linens.
Looking ahead, Nygard will soon open his world headquarters on Times Square in an eight-story building, four of whose floors remain to be finished. The building will prominently display the logo ``Nygard: Where fashion meets technology.''
Nygard attributes much of his success to his emphasis on cutting-edge technology to get product to the market faster. He and Dillard's have combined efforts to create what is called the NR5 digital supply chain management system -- which he calls the fastest in the world -- from silkworm to consumer.
``What used to take six months takes six weeks,'' he said.
Forty years into his fashion career, Nygard would not confirm that he was 63: ``I just don't feel anything to do with the word 60. I think I'm 40.''
He still often works 14- to 16-hour days, and likens the thrill of working in the fashion industry to competing in sports.
``So much reward comes from the satisfaction of winning. It's success, and that gives you so much energy,'' he said.
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