[2][3][4] Andrew Fezza was born in 1955 in Connecticut,[5] and studied biology and sociology at Boston College with the intention of becoming a dentist.

[1] After graduation, Fezza worked as a design assistant for the womenswear company Schrader Sport on Seventh Avenue, while producing a line of men's sweaters in the evenings that were bought by the New York menswear shop 'Camouflage'.

In 1979, he and his future wife, Marilyn, launched their apparel company in a small apartment in Greenwich Village, specializing in men's sportswear and leather clothing.

[6][3] Andrew Fezza was presented by the GFT USA Corporation (a subsidiary of the Italian company Gruppo GFT), which had already provided support to the successful designers Emanuel Ungaro, Louis Féraud and Valentino, and launched Giorgio Armani to fame.

[3] GFT, who in 1988, retailed Armani suits for $700–900 apiece, wanted to offer comparable quality but lower-priced (at $300–400) suits to the consumer with a tighter clothing budget, and following market research, decided that their new line needed a name designer, ideally a young American creating European-style garments.