Chester Weinberg

While he was very highly regarded for his design work in the 1960s and early 1970s, he is now mainly known for being the fashion industry's first high-profile AIDS-related death.

[4] Weinberg was one of the designers who actively championed the midi skirt in the face of opposition from American buyers and retailers.

[5] By 1970, the year that he won a Coty Award, Chester Weinberg was seen as one of the most important designers on Seventh Avenue, equivalent to Bill Blass or Geoffrey Beene.

[6] After the closure of his label in 1975, Weinberg worked freelance, creating cashmere knitwear for Ballantyne of Scotland, dress patterns for Butterick and Vogue, and dance costumes for Twyla Tharp's ballet As Time Goes By.

[3] Weinberg had been one of Klein's heroes as a young designer, and the two men developed a strong friendship and working relationship.