Koos Van Den Akker (March 16, 1939 – February 3, 2015) was a Dutch-born fashion designer who lived and worked in New York City.
Koos then had to spend two years in the Dutch army where his skills were recognized and a workroom in a basement was set up for him where he made clothes for the officers wives and daughters.
[2] After the two years Koos voyaged to Paris to design window displays for the renowned Galeries Lafayette but realizing he needed more formal training.
[2] In the mid seventies, Van Den Akker had a wholesale line with a showroom where major upscale stores, such as Bonwit Teller, Saks Fifth Avenue, Marshall Fields, Bloomingdale's and Frost Bros., bought their supplies of Koos'.
Koos maintained a high profile in New York and LA where entertainers such as Julie & Harry Belafonte, Cher, Elizabeth Taylor, Diahann Carroll and Barbara Walters were clients.
[8] Bill Cosby wore Van Den Akker's wild collaged sweaters on television, further promoting the designer's reputation with the rich and famous.
Soon after Cosby was seen sporting Koos' vibrant sweaters, notables such as Erik Estrada, Chuck Norris and Richard Simmons donned them.
Cosby invited friends to New York for a weekend to celebrate his wife Camille's birthday and he asked Koos to open the store on Sunday especially for his guests and told them to choose something they liked.