Stanley M. Herman was born in Brooklyn, New York,[2] and grew up in a Jewish family in Passaic, New Jersey,[3][4] His father owned a chain of silk shops.
[5] Herman graduated in 1950 from the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning at the University of Cincinnati.
He left show business to pursue fashion full-time after launching his first collection, which Women's Wear Daily declared an unqualified success.
[2][6][9] Herman first designed a uniform after a request from the president of the Avis car rental company.
[11][12] In 1993, Herman and CFDA executive director Fern Mallis consolidated the events known as New York Fashion Week by staging them in white tents in Bryant Park, branding it as "7th on Sixth".