[3] When Sprouse was 12 years old, he first met fashion designer Norman Norell, thanks to his father showing his portfolio to someone at the Art Institute of Chicago.
[3] Sprouse convinced Halston to trim the bottoms of the dresses a few days before a fashion show, resulting in the 'Skimp' of 1974, a reinvention of the minidress that contrasted with the normally elongated silhouette of that era.
[3] Blondie was a new band that Harry and her boyfriend, guitarist Chris Stein, were starting to get recognition for at New York nightclubs CBGB and Max's Kansas City.
[3] Sprouse had enjoyed dressing up Halston's favourite model Karen Bjornson, who epitomized the stylish blonde from the Upper East Side.
Sprouse made clothing out of torn tights, T-shirts, and items he found on the streets, turning Harry into a sort of "Bowery Bjornson.
With financial backing provided by his parents, Sprouse soon formed an in-house production staff for the small runway collection he showed in his silver-painted showroom (in homage Andy Warhol's Silver Factory loft of the sixties) in December 1983.
Sprouse cited production, late deliveries, and financial problems in an interview with Women's Wear Daily shortly after he closed his initial business.
Sprouse informally showed a Fall 1985 collection to buyers and the press at his new showroom in Union Square on Broadway - the last location of Andy Warhol's infamous "Factory" lofts.
Sprouse referred to his Fall 1985 collection as being "more hippie weird" and early seventies-inspired, with bell-bottom trousers, psychedelic prints, and maxi skirts, but the company lacked the funds and staff to produce the apparel.
Sprouse was initially noted by fashion magazines and retailers for using high-quality, expensive, custom-dyed fabrics (his woolens were largely sourced by the high-end Italian textile house Agnona).
In 1992, Sprouse designed an exclusive men's and women's "capsule collection" (i.e.: 32 pieces in whole) for Bergdorf Goodman, dubbed "CyberPunk," which featured Velcro in lieu of traditional buttons.
The production of the collection was done entirely on a couture level, leading to extremely high-priced garments (e.g.: $500 for a pair of men's nylon underwear - that being one of the lowest priced items available).
Bergdorf Goodman sold the line for two seasons (Fall 1992 & Spring 1993), with very limited success, despite wide media coverage, and featuring Sprouse's garments in their window displays.
Sprouse showed a collection ("CyberGlitter") at Club USA in NYC for Fall 1993, but it never went into full production, despite orders being placed from retail buyers.
"[12] Sprouse died of heart failure at the age of 50 on March 4, 2004 at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York City, after a closely guarded diagnosis of lung cancer a year before.
[1] For both Fall 2006 and 2008, Marc Jacobs utilized Sprouse's 1987 graffiti leopard images for handbags, shoes, and scarves for Louis Vuitton, which sold-out instantly.