Liz Claiborne, who died on 26 June 2007 was a fashion designer who built up a hugely popular and successful American clothes brand.

Her eye for detail heralded the introduction of a fashion range, which women the world over could easily afford. She extended her range to menswear during the 1980s having built up a significant reputation as a designer.

As a young woman she had moved to New York ready to embark on a career in fashion. She eventually launched her first fashion range, Liz Claiborne Inc in 1975 after years working behind the scenes as an assistant and then chief designer at Youth Guild.

She brought a particular style to 70s fashion and before long had a much requested fashion range that was selling out in stores across the world. Catwalks highlight the elite and unaffordable whereas Mrs Claiborne aimed her clothing at everyday people.

Elisabeth Claiborne was born in Brussels on 31 March 1929. Her parents were American and while spending much of her early childhood in Brussels, she moved with her family to America, following the outbreak of the Second World War.

New Orleans became her home for several years. Her father was conscious of his daughter’s education and asked that she take an interest in art. She attended art school in both Brussels and Nice, before focusing on a career in fashion design.

Her decision sparked objection from her parents, however, she fell in love with New York whilst on a visit, and looked forward to establishing a career there.

She was handed a position as a sketch artist to Tina Lesler, a designer in 1950 and was twice married by the time one of her biggest career roles arrived in 1960. When a new door into the fashion world opened at Youth Guild, Mrs Claiborne became a chief designer at the company.

In 1975, Mrs Claiborne embarked on her riskiest venture yet and with the support of friends decided to launch her own fashion business. Liz Claiborne Inc handed women a stylish and affordable range of clothing not seen before on the high street.

The collection which included skirts, jumpers and casual wear was a massive success and grossed $2.6 million in its first year of business. Pushing forward within a male dominated industry, Mrs Claiborne was willing to listen to the customers views of her fashion range.

As the mid-80s approached she could only look on as sales and the popularity of her brand steadily grew. Her name made the Fortune 500 list as one of America’s richest businesses in 1986.

Critics, designers and customers wondered how far the range could stretch itself. Mrs Claiborne produced a perfume range and could not help but dabble in menswear.

In 1990, she retired, after 13 successful years as chief executive. Liz Claiborne Inc had started as a small business project, but had turned into being the biggest producer of women’s clothing within the United States by 1991.

After leaving the fashion business, Mrs Claiborne and her husband concentrated on charity work and were particularly interested in environmental and wildlife issues.

She was diagnosed with cancer in 1997 and ten years later died as a result of complications of cancer at the New York–Presbyterian Hospital.

At the time of her death her original business was still a major success generating $5 billion in 2006.