Antthony Mark Hankins is an American fashion designer whose dream of dressing women in stylish yet affordable clothing became a reality in 1994 when he founded Antthony Mark Hankins Inc.. By his mid-twenties he had built his own $40 million business and was named by Newsweek

Newsweek

Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...

 as one of the top 100 people to watch in America. Antthony is affectionately known as the “Calvin Klein

Calvin Klein

Calvin Richard Klein is an American fashion designer who launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc. in 1968. In addition to clothing, Klein has also given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and jewelry....

 of the coupon clipping set " based on his high style, yet affordable designs featured on the Home Shopping Network

Home Shopping Network

Home Shopping Network or HSN began in 1977 as a 24-hour/7 day a week home shopping television network televised via cable, satellite, and some terrestrial channels in the Philippines. HSN can also be shopped online at hsn.com...

.

Early life

Antthony has been featured in Business Week Magazine (November 1997), the Wall Street Journal (October 1995) and numerous other publications as a success story of a poor, African-American boy from a New Jersey factory town who designed his own success.

Born in St. Elizabeth Hospital in Elizabeth, New Jersey

Elizabeth, New Jersey

Elizabeth is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 124,969, retaining its ranking as New Jersey's fourth largest city with an increase of 4,401 residents from its 2000 Census population of 120,568...

 on November 10, 1968 to Mary Jane and Ramone Moya. He is the youngest of seven children (Jeffrey, Katie, James, Kevin, Raymond) and has a twin sister, Angie. His parents divorced when Antthony was young and at the age of twelve his mother remarried to William “Pete” Hankins in 1981.

From a young age Antthony was drawn to fashion and design. At the age of 7, he designed and sewed a primitive suit for his mother for a wedding she was attending. She wore it proudly and from that moment on always encouraged him to follow his talent.

Over the next few years he learned the fundamental basics of design by taking art classes and sewing classes at Roosevelt Middle School

Roosevelt Middle School

Roosevelt Middle School may refer to several middle schools in the United States:* Roosevelt Middle School, in Eugene, Oregon, part of the Eugene School District* Roosevelt Middle School * Roosevelt Middle School...

in Roselle. Mrs. Papetti was especially instrumental in advising Antthony of the mechanics of sewing. In his free time he was always designing clothing for friends and colleagues. His first sewing machine cost $150 which he had loaned from a friend at the Elizabeth’s Union County courthouse where he worked part time as an administrative assistant.

In his spare time he learned to play the clarinet and tuba, joined the Color Guard and participated in student counsel and theater. His side hobby is collecting dolls from around the world along with toys, antique posters, postcards, carnival glass, Depression glass, and African-American folk art.

A Young Designer in the Making

His portfolio of original pieces was the key to securing an interview to attend the prestigious Pratt Institute's School

Pratt Institute

Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...

 of Design in Brooklyn, New York from 1986-1988. Shortly after he graduated, at the age of nineteen, he was accepted at the E'cole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne in Paris, France as the second American and first African-American student.

To earn the $10,000 tuition and secure a plane ticket to Paris, Antthony reached out to his contacts in the community and finally contacted Christy Ferer, a fashion correspondent with the Today Show to help get him exposure. They agreed to do a two part piece the latter of which was shot in Paris and aired December 9, 1988. This national exposure opened new doors for Antthony and from it an anonymous donation came in the mail which ultimately allowed him to secure a plane ticket to Paris.

From 1988-1989 Antthony continued to expand his education in fashion in Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

 at the E'cole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne and is numbered among alumni including Karl Lagerfeld

Karl Lagerfeld

Karl Lagerfeld is a German fashion designer, artist and photographer based in Paris. He has collaborated on a variety of fashion and art related projects, most notably as head designer and creative director for the fashion house Chanel...

 and Yves-Saint-Laurant.

The Chambre Syndicale is similar to American trade unions; it governs the Paris fashion houses, setting the standards and rules of the industry. The school, or ecole, was founded in 1929 by the Chambre Syndicale to provide talent and skilled labor for the Paris design houses. It is the only school in France for the training of the haute couture designers

Couture

-Places in France:* Couture, Charente, in the Charente département* Couture-d'Argenson, in the Deux-Sèvres département* Couture-sur-Loir, in the Loir-et-Cher département-People:* Randy Couture , American mixed martial arts fighter...

.

As a student, Anthony Mark Hankins apprenticed with Yves Saint Laurant in Paris (1988–1990). Later, he also apprenticed for Adrienne Vittadini

Adrienne Vittadini

Adrienne Vittadini is a renowned American fashion designer. When she was 12, her family fled Budapest during the 1956 Hungarian revolution. In 1979, she started what would become a multi-million dollar fashion business as a hobby. The brand name Adrienne Vittadini is synonymous with designs that...

, Willi Smith

Willi Smith

Willi Donnell Smith was one of the most successful young African-American fashion designers in fashion history. At the time of his death, his company Williwear Ltd...

 (1986), Michael Paris, and Homer Layne (1987).

During that time it was at an interview with Bob Mackie

Bob Mackie

Robert Gordon Mackie is an American fashion designer, best known for his costuming for entertainment icons such as Judy Garland, Cher, Diana Ross, Liza Minnelli, Tina Turner, and Mitzi Gaynor...

, an Emmy winning designer for shows like Carol Burnett Show and The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, which pointed him towards the ready-to-wear mass market.

The path to Antthony Originals

Returning to the United States, in 1992 Antthony Mark Hankins began working at JCPenney Corporation as the Quality Assurance Manager. In this role he utilized his skills and eye for fashion

Fashion

Fashion, a general term for a currently popular style or practice, especially in clothing, foot wear, or accessories. Fashion references to anything that is the current trend in look and dress up of a person...

 to drive his career forward. Within eight weeks he had been promoted to become the first and only in-house designer in the Minority Supplier Development Division at JCPenney’s corporate headquarters in Dallas.

Antthony left JCPenney in 1994 when he founded Ramone Moya Ltd. which was the umbrella company for the AMH Group and Antthony Mark Hankins Inc. JCPenney agreed to carry his initial line. The first article about the company ran in the July 2, 1994 issue of the Dallas Morning News headlined “Breaking Out of the Pattern” written by Maria Halkias.

Once his exclusivity with JCPenney expired he also marketed to Target with his line called “Authentics” and Kmart

Kmart

Kmart, sometimes styled as "K-Mart," is a chain of discount department stores. The chain acquired Sears in 2005, forming a new corporation under the name Sears Holdings Corporation. The company was founded in 1962 and is the third largest discount store chain in the world, behind Wal-Mart and...

 with “Anjalise.” His ready to wear collections were also featured in Nordstrom's and Sears. By 1996 he had revenues of $40 million in annual sales.

All of Antthony’s designs are created in the United States of America. However, he has had success selling worldwide in PX stores for the Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES). As one of the top ten retailers in the world these huge stores carry every item that can be found in a major retail store.

After the first year of operation, Antthony was approached by QVC

QVC

QVC is a multinational corporation specializing in televised home shopping. Founded in 1986 by Joseph Segel in West Goshen Township, Pennsylvania, United States, QVC broadcasts in five countries as QVC US, QVC UK, QVC Germany, QVC Japan and – QVC Italy to 200 million households...

 home-shopping channel to present his product on their network in a segment called Antthony’s Places & Spaces. While appealing, this partnership did not work out as they wanted more than just apparel.

He was next approached by Black Entertainment Television

Black Entertainment Television

Black Entertainment Television is an American, Viacom-owned cable network based in Washington, D.C.. Currently viewed in more than 90 million homes worldwide, it is the most prominent television network targeting young Black-American audiences. The network was launched on January 25, 1980, by its...

 to do a home-shopping program called BET Shop which had a direct connection to the Home Shopping Network

Home Shopping Network

Home Shopping Network or HSN began in 1977 as a 24-hour/7 day a week home shopping television network televised via cable, satellite, and some terrestrial channels in the Philippines. HSN can also be shopped online at hsn.com...

. He learned a lot about the on-air shopping business during that time, and on March 31, 1996 he had his first appearance on HSN. He is now in his seventeenth year as a designer on the Home Shopping Network

Home Shopping Network

Home Shopping Network or HSN began in 1977 as a 24-hour/7 day a week home shopping television network televised via cable, satellite, and some terrestrial channels in the Philippines. HSN can also be shopped online at hsn.com...

 for ready-wear-fashions.

Community involvement and mentoring has always been an important part of Antthony’s career focus. He has been on the advisory board of Easter Seals

Easter Seals

Easter Seals is an international charitable organization devoted to providing opportunities for children with physical disabilities. See*Easter Seals *Easter Seals *Easter Seals...

 and the board of the Dallas SPCA. He also has spoken to numerous students around the country in high schools and to armed service personnel in Okinawa, Japan; England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

; and Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

.

Philosophy and fashion labels

Antthony’s motto, philosophy and mission statement has always been “Don’t just buy clothes, but build a wardrobe!” His clothes are designed for real women, with real lives, of all body types. Each fashion is tested on at least eight different fit models.

• Home Shopping Network
  Home Shopping Network
  Home Shopping Network or HSN began in 1977 as a 24-hour/7 day a week home shopping television network televised via cable, satellite, and some terrestrial channels in the Philippines. HSN can also be shopped online at hsn.com...
  
  

This exclusive line of soft dressing related career separates is designed for a contemporary woman who gravitates to exotic style at an affordable price. In addition to HSN, The Antthony Design Studio collection is sold in specialty department stores and select boutiques across the nation.

• Couture Collection

Antthony’s exclusive couture collection of social dresses and detailed separates reflect the resurgence of the must-have cocktail dress. All designs are all handcrafted in the United States of America.

• Band of Artists

A limited series of original accessories launched in 2010.

Fashion labels

• Antthony Originals – HSN
• Anthtony – Couture Collection
• The Signature Collection of Anthony Mark Hankins – Major Department Stores
• Authentics by Anthony Mark Hankins – Target Department Stores
• Butterick Patterns launched July 1995
• TonyWear – Hudson Bay Stores / Canada
• Shopping with Anthony – HSN
• The “A” Label for Antthony Mark Hankins
• Band of Artists

Awards

• “Young Star Award”- 1997: Trumpet Awards/Turner Broadcasting

Designed a couture item for the 1995 recipients

• 100 Top People to Watch in the Millennium – 1997: Newsweek
  Newsweek
  Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
  
  
• Entrepreneur of the Year – 1997: Business Week
• Linden New Day Associates – 1996
• Black Retail Action Group (BRAG) – 1996

Non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the total acceptance and inclusion of African-Americans and other minorities at all levels of retail and related industries.

• City Proclamations

Dallas, Texas; Wichita, Kansas; Elizabeth, New Jersey; Tulsa, Oklahoma

Media coverage

• Television: Several television programs have featured Antthony designs including the Miss America pageant on TLC Network, The View on ABC, the Chelsea Handler Show on the Entertainment Network, Kimora Lee Simmons Show on Style Network, The Sally Jessy Raphael Show, The Mike & Maty Show, The Rolonda Show, Good Morning Texas, Insights and The Debra Duncan Show.

• Print: Featured in over 2,000 articles written in newspapers and magazines

• Social Networking: Facebook, Website, Email blasts, Blog

External links

• www.antthonyoriginals.com official website for Antthony Mark Hankins
• www.hsn.com - click the “fashion tab” for Antthony Design Originals