Two Fashion Industry Deaths: Modeling Agent Jerry Ford and Designer Mila Schon
Two people well-known in the fashion business passed away in the past few weeks.
Jerry Ford, who founded Ford Models agency with his wife Eileen, died Sunday, August 24, at the age of 83. Together, the Fords pioneered turning modeling from a hobby into a well-paid career and flourishing industry. Before Ford, models had to handle most of their own booking, promotion, and billing. He also negotiated the first contract for a model to exclusively represent one brand when he connected Lauren Hutton and Revlon in 1974. Ford Models began in the 1940s, and is still one of the most respected modeling agencies worldwide. According to his daughter Katie Ford, Jerry died from complications of endocarditis, an inflammation of the heart, in Morristown, New Jersey.
Italian fashion designer Mila Schon died yesterday, September 4, at age 91. Mila first gained her love for fashion as a consumer of Balenciaga’s creations. She established her own fashion house in 1959, and was receiving great recognition by 1965. Schon was known for her crisp, tailored looks, double layers of fabric, and ties with a solid color border and her signature “M” at the bottom. She died in her Piedmont, Italy, country home of causes simply described as “old age.”
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