Allison Berry | Jan. 22, 2013 | Time Magazine
Thom Browne is the designer name on everyone’s lips after Michelle Obama wore a custom-made, navy checked coat and dress to her husband’s Inauguration on Monday. Obama has a well-documented history of promoting American designers, and this is not the first time that she has worn Browne; however, this particularly high-profile exposure has thrust him into the national spotlight.
The forty-something designer hails from Allentown, Penn. and surprisingly, has no formal design training. Browne graduated from the University of Notre Dame with an economics degree and tried his hand at acting in L.A. before discovering his love for fashion.
Moreover, months before Michelle Obama wore Browne's design to the inauguration, Browne accepted this year's Pratt Fashion Visionary Award.