Isaac Mizrahi
Isaac Mizrahi
Isaac Mizrahi has worked extensively in the entertainment industry as an actor, host, writer, designer, and producer for over 30 years. He is the subject and co-creator of Unzipped, a documentary following the making of his Fall 1994 collection which received an award at the Sundance Film Festival. He hosted his own television talk showย The Isaac Mizrahi Show for seven years, has written two books, and has made countless appearances in movies and on television. He was also a judge on Project Runway: All-Stars.
He is Chief Designer for the Isaac Mizrahi brands, a division of Xcel Brands, Inc.ย In 2009, Isaac launched his lifestyle collection, “ISAACMIZRAHILIVE!” on QVC. His IMNYC collection is currently sold at Lord & Taylor and Hudsonโs Bay Company.
Isaac Mizrahi has directed productions of A Little Night Musicย andย The Magic Flute for the Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Annually, he directs and narrates his production of the childrenโs classicย Peter and The Wolf at The Guggenheim Museum in New York. He has performed cabaret at Cafรฉ Carlyle, Joeโs Pub, West Bank Cafรฉ, and City Winery locations across the country.
Isaac has his own production company, Isaac Mizrahi Entertainment, under which he has several projects in development in television, theatre, and literature. His 2019 memoir, I.M., was an instant New York Times bestseller. Follow Isaac on Twitter and Instagram.
Photo credit:ย ยฉ Jason Frank Rothenberg
Entrepreneurship
Isaac Mizrahi is no stranger to new ventures. He’s not only the creator and chief designer of the Isaac Mizrahi brands; he also owns his eponymous production company, produced an award-winning documentary, and launched his own television talk show. As a pop culture icon with many irons in the fire, Isaac has unparalleled insight and invaluable advice on creating and running companies in the entertainment sector.
Arts, Culture, and Entertainment
With decades of experience in industries ranging from television to theatre to fashion to literature, Isaac Mizrahi shares insider information and reflections on the world of show business.
LGBT Issues
Isaac Mizrahi reflects on his own experiences in the LGBTQ community and its expressions in the industries in which he’s worked. He discusses growing up gay in a traditional Jewish family, an age rampant with homophobia, and witnessing the ravaging effects of the AIDS epidemic.
Finding Your Niche
Isaac Mizrahi has been acquiring new niches since his breakout in the 1980s. From his first love–acting and showbiz–to becoming an international fashion sensation and design wunderkind, from filming documentaries to hosting talk shows to directing live productions, Mizrahi is a master of entering and dominating new fields.
Growing Up Jewish
Isaac Mizrahi discusses the hardships of growing up a gay man in a traditional, sheltered, Syrian Jewish Orthodox family. He reflects on the circumstances of his childhood and coming-of-age and the complex relationships of his immediate family.
Read Isaac Mizrahiโs hilarious take on self-isolation with Vogue. Check out Isaac Mizrahiโs โDiscuss Photos from the Pastโ series on YouTube. Omnivoracious: The Amazon Book Review blog posted a clip of Isaacโs hilarious Fishbowl conversation with Seira Wilson while he was in Seattle this spring. The New York Times spotlights Isaac Mizrahi’sย I.M.: A Memoir online in “11 Books We Recommend This Week.” The New York Journal of Booksย reviewed Isaac Mizrahi’sย I.M.: A Memoir. I.M. is the Editor’s Choice pick for The New York Times.ย Read the full book reviewย im isaac mizrahi. Listen to Pamela Paul as she discussesย I.M. inย The New York Times Book Reviewย podcast. The Charleston Post and Courierย reviewedย I.M. Readย Vogue’sย review of Isaac Mizrahi’sย memoirย I.M. I.M.ย The New York Timesย was chosen asย pick for this week. Newsday features Mizrahi’s memoirย I.M. in its “What to Read this Week” article. Parade talks with Isaac Mizrahi about the importance of originality. Listen to WNYC’s podcast with Isaac Mizrahi discussing his memoirย I.M. The Washington Postย raves about Mizrahi’s memoirย I.M.ย Read the review. The New York Timesย runs Isaac’s “By the Book” interview in theย NYT Book Review. NPR Weekend Editionย airs its interview of Isaac with Scott Simon. O Magazineย includes I.M. in its Best Books for February. Isaac Mizrahi and Christian Siriano talk modern design trends for OZY. Inย Daily Front Row, Mizrahi talksย about his new show, his favorite haunts, and his upcoming book. Read theย Guest of a Guestย interview with Mizrahi. Women’s Wear Daily posted a feature on Mizrahi andย I.M. The New York Timesย runs an article with a video home tour of Mizrahi’s extravagant flat in Manhattan. Read theย Town & Countryย articleย about hisย Peter and the Wolf production. Hemispheres features Isaac Mizrahi in an admirable profile piece. Read theย New York Times review of Mizrahi’s Jewish Museum exhibit. Read theย New York Times interview with Mizrahi about his cabaret act. The Los Angeles Bladeย included Isaac Mizrahi’sย I.M.ย in its spring roundup. Read theย Vogue review of Isaac Mizrahi’s cabaret act. Read theย Parade interview with Isaac Mizrahi on mentors,ย Project Runway, and his cabaret show. Read Isaac Mizrahi’s article in theย New York Post about his favorite Manhattan spots. Book Marks posts various reviews ofย I.M. by Isaac Mizrahi. Visit Isaac Mizrahi’s personal website. Follow Isaac on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.
โIsaac was generous with his story and his time, and he was just so delightful to be around. Everyone had a wonderful night that was both substantive and fun – he set the tone!โ
โ Andria Frankfort Dilling, Director of Development, The Jung CenterAdvance praise for I.M.:
โThroughout โI.M.,โ this designerโs innovation and confidence are evident, contrasting with an industry that, despite its superficial fickleness, can be deeply resistant to change.โ
โ The New York Times Book ReviewโI.M. is a surprisingly literary work; he sharply describes his worldโฆ a playful read, yet there is a weight to it, a few heavy paillettes to keep the structure in place.โ
โ BookForumโHeart-rendingโฆ [an] honest rendering of how the underdog Mizrahi, whose self-image and livelihood are alternately crushed and affirmed, moves through the many creative phases of his life.โ
โ The Washington PostโThe key to the warmth and overall success of the memoir is Mizrahiโs unapologetic, bare-all approach as he shares the best and worst aspects of his lifeโฆ a charming and witty memoir.โ
โ KirkusโMizrahi reveals the many layers of his exceptional life in this witty intelligent memoir.โ
โ Publishers Weekly“Mizrahi chronicles the stages of his lifeโas an ungainly youngster growing up in his uberconservative Syrian Jewish community, a closeted student at New York’s High School for the Performing Arts, a gifted newcomer maneuvering through the layers of the fashion industry, a jet-setting superstar, and then, abruptly, yesterday’s newsโthrough his current career as a performer and producer. He shares his never-ending anxieties, indecision, and bouts of depression in introspective passages, as well as the ups and downs of his personal life, including the on-again, off-again courtship of his now husband, Arnold. This is likely to get a lot of celebrity buzz; expect enthusiastic demand.”
โ Kathleen McBroom, Booklist“…Admirable read for fashionistas and lovers of memoirs alike.โ
โ New York Journal of BooksโIsaac Mizrahi is a true Renaissance man. He can do it all! Heโs managed to live several lives in one lifetime.โ
โ RuPaulโI.M. has everything! Itโs colorful, hysterical, touching, bold, and heartbreaking. Itโs about coming of age, creativity, being yourself, Jewish mothers, fashion, art, loss, and glamour. I loved it.โ
โ Andy Cohen, New York Times bestselling author of SuperficialโThe key to the warmth and overall success of the memoir is Mizrahiโs unapologetic, bare-all approach as he shares the best and worst aspects of his lifeโฆ a charming and witty memoir.โ
โ KirkusโMizrahi reveals the many layers of his exceptional life in this witty intelligent memoir.โ
โ Publishers WeeklyโIntimate and generous and 100% Isaac. What makes this book so incredibly deliciously good is Isaac’s specificity…not just as material (pun intended) but beyond the fabric of clothing and into the fabric of life, the experiences, the nuances, the brilliance and oddity of the times we’re in.โ
โ A. M. Homes, New York Times bestselling authorโIn this bracingly honest, courageously vulnerable, and often hilarious memoir, Isaac Mizrahi traces a life full of yearning, telling his story as generously as heโs lived it. This is the narrative of how a fat and conflicted yeshiva boy became a great and glamourous designer, and it is both gossipy and insightful, both elegant and profound, a portrait of Mizrahiโs enduring anxiety and prodigious brilliance.โ
โ Andrew Solomon, New York Times bestselling author of The Noonday Demon and Far from the Tree