Interior & Fashion Designer Iris Apfel Passes Away at 102 – Who Was She?

American fashion and interior designer Iris Apfel passed away on March 1 at 102 years old. The heartbreaking news of her passing was announced on the Instagram of the icon. According to a news article by the New York Times, she died in her home in Palm Beach, Florida.

Apfel started her career as an interior designer in the 1940s before she became a fashion icon. Inspired by her father who ran a glass mirror business and her mother who owned a fashion boutique, she was able to create stunning styles and designs for both interior and clothing.

Known for her flamboyant and eccentric style, Iris would be remembered sporting colourful clothes, chunky accessories, and oversized, black-rimmed eyeglasses. She rose to fame in her 80s and 90s after the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York held “Rara Avis: Selection From the Iris Apfel Collection,” an exhibit of her wardrobe in 2005.

But before all of that, she was an accomplished designer who was sought after by esteemed private clients such as Estée Lauder, Greta Garbo, Joan Rivers, and Faye Dunaway. Together with her late husband, Carl, they established a high-end fabric company called “Old World Weavers.” Their company supplied textiles to the White House for nine presidential administrations – from Harry Truman to Bill Clinton.