The American businesswoman, interior designer and fashion icon Iris Apfel died this Friday at the age of 102, according to a message published through her social media profile. Founder of the textile company Old World Weavers, she became known long after creating this company, especially after she was 84 years old.
His family spokesman, Stu Loeser, also confirmed to The New York Times that he died at his home in Palm Beach, Florida.
With more than three million followers on Instagram, the model – the antithesis of ageism – continued giving lessons on trends and also makeup as the image of the Ciaté London brand until the last moments of her life.
Since her hypnotic appeal was discovered with an exhibition of her collection at the Metropolitan in New York, in 2005, when Apfel was already 84 years old, magazines and fashion brands set their eyes on her. Since then she has carried out campaigns with jewelry, fashion and even ice cream brands.
One of his last works in fashion was also a clothing collection with H
“The world can be a gray place, so colors, patterns and textures are a way to spice up some fun. The same goes for makeup: I want my lipsticks to be as bright and bold as possible” , he told People magazine in an interview in 2022.
In it he also talked about one of his most characteristic objects, the large and showy plastic glasses: “People told me, ‘why are they so big?’ And I told them because they’re happy to see you,” she said.
Although Apfel became a fashion giant in her later years, she spent her early years as an interior designer and textile expert.
After marrying her husband Carl Apfel in 1947, the two founded Old World Weavers, a textile company that worked with personalities of the time such as Greta Garbo and Estée Lauder, and with which she also worked decorating the White House for several presidents.
