Richie Rich (designer)
Richie Rich | |
|---|---|
 Rich at the 2009 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week | |
| Born | Richard J. Eichhorn November 11, 1970 California, United States |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Label | Heatherette |
Richard J. Eichhorn, better known by his stage name Richie Rich, is an American fashion designer, socialite, television personality, figure skater and singer. Born in California, Rich began his career as a figure skater touring with the entertainment show Ice Capades. He first rose to prominence in the 1990s, as a part of the group of club personalities, Club Kids, after becoming a fixture on the New York City club scene, alongside Amanda Lepore and others.
In the late 1990s, he released two singles, "Magic" and "Collision".
In 1999, Rich and Traver Rains founded the fashion company, Heatherette. After being discovered by Patricia Field, the brand became a household name.
Life and career
Rich was born in California. At the age of 12, his family relocated to San Jose, California where he began studying theater and competing in figure skating training under renowned coach, Christy Ness. After a year of college, Rich signed on to tour, skating with the Ice Capades. In 1993, he moved to New York City.[1]
In the mid-1990s, Rich was a staple in the New York City Club Kids scene, and he made a cameo appearance in the film Party Monster (2003).
Rich was also featured as one of the Club Kids on the Joan Rivers Show, Phil Donahue Show, and Geraldo. Rich promoted and hosted parties at such nightclubs as The Limelight, Club USA, and Tunnel. He also assisted and toured with the "Nightlife Queen", Susanne Bartsch. During this period Rich released two "club" singles, "MAGIC" and "Collision", and toured throughout Europe and Japan.
As a hobby, Rich would create "looks" for himself and fellow Club Kids of glittery embellished designs. He then met future co-designer, Traver Rains, and the duo founded the fashion brand Heatherette.
Heatherette was launched in 2001, with a runway show during New York Fashion Week featuring a video by famed photographer, David LaChapelle, starring Amanda Lepore for a collaboration with MAC Cosmetics. Heatherette went on to show as a part of the official New York Fashion Week 16 times over a period of nine years, featuring well-known models and celebrities such as: Naomi Campbell, Paris and Nicky Hilton, Kelly Osbourne, Boy George, Anna Nicole Smith, Mýa, Kim Kardashian, Jake Shears, Lydia Hearst, Tinsley Mortimer, Devon Aoki, Alek Wek, Bridget Hall, Liya Kebede, Cintia Dicker, Lily Cole, Theodora Richards, Miranda Kerr, Tiiu Kuik, Heather Marks, Hanne Gaby Odiele, Anouck Lepere, Chanel Iman, Raquel Zimmermann, among many others.[citation needed]
Heatherette also showed around the world in other fashion weeks, including: Los Angeles, Mexico City, Miami, Moscow, Osaka, and Tokyo.[citation needed]
Heatherette has been featured in publications such as Vogue, Teen Vogue, Vanity Fair, GQ, Time, Newsweek, Glamour, Elle, People, Paper, Rolling Stone, Billboard, Trace, W, WWD, New York Times, and others.[citation needed]
Heatherette has dressed such celebrities as Aerosmith, Mariah Carey, Pamela Anderson, Gwen Stefani, David Beckham, Pink, and Miley Cyrus.[citation needed]
In 2010 and 2011, Rich went on to launch two collections funded by former business partner and fashion executive Keri Ingvarsson, including a line called "Popluxe", which debuted at Lincoln Center during New York's Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, with a guest runway appearance by Ellen DeGeneres. The second collection, called "Villionaire", premiered at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom with runway appearances by Johnny Weir and MTV's JWoww.[citation needed]
Rich also showed a line in the Waldorf Astoria New York Ballroom, titled "Richie Rich", with a guest appearance by Pamela Anderson. They launched a fashion tour, titled A*muse, in New Zealand, Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto, Miami, and Chicago.[citation needed]
Television
In addition to appearances on the talk show circuit as a Club Kid, Rich was a featured role as himself on the Ashton Kutcher produced WB series "My Beautiful Life", guest judged on multiple iterations of Top Model (America, Canada, Germany), Project Runway (America,Canada,Germany) and has appeared on various other shows such as MTV's My Super Sweet 16, Made, TRL, VH1's Supergroup, Basketball Wives, The Fabulous Life of... (Pamela Anderson and Nicky Hilton), The Anna Nicole Show on E!, MTV News, Logo TV, the Tonight Show, The Tyra Banks Show, RTL German Television (mini reality series), The Today Show, Good Day New York Live, NBC's Fashion on Ice Live, etc.
Filmography
- Zoolander (2001)
- Party Monster (2003)
- One Last Thing... (2005)
- My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006)
References
- ^ Bravo, Tony. "Richie Rich, ringmaster of a new fashion circus, Pan-O-Ramic", SFGate, September 26, 2014.