PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Palm Beach County has become the new home, in the last few years, for one of the top fashion names in the country and around the world.
Fashion designers Mark Badgley and James Mischka met in New York in 1988.
“That’s always been the mission of Badgley Mischka is your fabulous one zip and you’re dressed,” Mischka said. “We started the company when clothes were complicated. You needed instructions on how to wear them—wrapped and tied and very difficult. So, we did our clothes very simple—one zip and you are set.”
“So, we really have been loving Palm Beach for so many years and now we love to live here full-time,” Mischka said.
Mischka has a background in engineering. At one time, he studied prosthetics but later got into men’s fashion.
Badgley is an accomplished equestrian, who came up in the design world at the knee of Donna Karen.
In New York, the pair connected, both professionally and personally, and started designing together, starting their own brand—self funded and a struggle at first.
“Early in the career, we’d go to these parties and be like, ‘Oh, my gosh we have to go to FedEx right now,’ because we’ll miss the shipping of the dress,” Mischka said.
“There are moments of huge pleasure and creativity, but it’s really a lot of work,” Badgley said.
From the runways of Hollywood, New York, London and Milan, success began, and the pair started showing up in South Florida, making part-time stops through the years in Palm Beach.
“I have to admit, I think growing up, when we were first living in New York, we were the kind of people who thought, if you didn’t live in New York, you were a loser,” Badgley said. “Now, as much as I love it there, I could never move back there. Plus it seems like half of New York is in Palm Beach.”
“We do primarily evening clothes, so evening clothes took an absolute nosedive during the pandemic. No one was going anywhere, it was disastrous, but we pivoted,” Mischka said. “We started making clothes that were more casual, still luxurious and beautiful, but more casual and more at home.”
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The style is perfectly suited for the South Florida sunshine.
The two chose Palm Beach as home to one of only two Badgley Mischka boutiques in the world. They opened the doors to their location on Worth Avenue in 2022.
“We’ve always had an amazing Palm Beach business, and we love how the Palm Beach woman dresses. We have always had a strong contingency of New York and Palm Beach customers--it just made sense,” Badgley said. “We understand her, we understand the way she dresses, we know what her living room looks like, how she entertains.”
“And she likes our clothes, so that helps,” Mischka said.
“I think the flora and fauna is very inspirational. The flowers, landscaping and friends’ houses, sometimes we use tropical flowers in our prints and it’s all inspired by Palm Beach,” Mischka said.
Today, Palm Beach is the place this dynamic duo hangs their hats; biking and dining at all the usual hot spots.
“I really find it fascinating the way people entertain here, the way people dress here, it’s got really a strong identity—it’s a very strong culture,” Badgley said.
Palm Beach offers a new palette and just the pace the pair has been looking for.
Besides their Palm Beach life, they donate their time and love to equine rescues and other charities close to their heart.
