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Joseph Abboud, a Bedford resident, turns 66 on Thursday.
Abboud, a menswear fashion designer and author, was born May 5, 1950, in Boston, Mass. He joined Ralph Lauren in 1981, eventually becoming associate director of menswear design. He launched his own label in 1986. In 1988, JA Apparel was created as a joint venture between Abboud and GFT (Gruppo Finanziario Tessile) USA.
Abboud was the first designer to win the Council of Fashion Designers of America award as Best Menswear Designer two years in a row. Many of Abboud's famous friends are also his customers, including American trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis, author and former television news anchor Tom Brokaw, and former Boston Red Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra. Abboud launched a new line called Jaz in 2007. He also created the Black Brown 1826 line for the Lord & Taylor department store in 2008. The year 2008 also marked the opening of Abboud's first stores in China.
Abboud's mother and sister both succumbed to breast cancer. As a result, Abboud has become a breast cancer activist who designed a one-of-a-kind GMC Sierra vehicle to fund-raiser for a Concept:Cure charity event and has participated in many other charity events for breast cancer research.
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