Ben de Lisi

America-born, Ben de Lisi grew up in New York and studied sculpture at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. Following his dream to become a fashion designer, in 1982 Ben moved to London and promptly produced his first capsule collection, to great acclaim.

Following this debut, Ben built up an independent brand with a loyal customer base and an established celebrity following.

In 1994 Ben began to show his collections at London Fashion Week, going on to win the coveted ‘British Glamour Designer of the Year’ award – twice – in 1994 and 1995. Ben is best known for dressing Kate Winslet for many red carpet events – most notably the stunning red rose one-shoulder design the actress wore for the 2002 Oscars.

Ben has been designing a diffusion line for Debenhams since 1997. Following its outstanding success, Ben launched his first homeware range in 2009. The collection was, and continues to be, inspired by the designer’s own home, the interior of which has been the focus of features in many magazines and supplements. The ‘Ella’ cushion, featuring a graphic print of one of Ben’s French Bulldogs, is Debenhams’ fastest ever-selling cushion.

Principles by Ben de Lisi was launched in 2010, a collection that sees Ben take classic pieces and rework them to create a collection of elegant day and weekend wear, clothes that can easily be dressed up for evening or worn in the office.

Ben also has a popular Designer bathroom range and is a very successful interior designer working on many private homes and boutique hotels around the world.  In 2010 in collaboration between the NHS and The Design Council Ben designed the proposed replacement for the old NHS hospital gowns.

Ben’s television work has covered his passion for both fashion and food.  He was the popular mentor for budding fashion designers in Project Catwalk and has been a regular commentator on the fashions on It Takes Two the spin off to the popular BBC 1 show Strictly Come Dancing.  Ben was a regular guest on Market Kitchen where he would prepare and cook food which had an Italian/American influence and this was carried through when Ben was one of the first dinner hosts on the popular Come Dine With Me.

In 2006 Ben received Hon Doctorate from the University of Northmapton.