David Dartnell, the designer who created the David Dart label and turned it into a multimillion-dollar business in the ’90s, has died at the age of 61.
Dartnell was in New Orleans, his home city, at the time of his death on November 13. The cause of death was a recent myocardial infarction and hypertensive cardiovascular disease, according to a spokesman for the New Orleans medical examiner’s office. The manner of death was considered an accident.
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Winner of the California Designer of the Year Award and the Dallas Fashion Award for contemporary sportswear, David Dart also had his own sports line and a knitwear brand in the ’90s. There were corporate sales showrooms in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and Atlanta, as well as David Dart Emporium stores in Santa Monica and Beverly Hills. Providing customers with “all their clothing needs” was his modus operandi in the mid-90s.
Known for her relaxed silhouettes in bold colors and vibrant prints, the West Coast-based designer has created a collection that appeals to working and non-working women who prefer affordable styles that aren’t overly complicated. Self-taught Dartnell began designing on his own in 1985 and founded his own business, Force One, in 1987. By 1994, he had founded a company reportedly worth $70 million and sold it to Kellwood Co.
Jacqueline Rumohr, who worked with Dartnell from 1993 to 2001, noted that Dartnell created a signature look that reflected this “very casual, easy elegance.” While looking at moodboards with Tencel-based designs for a new sports line in his showroom in the early ’90s, he thought, “Oh my God, what do I have to do to work with this guy?” she said she thought. While today the industry is awash in sportswear and casual wear in the post-COVID-19 world, this was not the case 30+ years ago.
He said Dartnell is surrounded by extremely creative and innovative people. “He was also very supportive of small businesses in Los Angeles and helped them get started.”
“He was a pioneer, a risk-taker and often fearless. “We do anything without hesitation, just go and make it happen, just do it,” Rumohr said.
Dartnell, then open to the public, St. St. Louis-based Kellwood Co. was just 31 years old when it acquired the bridge-priced contemporary sportswear brand and its parent company, Force One. With his shoulder-length sun-kissed hair, easy smile and graying beard, Dartnell exuded a non-executive nonchalance that masked his business savvy. At the time of this acquisition, Dartnell told WWD that his goal since the company’s founding was to join a large and reputable company. The designer initially remained at Kellwood as president and design director.
Kellwood eventually repositioned the business as part of a new group, the David Dart Design Group. By 1998, sales had increased to nearly $40 million.
After leaving Kellwood Co. nearly two decades ago, Dartnell took some time off and retreated to his 200-year-old mansion in New Orleans’ Lower Garden District, where he dabbled in landscaping and gardening. He remained committed to the city following Hurricane Katrina, telling WWD in July 2006: “The city is in complete turmoil, but I can find peace there. New Orleans architecture has a very aesthetic beauty with its live oak trees and garden plants. This is where I go to soften up and it also keeps me real.
After leaving Kellwood and taking a two-year leave of absence in 2004, the designer returned to the fashion industry to cast a spell with the launch of a company called Deed – as if he’d done her a favour.
With its down-to-earth style and affordable prices, Dartnell created collections for work wear (which was still a thing at the time) and everyday wear. It was appreciated for its wide range of styles, including petite and plus sizes. For his part, Dartnell believed: “Everything works. It’s about lifestyle and your own sense of style.
Periscope Art founder Peri O’Connor recalled Monday that she would go see Dartnell every Monday morning in the ’90s to show Dartnell works of art that could be translated into her designs. At one point, their weekly meetings were moved to Saturdays, and since her daughter was the same age, the designer was bringing her toddler son to her home in Los Angeles. Describing the designer as funny, warm and sarcastic, O’Connor said he once made her wait for two hours after getting engrossed in a project. O’Connor laughed amiably about the encounter, saying that when Rumohr noticed the delay and asked him why, Dartnell replied, “Please, I’m paying his mortgage.”
A man willing to give chase, Dartnell occasionally used his ads to convey a more personal approach. In 1997, he ran a full-page ad featuring a small photograph of himself looking relaxed, but reassured by the tagline “focused, sensible truth” positioned like an E.E. Cummings poem. Two years ago, another full-page ad featured a full-length shot of a model wearing an apron dress, short-sleeved blouse, oxford shoes and a straw hat, along with a personal message of thanks to the retailers for being nominated for the aforementioned award. Dallas Fashion Award.
Dartnell’s son Devon survives. The names of the other survivors were not immediately known.
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