<P> St. John was founded in 1963 by former model Marie St John and her husband Robert Gray . While working in Los Angeles as a model, St John hand knit simple straight knit skirts and matching short sleeved tops for her own use . Her designs proved popular among her fellow models and she began designing and producing samples . Her fiancé at the time, Robert Gray, showed the designs to local retailer Bullocks who ordered 84 dresses . St John and Gray hired their mothers and another knitter and quickly set about production . The couple, now married, divided duties over the fledgling Irvine, CA business . St John designed the clothes and oversaw production while Gray handled the marketing and sales . Their collections included tailored suits and dresses as well as casual sportswear . </P> <P> In 1990, Escada, formed by another husband and wife team Margaretha and Wolfgang Ley, purchased an 80% stake in St John Knits for $45 million . St John Knits used the funding to launch its own boutique stores . St John became a publicly owned company in 1993, with St John and Gray retaining 20% of the company . St John continued to manage the creative direction of the company while Gray served as CEO and Chairman of the Board . Their daughter, Kelly Gray, was appointed President of the company in 1996, ascending to the CEO position after her father's retirement in 2002 . The Grays left St John Knits in 2005 when the company was purchased by a private equity firm . The pair were brought back only two years later as creative consultants after a series of disappointing collections and declining sales . </P> <P> The original face of the brand was model Kelly Gray, the daughter of the founders . Following Gray, supermodel Gisele Bündchen became the new face of St. John in 2005 . Beginning in 2005, Angelina Jolie became the face and spokeswoman for St. John . The campaigns were all shot by Mario Testino . In 2010, St. John announced that they were replacing Jolie with British supermodel and musician Karen Elson after her three - year campaign as the face of the company, because Jolie's fame had "overshadowed the brand ." In 2011, Kate Winslet was named the face of St John, a position she continues to hold as of 2015 . </P> <P>" St. John Knits' carved a lasting place for itself in the business world by selling to large, established retailers such as Jacobson's and Lord & Taylor, cultivating a relationship that would propel its growth for decades . Underpinning its respected standing among retailers were the company's distinctive lines of clothing, which began to attract a devout clientele drawn to Marie St. John's classically conservative fashion style . As one retail consultant explained, "For ladies who lunch, a St. John knit is almost like a uniform, a status symbol," which neatly described the company's typical retail customer and conveyed the essence of the clothes' success: generations of women made the inclusion of a St. John knit in their wardrobe a must ." A St. John's garment can be identified by its knit - in hem (most companies use sewn - in hems) and the tightly woven wool and rayon double knit fabric developed by Marie St John in 1962 . The St. John Sport line contains more on trend styles . </P>

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