Robert Lee Morris facts for kids

Robert Lee Morris, born in 1947, is a famous American jewelry designer and sculptor. He gets many ideas for his designs from nature. He also imagines what jewelry might look like in a futuristic society.

His beautiful designs use materials like gold, silver, and bronze. He is known for his special 24-carat matte gold plating. He also uses rich, deep red copper and green colors on his pieces.

Robert Lee Morris has worked with many top fashion designers. These include Geoffrey Beene, Kansai Yamamoto, Calvin Klein, Anne Klein, Karl Lagerfeld, Michael Kors, and Donna Karan. He has won important awards for his work. These include the Coty Award in 1981 and the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007. This last award came from the CFDA Awards.

Early Life and Learning

Robert Lee Morris was born in 1947 in Nuremberg, Germany. His parents were living there because his father was in the US Air Force after World War II. His family moved a lot when he was young. When he was nine, they lived in Japan for four years. Later, they lived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

He finished college in 1969 from Beloit College. He graduated with high honors. As a young adult, he settled in Bellows Falls, Vermont. He lived on a commune and learned how to work with metal.

In 1971, a gallery owner from New York, Joan Sonnabend, discovered his talent. She showed his work for the first time at her art jewelry shop. This shop was called Sculpture to Wear and was located in the Plaza Hotel.

Amazing Career in Jewelry

Artwear Gallery

After Sculpture to Wear closed in 1977, Robert Lee Morris opened his own gallery. It was called Artwear Gallery. The first location was on East 74th Street in the Upper East Side of New York City. This area was close to many famous fashion stores.

In August 1978, Artwear Gallery moved to SoHo. This new area was full of modern art galleries. The move helped the gallery get new famous customers. People like Issey Miyake, Geoffrey Beene, Madonna, Cher, Bianca Jagger, Janet Jackson, and Oprah Winfrey visited the gallery. Other jewelry designers, like Ted Muehling, also showed their work at Artwear Gallery. In the 1980s, Morris's own jewelry was known for its "modern urban warrior" style. It often looked like ancient or tribal art.

Other Important Work

Robert Lee Morris's career really took off after 1976. That year, he appeared on the cover of Vogue magazine. His jewelry has been featured in many issues of Vogue since then.

In 1985, he started working with fashion designer Donna Karan. For her first collection, they created a special look. Karan's smooth, simple clothes were paired with Morris's large, artistic gold jewelry. He has worked with many other top designers too. These include Karl Lagerfeld, Kansai Yamamoto, Calvin Klein, Anne Klein, and Michael Kors.

Morris also designed the "Gold" perfume bottle for Donna Karan's perfume. This perfume is sold by Estée Lauder. In 1990, he designed a special lipstick and compact for Elizabeth Arden.

From the 1990s into the 2000s, Morris created a special jewelry line. It was called RLM Collection and was sold on QVC. He still sells his RLM Studio designs on QVC television.

In 2007, Robert Lee Morris made history. He was the first jewelry designer to win the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is given by the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). He also won the Coty Award in 1981 for his designs for Calvin Klein. He received two more CFDA Awards for accessory design in 1985 and 1994.

In 2008, Morris created a jewelry collection for Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen's clothing line, Elizabeth & James. In 2011, a company called Haskell Jewels, LLC bought Robert Lee Morris's business.

Morris launched his "Soho" jewelry line in department stores in September 2012. His more expensive "Collection" line also launched that month in fine stores. The "Collection" line had its first national ad campaign. These ads appeared in popular fashion magazines like Vogue, W Magazine, and Elle.

In 2017, MAC Cosmetics worked with Morris to create a special limited collection of makeup products.