Menswear Executive Sandy Cooper, 64
Longtime apparel-industry executive Sandy Cooper died on Feb. 6 of a heart attack. He was 64.
Cooper spent much of his career in the menswear business but most recently worked as sourcing manager for Los Angeles–based women’s contemporary brand XCVI.
“Sandy joined XCVI only two years ago, but in that time he had truly become an integral part of our team—having his hand in almost all aspects of our business, from fabric purchasing [to] inventory management, production and operations,” Daniela Zeltzer, XCVI’s director of marketing communications, said.
An East Coast native from Buffalo, N.Y., Cooper got his start in the apparel industry working with his father at Sattlers department store, according to his wife, Janet Moss.
In 1971, he moved to Los Angeles—briefly working as Pluto at Disneyland, according to Zeltzer—before landing back in the apparel industry as a department manager at May Co. department store, said brother Allan Cooper.
Cooper was promoted to sportswear buyer with the company before leaving in 1975 to take a position as national vice president of sales with men’s sportswear maker Joel Shirts. The job took him across the country and around the world, his brother said.
In 1980, he launched his own company, Pleasure Mix Casual, a men’s shirting company that is now called Mix Studio. The company specialized in California casualwear produced in the United States.
Sandy Cooper met his wife in the industry when she was selling fabric for Ideal Textiles.
“He gave me a nice, big order and then I had to deal with his chargebacks, so we got to know each other,” Moss recalled. The two dated for 15 years before marrying six years ago, she said. They became a multi-generational fashion-industry family. Nicole Hirsch, Cooper’s step-daughter, was an assistant designer for Los Angeles–based contemporary line Democracy.
“We had so many friends in the business,” Moss said, adding that her husband had been attending the MAGIC Marketplace trade show since its early days in California. In later years, he specialized in the men’s big-and-tall market and was a frequent exhibitor at the B.A.T.M.A.N. (Big and Tall Men’s Apparel Needs) trade show, as well.
After a career spent in menswear, he switched to womenswear when he took a job at XCVI. “Sandy so enjoyed working at XCVI and loved working with everyone there,” his wife said.
Cooper is survived by his wife, brother and step-daughter.—Alison A. Nieder
