"Elie doesn't do fittings on models; he fits the samples on real women." Rory Tahari
Elie Tahari was born in Israel, and immigrated to the United States in 1971, arriving in New York with $300. Tahari soon began selling clothing in a boutique, and in 1973 opened his own boutique.
He created the labels Midnight Lady and Morning Lady, catering to New York City's clubgoers. He began designing under his own name after a suggestion from one of his patternmakers, and turned the company's focus toward women's career clothing for the 1980s.
Tahari cofounded Theory in 1997, but that partnership has since ended. Elie Tahari married his wife Rory in 2000, and she is now the creative director of the design house. Tahari debuted its first lines of menswear, handbags, and shoes in 2006.