Bill wanted to offer women's clothing styled with classic lines and delivered in a revolutionary manner-via private appointments rather than through boutiques-so he founded the Carlisle Collection in 1981. He is now Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Connaught Group, the holding company for The Carlisle Collection and Casuals Etcetera.
Bill attended the University of Washington. After studying at the Sorbonne in Paris, he attended the Parsons School of Design in New York City and worked as a design assistant at the Seventh Avenue firms of Ben Zuckerman and Dior, New York. With a passion both for sublime fashion design and personalized service, Bill opened his own design studio in 1973, which he ran until he started The Carlisle Collection.
Bill is a member of the Carnegie Hall Board of Trustees and the New York Botanical Garden Board of Directors.