Bonnie August

Bonnie J. August (January 2, 1947–August 9, 2003) was an American fashion designer. In the 1970s, she innovated the disco-era look of unitards under wrap skirts. She favored stretchy materials such as spandex and was among the first designers to incorporate prints and bright colors in activewear. She won a Coty Award in 1978 for "changing the way women dressed". August graduated from Syracuse University and was hired as a design director by Danskin in 1975. She wrote the 1981 book The Complete Bonnie August Dress Thin System. She started the labels Bonnie August Activewear and Bodywear and the Bonnie August Design Studio. Her designs are in the collections of New York's Fashion Institute of Technology museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.