Liz Lange

Liz Lange is a fashion designer and entrepreneur. The founder of Liz Lange Maternity, which introduced form-fitting designer pregnancy wear in 1998, Lange has been described as a pioneer in the apparel industry.

Lange grew up in New York City. She attended college at Brown University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in Comparative Literature in 1988.

From 1989 through 1993, Lange worked as a staff writer at Vogue, where she developed an interest in fashion. After leaving the magazine, she briefly interned for Stephen Di Geronimo's Geronimo label, and ultimately became a partner. While there, she began developing her idea for maternity clothes.

In 1997, Lange borrowed $50,000 from family and founded Liz Lange Maternity in a 12x12 office equipped with only a phone. In 1998, after contacting friends she believed would be interested in the clothing, Lange opened an 800 square foot store in Manhattan’s midtown. The company quickly outgrew the space and moved to Madison Avenue in 2000.

After early coverage in the New York Times and Vogue, which praised the silhouette of the line, Lange began dressing pregnant celebrities, including Cate Blanchett, Cindy Crawford, Mariska Hargitay, Gwyneth Paltrow, Julia Roberts, Kelly Ripa, Brooke Shields, Kate Winslet, and Reese Witherspoon.

Lange continues to expand her fashion empire with her first ever non-maternity clothing collection, Completely Me by Liz Lange, debuted exclusively on HSN. She also launched the website Shopafrolic.com with her sister, Jane, bringing an eager audience of fashionistas the best daily women’s fashion, accessory and beauty finds.

At the podium, Lange is engaging and energetic as she shares the remarkable story of her journey as an entrepreneur and as a woman challenging the assumptions and accepted wisdom of the market segment she correctly recognized as under served. While speaking frankly and sharing anecdotes, Lange explores how she has ultimately has been successful not just in business but in helping pregnant women of all shapes, sizes and budgets feel as empowered and attractive as the celebrities who wear her high-end apparel. With great warmth and insight, Lange demonstrates the traits necessary to survive everything from launching a multi-million dollar corporation to fighting cancer.

Charity and community involvement play a key role in Lange’s business acumen. She currently sits on the Champions for Children Committee for Safe Horizon, a foundation whose mission is to provide support, prevent violence and promote justice for victims of crime and abuse. She is a board member of Fertile Hope, a charity dedicated to providing education about fertility issues to women coping with cancer.

Lange, an advocate for cancer prevention and treatment, was diagnosed with cervical cancer at age 35. She underwent a hysterectomy, radiation treatment, and chemotherapy and spoke publicly about her illness with publications including People and USA Today.

Lange has two children, Gus and Alice, and lives in Manhattan.