Maurice Marciano is co-founder and chairman of Guess Inc., the global fashion brand that helped pioneer designer jeans and now  encompasses apparel, accessories, fragrance, footwear and watches.

Marciano has been the driving force behind design for the Los Angeles-based company --  Guess’ distinctive triangle logo is his creation. Together with younger brother, Paul, with whom he shared the ceo and chairman titles, Marciano flipped Guess from a money-losing wholesale company to a profitable, retail-focused empire with stores all over the globe.

Marciano grew up in the French port city of Marseille, where he and his brothers operated MGA denim shops (named for Maurice, Georges and Armand). In 1977, the brothers visited California and decided to make it their home. They launched Guess with sexy designer jeans in 1981, when denim was relegated to country farms, not clubls. The Marciano brothers caught a break one year later, when the New York Bloomingdale’s reluctantly agreed to buy two dozen pairs of jeans — the now legendary Marilyn style with an as-yet-unseen stonewashed treatment. Sales caught fire and Guess was rolled out across the chain.

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Legal disputes with one-time backer Jordache, another designer jeans maker, derailed growth for a time, but by 1996, Guess had gone public. In 2007, Maurice Marciano moved into the role of chairman while brother Paul assumed ceo responsibilities.