Wilkes Bashford Dies

San Francisco luxury clothing retail mogul Wilkes Bashford passed away Saturday, Jan. 16, at the age of 82 after fighting a short battle with prostate cancer. Bashford founded the Wilkes Bashford (San Francisco) clothing store in 1966.

The San Francisco Gate reports the Wilkes Bashford store originally opened as a men’s clothing store focused on carrying “bold conservative” luxury lines; it expanded to carry women’s clothing in 1978.

The retailer was purchased by Mitchell Stores (Westport, Conn.) in 2009, where Bashford continued working until recently.