Betsey Johnson, who was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Daily Front Row Fashion Los Angeles Awards on April 24, says her career is far from over
About the recognition, the fashion designer tells PEOPLE exclusively, “I’ve had so many years in the industry, and it feels like it shouldn’t be the end. There should be another award when I’m 92 called the ‘Many Lifetimes Award'”
Though she’s had numerous accomplishments in fashion, Johnson says her daughter Lulu is her “greatest achievement”
Betsey Johnson is here to prove that age is just a number — and fashion is forever.
Ahead of receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Daily Front Row Fashion Los Angeles Awards on Thursday, the 82-year-old fashion icon tells PEOPLE that her lifetime is far from over.
“It’s just wonderful to be acknowledged and cared about,” Johnson says of the honor. “I’ve had so many years in the industry, and it feels like it shouldn’t be the end. There should be another award when I’m 92 called the “Many Lifetimes Award.” You think ‘Oh, that’s too old,’ but I feel good.”
While accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award, Johnson reflected on her decades of designing, saying, “I don’t think clothes are anything. I think it’s the person that gets inside that makes ’em…”
She continued, “I grew up in dancing costumes that me and my mother made together. I knew how to cut and sew since I was four. So I thought ‘I’ll make clothes for me and my girlfriends.’ I just did what I wanted and prayed I wasn’t too weird, that there’d be some other girls out there that would be like me and would like what I was doing.”
Related: Betsey Johnson Turns 80! Designer Vows to Do Cartwheels and Splits ‘As Long As I Can’
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Selma Blair and Betsey Johnson at The Daily Front Row’s 9th Annual Fashion Los Angeles Awards
Known for her eccentric, colorful designs, Johnson attributes the timelessness of her clothing to a life lived on her own terms. “Nobody told me what to do. In my 40-something years in retail, I was really able to express myself,” she tells PEOPLE. “I always held onto my rock-and-roll [and] punk side. I never wanted my clothes to be too expensive. I always hoped that my clothes would lift my girl up, make her feel great, feel attractive, have a good time and feel special.”
Over the years, Johnson has weathered life’s highs and lows, with fashion remaining her constant companion. “I went through breast cancer, open-heart surgery and divorces,” she shares. “The fashion business has been beyond wonderful to me.”
Related: PHOTOS: Inside Betsey Johnson’s Funky Malibu Mobile Home
Still, she says her greatest feat has nothing to do with fashion. “My greatest achievement is my daughter Lulu, and then her achievement of having my two adorable grandkids,” she says. “Lulu worked with me when we were in New York and she was a teenager. She was the age and vibe of my favorite customer — young, sexy, happy, daring. Her opinion was invaluable because she was the only one who would be totally honest with me.”
Along with spending time with her daughter and grandkids, Johnson is keeping busy. “I’m really loving getting hands-on back to work again,” she says. “I’ve been doing a lot. Painting for about a year straight. I have three art gallery openings lined up in L.A., and I am working on a clothing line where I hand-paint the fabric. I’m approaching the art world without being terrified. If it works, it works. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t matter — I’m not doing it to make any money.”
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Betsey Johnson, Lulu Johnson, and her granddaughters at the 2015 CFDA Fashion Awards
Related: Betsey Johnson Was Sent Home on ‘Dancing with the Stars’
She’s also been making appearances on TV. “Going on RuPaul’s Drag Race is a highlight of my career and he was the sweetest person on the planet,” she tells PEOPLE.
“The theme that day was me, and they had to draw inspiration from my old runway videos. I was practically in tears during the whole show — I’d never heard my name mentioned so much. It was the most supportive, exceptionally fun, creative day for me.”
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As for what’s next? A little bit of everything — and a lot more pink. “I have an amazing house in Mexico and a little pink fishing boat. I have a man I really love — he’s my age, believe it or not — and he grows our beautiful garden while I work whenever I can.”
She adds, “I just think keeping the Betsy factor — keeping it cool, hip, pretty and fun is what’s important to me. I have girlfriends and fans that remember the good times they had in my dresses. And so I remember it, too. I hope they had fun like I did.”
Read the original article on People
